MCP in Loft?

[Psuedonym]

I'm not a FA systems expert so go easy please:

I was asked by a client today why an MCP is installed within a loft space of a small hotel premises - additional bedroom annex (ground and first floor with 20 rooms per floor)?  Is it a normal practice/ requirement? This annex is a new build and disconnected from the main building with the FA interconnected to the main hotel.

There is no access to the roof area other than a small ceiling door only access via a self supplied ladder i.e. no public access or fixed access, and a SD is installed. No plant is present and the roof space is completely empty with no plans for future use. The hotel chain safety officer has instructed staff to carry out key tests as part of the in house alarm testing which is why they were concerned.
Why would this (MCP) be specified?

For the record what is the BS for E/L selection and installation as the first floor of the same building doesn't have an E. light fitting adjacent to the stairs to main exit leading to the ground floor entrance from the first floor corridor. All other exits are covered - albeit small and obscured by the main light fittings with the usual now common euro style legend (sorry..fridge) and incorrect arrow direction (But i'm not going into that one!! grrr..)

Ta

[Clevelandfire]

Firstly the easy one to answer is that BS5266 deals with installation siting and design of emergency lighting systems.

The provision of a mains call point in a loft is a bit of a funny one. The BS would dictate you must be able to reach a call point within a certain distance. So it could have been for that reason, but alas it seems over the top and I wouldn't be worried about testing it. The sceptic in me suggests that the alarm company who installed it convinced the owner she or he needed one and added it to get some extra cash maybe.

[Psuedonym]

Thanks,
I suggested the same to the client and advised not to test but leave to the 25% service when the SD is smoked.
Tsk! very cynical! Bit desparate for a few quid by the install co. though!

[Clevelandfire]

if theyve installed a call point in the loft for that reason you bet your bottom dollar theyve oversubsribed provisions elsewhere too to ramp up the cost psuedonym

[Allen Higginson]

I'm assuming that the roofspace is a zone and that the mcp is at the loft door - this would be the exit from the zone down to the next level.I suppose they may have thought that if someone was doing hotwork up there then in the event of an accidental fire occuring the person heading down through the trapdoor hits the mcp.
As for getting a few extra quid - if there's a detector up there then there wouldn't be a lot of money involved in a mcp.
In reference to the weekly test it should be tested as part of the weekly test at some stage and,depending on the number of mcp's,this may equate to 4 or more tests on it per year - as you say,4 of the tests could be timed to coincide with your maintenance visit (as long as you can do your visit on the same day and around the same time each quarter.

[Clevelandfire]

no there woulkdnt be much extra cost but as I said if theyve decided to get a few quid back in the loft you can bet theyve tried to squeeze a few extra quid elsewhere

plus we know it doesnt cost much to install a MCP but we dont know how much they charged the client who might not be aware of whats involved

[John Dragon]

Could also be something silly like they needed to joint a cable and had no adaptable boxes so used a CP instead?

[jokar]

You need tp look at part 1, 7 and 8 of BS 5266 for Emergency Lighting and Emergency Escape Lighting.  Make sure you have current copies and be careful as the same terminology is used in each document but it is given different meanings.

[Psuedonym]

Ok ta guys, I had suggested the same to the client re hotwork as an excuse, sorry, reasoned assessment, but forgot about the joint possibilities for the mcp.
Thanks for the info, Jokar
 

[Ken Taylor]

I've had MCPs whenever the loft area contains a working area (eg for regular plant access, lift motor room, etc), where the loft contains a number of 'rooms'  or travel distance dictates.