Hi,
I few years back I shadowed a Enforcement Officer from a Fire Brigade whilst they were carrying out an audit of a large residential home for the elderly. They asked me what was the difference, in terms of fire risk or source of ignition, between a bedroom and a bathroom (both leading directly onto the means of escape corridor). Prior to this, at another but similar site, the LFB sent a letter (not enforcement) asking the landlord to consider the fire doors in terms of the FRA as this situation had not been specifically mentioned (and therefore considered).The doors to the bath rooms were nominal ones (no ISS/SS but solid with closers and 1" stops) and there were sprinklers both side of the door and an L1 system installed (no false alarms reported). The point they were trying to make was that now the risk of fire in the bathroom was the same (or there-abouts) as the risk from a bedroom and so the lack of a fully compliant fire door had to be considered in terms if a fire risk assessment. So if fire doors may be a requirement would not detection also be (especially if there were no sprinklers)? One thing to ask in the FRA is if the equipment such as hoists or electric baths are being serviced or not. Fire on such equipment may not occur whilst some one is operating it (indeed I have heard of fires for the power supply to electric beds catching fire and setting fire to the carpet - no one has to be in the bed for that to happen). So can you risk assess out the need for afd (smoke or heat) - well that's down to the assessor.
FM
