fire shutters

[Vernon]

a school reception office has a fire door but also has a roller shutter connected to the fire alarm system. This covers the sliding window where people sign in and out. I want it removed, am i allowed to do so. Other school receptions do not have them.

[kurnal]

You would not be  legally able to remove it unless you could justify why through your fire risk assessment.

Things you should consider are-
does your reception  hatch open into the bottom of a staircase?
If so is it the only staircase serving any part of the upper or lower floors
How big is the office it serves?
What is the level of fire risk in the office?
Where are the lines of fire compartmentation- how large an area is bounded by the wall containing the shutter?

[AnthonyB]

Why remove it? If it only activates upon suspicion of fire what's the problem?

I've only seen shutters for reception or sign/in out windows where they have opened into a main protected means of escape and their construction or mode of use cannot maintain the required protection at material times. I've only seen one installed in my time as a retrofit after a floor was split into two - the fire authority required it.

It is as said down to risk assessment - just because other schools don't have them means they are correct, other schools receptions may not open into equally escape critical areas as yours. Perhaps it is in a compartment wall?

[John Webb]

I came across the same problem when we (Fire Research Station) moved in 1997 into the then new Building 16 on the BRE site (the 'low energy office block' for those of you who have been there). The reason was exactly the same - the offices were separated off from the main access staircase, but contained a reception desk in the offices with an opening out onto the said staircase, and therefore in need of an automatic shutter to be activated on the operation of the FA system. At the first fire drill the office staff looked on with horror as the heavy metal shutter came crashing down. They thereafter refused to answer calls to the reception desk on the grounds that they were not going to risk being injured by the shutter if it happened to come down while they were speaking to someone through the opening. It was eventually removed and the opening closed off permanently. A door-phone system was installed instead to allow visitors to request entry etc.

If you are compelled to keep the shutter, then you should insist on a time-delay in the release, so that people hearing the fire alarm can stand back from the opening before the shutter comes down. It will need clear signing warning of the danger.

As an alternative you could consider getting the glazing changed to a fire-resistant glass that would give the required fire resistance to the escape route?

[Mike Buckley]

Could you change it from being linked to the alarm system to having a fusable link? Also just check if ther are any security issues ie people accessing Reception whilst everyone is outside having a roll call.

[Chris Houston]

It's probably there for a reason.  You need to find out what the reason was.  Security?  Or more likley it is to stop fire spread between the rooms on either side of the shutter.

Why would you want this removed?

You could possibly justify its removal by providing other safety features.  It is hard to say much more without more information.

[Dinnertime Dave]

Could you change it from being linked to the alarm system to having a fusable link? Also just check if ther are any security issues ie people accessing Reception whilst everyone is outside having a roll call.

fusable links aren`t really acceptable for the protection of means of escape.

[Vernon]

Thanks all for your input on the shutters. Fire resisting glass sounds a good idea.

[Chris Houston]

Georgian Wired glass tends to provie 30 minutes fire resistance.  Fire shutters tend to be rated higher.  I would urge caution.

[kurnal]

Usually 30 minutes is adequate for means of escape, fire compartmentation requirements are always 1 hour plus. But thats where the georgian wired glass and a shutter on fusible link could work together. If the hatch has to open for reception purposes then even half an hour may be a problem as the glass will be largely unsupported.

The other suggestion detailed above of a delay on operation of the shutter with a warning siren or flashing light may be the easiest to achieve- say 15- 30 seconds - should not be too much of a problem for staircase protection as the reception office will have to fill with smoke down to the top of the shutter before flowing into the staircase.

[Chris Houston]

Life safety is one side of the coin.  Property protection is another.

[slubberdegullion]

Vernon,

To give the best answer we should know if anyone has no choice but to pass through the space outside this hatch when making their way out the building.  Or can everyone in the building go out by some other route? And be careful here - when I talk about this space I mean the whole of the space at every level (if it has a staircase in it).

Also, what is the space outside the hatch used for?  Does it have a staircase in it?  

And is this space enclosed (at all levels) by fire resisting doors?

The answers to these questions may determine whether or not the shutter is required in the first place.

Stu