FIRE SAFETY
Multi-Occupancy and The New Age of Fire Safety
» THE DEMAND TO ASSESS AND successfully manage fire safety within high-rise residential buildings has never been greater . And with 2021 introducing reformed regulations , how is this new age of fire safety shaping up ?
For multi-occupied residential buildings , fire safety responsibility is often wrongly shrouded in ambiguity . Only recently , the CEO of Grenfell Tower ’ s management body passed blame to staff for an outdated building safety plan , of which information on vulnerable residents was 15 years out of date .
This baton-pass type approach simply isn ’ t effective , or even appropriate for a topic as vital as fire safety . After all , the standards associated with fire safety are by obligation , robust . Yet , for multi-storey and multi-occupied residential buildings in particular , history has uncovered a pitfall of wrong doings and poorly constructed fire safety practices .
With that , the pressures to do better have been mounting , and amidst the whirlwind of reformed conventions this year - consider EU and COVID updates - fire safety has rightly remained high on the agenda . Meaningful strides have been made towards improving fire and building safety , with the government providing a revised £ 5.1 billion in funding for the removal of ACM cladding in high-rise blocks , and significantly , upon examination of the final report of the Hackitt Review , further amending legislations in a bid to make regulations as airtight as possible .
Updated regulations
In April , the Fire Safety Act 2021 ( FSA ) was introduced , seeking to amend the Fire Safety Order 2005 ( FSO ) by improving identification , assessment and enforcement in high-rise residential buildings . The newly reformed act further clarifies the duties that responsible persons must manage in order to reduce the risk of fire within their multi-storey structures , as well as the potential penalties , should those responsibilities be neglected .
Focusing on all components of a building , the new policies cover everything from structure and external walls ( including cladding and windows ) to the entrance doors to individual flats and the fire doors for domestic , multioccupancy premises . In addition , the FSA is set to take forward recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase one report , highlighting accountability for lifts , evacuations , fire safety instructions and ensuring flat entrance doors comply with present-day standards .
Crucially , the introduction of the FSA will empower fire and rescue services to take enforcement action where necessary , leaving building owners ( responsible parties ) liable should they fall noncompliant . Considering East London was hit with another major fire incident in a 19-storey residential block only a week after these legislations were introduced , the changes have come at an opportune time .
More recently , the Building Safety Bill ( BSB ) was introduced to the house of commons on 5th July . As the name suggests , the BSB focuses heavily on enforcing higher safety standards for all residential buildings - also protecting occupants and providing them with a larger platform to voice their concerns . Once again , scrupulous responsibility is at the forefont of the new framework , with improved compliance and tougher penalties linked to the various stages of building design , construction , completion and finally occupation . FSA and BSB combined , there ’ s simply no room for shortcuts anymore .
Fundamentals matter
Separate to the procedural removal of ACM cladding , attention shifts to what building owners can accomplish internally to improve fire safety standards . Beyond comprehensive risk assessments and evacuation plans , referenced at multiple stages of the reformed FSA is the use of fully compliant , fully tested fire doors . Often found propped open , damaged or poorly maintained , fire doors are a regular sticking point when it comes to fire safety incidents - yet characteristically , ey thare fundamental in keeping people safe in fire situations .
Available in ratings ranging from FD30 to FD120 , fire doors and their equipment will provide between 30 to 120 minutes of protection against fire and smoke - but only when fitted , maintained and working correctly . The overhauled regulations have now put an increased pressure on building managers to comprehensively inspect the certification , gaps , seals , hinges and the closing elements of their fire doors - whether main or individual flat entrance doors - to ensure all is functioning suitably .
All dedicated fire doors require a fitted fire door closer ( a minimum size 3 is recommended ), and when it comes to their maintenance , it ’ s good practice to perform weekly checks . To ensure the closer ( and door ) is working as intended , it ’ s key to
Sources : https :// www . theguardian . com / uk-news / 2021 / jun / 23 / ceo-of-grenfell-tower-landlord-blames-staff-for-outdated-fire-safety-plan , https :// fdis . co . uk , https :// www . theguardian . com / society / 2021 / jul / 04 / high-rise-leaseholders-criticise-plan-to-help-them-sue-over-fire-safety-costs , https :// assets . publishing . service . gov . uk / government / uploads / system / uploads / attachment _ data / file / 707785 / Building _ a _ Safer _ Future _ - _ web . pdf , https :// www . legislation . gov . uk / ukpga / 2021 / 24 / contents / enacted , https :// www . legislation . gov . uk / uksi / 2005 / 1541 / contents / made
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SEP / OCT 2021
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