1. Compliance & fire stopping – where it ends in a Community dwelling

2. Agenda Compliance and standards Fire alarm
Emergency lighting in service user’s bedrooms1
Exit signage in community dwellings
Fire stopping
Textiles and Furnishings requirements in healthcare

3. Compliance and Standards

4. What is a Community Dwelling?
TGD B:
Purpose Group 1(d) – Small Scale Community Dwellings;
No more than one storey with the floor level more than 4.5m above ground level.
Max 3 storeys and 8 bedrooms;
Normally single stair;
Under the management of a statutory or voluntary organization;
Provide supported living and residential services;
The existing TGB D states the above – the new TGDB when released will refer to the COP

5. What is a Community Dwelling?
COP:
Purpose Group 1(d) – Small Scale Community Dwellings;
Homely and non-institutional environment;
Max 8 bedrooms;
Max 6 residents;
No limit on the number of resident carers; and
Basements are not included.
Under the draft “Fire Safety in Community Dwelling Houses”, a community dwelling house is

6. Fire Alarms
The system to comply with I.S.3218:2013 “Fire detection and alarm systems in buildings, system design, installation, commissioning, servicing and maintenance”.
A category LD1 life safety system should be provided.
Consists of interconnected, self-contained mains powered (with battery backup) smoke and heat detectors.
HSE will look for an L1 system for their premises as an LD1 wont allow for connections to free swing / mag locks etc

7. Fire Alarms (cont’d) Smoke detectors provided along the escape routes.
Smoke / heat detectors (as appropriate) in all other rooms (includes attics/lofts but excluding bathroom/shower rooms).
Fire control switch to be provided to facilitate system testing.

8. Fire Alarms (cont’d) Staff to receive instruction on:
What to do in the event of a fire or on discovering a fire (residents to receive these instructions also)
Manual call point locations
Location of fire alarm test switch

9. Fire Alarms (cont’d) On activation of the fire alarm system all:
Electronic powered locks to fail safe to the open position.
Free swing door closers and fire doors held open by electromagnetic hold open devices to fail safe to the closed position

10. Fire Alarms (cont’d)
As part of the premises fire safety register the fire detection and alarm system should be checked/tested:
Daily (in house)
Weekly (in house)
Quarterly (competent contractor)
Annually (competent contractor)
Daily – system is in good health and previous problems addressed
Weekly – system tested by operation of a device
Quarterly - (visual check on wiring, check operation of each detector/call point, check noise levels, etc)
Annually – full check

11. Emergency Lighting
Provides lighting when power to normal lighting fails. Self-contained emergency luminaires to be provided to corridors, halls, landings and stairways and should provide:
Horizontal illuminance along the centre line of an escape route of not less than 1 Lux.
Full luminance within 5 seconds of the normal lighting failure.
Same level of luminance not less than 3 hours.
Batteries for at least 4 years normal operation.
Self-contained emergency luminaire
Is a luminaire providing combined, maintained or non-maintained emergency lighting where all the elements are contained within the unit or adjacent to it.

12. Emergency Lighting
As part of the premises fire safety register the emergency lighting system should be checked/tested:
Daily (in house)
Weekly (in house)
Monthly (in house)
Quarterly (competent contractor)
Annually (competent contractor)
Daily – lamps lit and previous problems addressed.
Weekly – lamps lit, LED charging and previous problems addressed
Monthly – simulate power failure and check lights
Quarterly – simulate power failure for 30 minutes, review lights
Annually – full check of system

13. Signage
Fire doors signage doesn’t need to be displayed on each fire door.
Exit signposting need only be provided if the escape route is not apparent.
To indicate the location of fire-fighting equipment.

14. Fire rated elements Corridors
All corridors to be constructed as protected corridors with a min. 30 mins walls and FD 30S Fire Rated Doorsets
Should be subdivided with an FD 30S doorset (and associated walls/partitions) when the corridor is more than 12m in length. (doors may be held in the open position by means of an electro-magnetic device that releases the door automatically on activation of a smoke detector on the fire alarm system).

15. Fire rated elements Escape Stairs
Escape stairs, and associated hallway/landings, where habitable rooms open directly into the stairway enclosure, are to be enclosed in min. 30 mins walls/partitions and FD 30S rated doorsets.

16. Fire rated elements External Escape Stairs
More than one escape route is required, one may be by way of an external escape stair with the zone hatched red defined for fire-resisting walls, doors and windows to the external stairs

17. Fire Rated elements The fire rated enclosure either:
Carried full storey height to the underside of the floor; or
Carried full height to the roof above; or
Carried to fire rated (30 minutes) ceiling on the top floor.
Existing dwellings walls and ceilings should be subject to RA and upgraded where deemed necessary.

18. Fire Stopping
Definition: “Fire stopping is a seal provided to close an imperfection of fit or design tolerance between rated elements, components or construction so as to restrict the penetration of smoke and flames.” Any opening to allow services to pass through a fire rated element (e.g. wall, floor) should be adequately fire stopped so that the fire resistance of that element is not impaired.

19. Fire Stopping – Trying to Prevent

20. Fire Stopping - Solutions
Most Common Solutions:
Fire Rated Collar
Fire Rated Wrap
Fire Batt
Intumescent Mastic, etc

21. Fire Stopping - Solutions
Most Common Solutions:
Fire Rated Collar
Surface mounted
Metal collar prevents intumescent material
expanding outwards
Pressure crushes plastic pipe and seals opening

22. Fire Stopping - Solutions
2. Fire Rated Wrap
No metal band
Positioned within a masonry wall to allow intumescent to expand inwards to seal opening

23. Fire Stopping - Solutions
3. Fire Batt
Prevents the passage of fire and smoke by reinstating the fire resistance to the wall/floor.
Suitable for protecting large openings

24. Fire Stopping - Solutions
4. Intumescent Mastic / Pillows
Designed to close off penetrations and gaps in fire rated walls/floors
Can provide between 2 and 4 hour fire resistance
Suitable for dealing with small service penetrations

25. Fire Stopping - Solutions
Non combustible material i.e. cast iron or steel

26. Fire Stopping – Looking Forward
Implications under BCAR
Ancillary Certification by Fire Consultant and Specialist Contractor
Increased number of inspections required by fire safety consultant prior to sign off
CE markings and Declaration of Performance certification

28. Fire Stopping

29. Furnishings and fittings Standards
Furniture and fittings cannot be easily ignited or do not contribute to the rapid spread of fire.
Furniture and furnishings must comply with:
Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations or
Equivalent European Standard.

30. Furnishings and fittings Standards
Applies to:

31. Fire perf’ and testing of furniture and furnishings:
Ignitability of upholstered furniture and loose covers: BS 5852
Resistance to ignition of mattresses, divans and bed bases: BS 7177
Resistance to ignition of upholstered furniture for non-domestic use: BS 7176
Flammability of fabrics for curtains and drapes (including nets and linings): BS
Burning behaviour (ignitability and flame spread) of curtains and drapes: BS EN 1101 (ignitability) and BS EN 1102 (flame spread).

32. Coverings
Should be maintained free of cuts and tears and filling materials should not be exposed.
All furnishings should be inspected on a weekly basis and findings recorded in the Fire Safety Register for the dwelling.

33. Ceiling linings Considerations:
Ceiling linings and other hanging textiles being fire retardant
Care is also needed on the selection of decorative finishes and multi-layer decorative systems, e.g. wall papers and oil based paints.

34. In Summary Compliance and standards Fire alarm
Emergency lighting in service user’s bedrooms1
Exit signage in community dwellings
Fire stopping
Textiles and Furnishings requirements in healthcare

35. The End