Author Topic: Fire alarms in hotels (Read 18840 times)

nigelB · « **on:** October 09, 2006, 03:15:02 PM »

I recently stayed in a hotel in Wales. I refused to stay in the room because it had no form of fire detection in the room and it also had no fire detection in the corridor outside the room. Are they breaking the law, or doesn't it matter if they have detection or not?

Would love some feedback on this

lucky · « **Reply #1 on:** October 09, 2006, 03:56:39 PM »

They certainly are breaking the law and should be reported to the relevant authority.

Martin Burford · « **Reply #2 on:** October 09, 2006, 04:34:20 PM »

lucky........check the guide pg 62................... and did this premises have a fire cert
Conqueror

nigelB · « **Reply #3 on:** October 09, 2006, 05:05:20 PM »

Conqueror

What do you mean by pg 62. Do you think that this hotel is not breaking the law??

nigelB

Wiz · « **Reply #4 on:** October 09, 2006, 05:19:48 PM »

Quote from: lucky

They certainly are breaking the law and should be reported to the relevant authority.

Here you are lucky, I wondered where you were hiding! Calm down now with your snap judgements. That recent jelly-copter crash you were involved in may have affected your rational thought process. Conqueror is giving good advice and indicating that everything is not always so black and white.

nigelB · « **Reply #5 on:** October 09, 2006, 06:13:37 PM »

I have just found out that apparently this Hotel did have the so called fire cert

kurnal · « **Reply #6 on:** October 09, 2006, 07:23:08 PM »

Congratulations on voting with your feet. But there are hundreds if not thousands of hotels round the UK ( and Europe come to that) where minimal standards of fire safety are still in place.

The reason is the major shortcoming of the former Fire Precautions Act which allowed a building occupier or owner, having achieved what was considered to be a reasonable enough level of safety and being issued a fire certificate in 1971 to then sit back and just to maintain that standard, the fire authority being impotent to do anything but recommend improvements.

Things should have improved in 1997 when the Fire Precautions workplace regulations, requiring risk assessments, came into force but the Govt fudged the issue at first, and again in 99 when forced by europe to implement the directive requiring a risk assessment even where a fire certificate was in force.

So things should have been improving for 7 years but the influence of the govt in maintaining a low key approach means that only now are fire authorities are really empowered to start to bring standards up to date by a proactive enforcement policy. Will it happen? Not till we have a disaster in a hotel I guess.

Graeme · « **Reply #7 on:** October 09, 2006, 07:56:41 PM »

Quote from: nigelB

I recently stayed in a hotel in Wales. I refused to stay in the room because it had no form of fire detection in the room and it also had no fire detection in the corridor outside the room. Are they breaking the law, or doesn't it matter if they have detection or not?

Would love some feedback on this

that's beacuse Wales does not have electricity yet!!

joke...

jokar · « **Reply #8 on:** October 09, 2006, 08:34:34 PM »

What about wireless systems then? Or are batteries not used in Wales either? Perhaps as it is so wet out there the fires don't often occur. Mind you having had a hose pipe ban for a couple of years their water will be good.

Certified under old legislation, seems funny to state that after a week or so, therefore it must have met the safe standard of the day as many do and have for years.

Martin Burford · « **Reply #9 on:** October 09, 2006, 10:36:01 PM »

nigelB

Breaking the law ?.............don't know never visited the premises......so only have your word.... !!
Conqueror

lucky · « **Reply #10 on:** October 10, 2006, 02:24:06 PM »

Sorry wiz,I am used to things beiong pretty spot on.........

Wiz · « **Reply #11 on:** October 10, 2006, 02:52:14 PM »

Quote from: lucky

Sorry wiz,I am used to things beiong pretty spot on.........

No probs Lucky. Just making sure you don't spiral out of control. That jelly-coptor incident was pretty heavy. Do you know Kurnal has been looking for you in another room?

potter 2 · « **Reply #12 on:** November 17, 2006, 04:58:45 PM »

back to serious.There are a hell of a lot of large hotels with very old systems L3 at best or L someting (not actually any standard) are Fire authorities now visiting under RRO (FS0) and requiring upgrades to the standard advised inthe FSO guides .This could be thousands of pound in a large premise of a national chain ,,any body found any problems or impending disagreement with the hoteliers

jokar · « **Reply #13 on:** November 17, 2006, 05:20:01 PM »

FRS can not require anything. RR(FS)O is about the RP assessing the risks and deciding whether the control measures are suitable and sufficient, if not then they may need additional measures. The FRS, fire police, can only enforce against the standard of the day.

CivvyFSO · « **Reply #14 on:** November 20, 2006, 10:19:00 AM »

I think most I/O would be quite happy to issue an enforcement notice to a hotel with no detection. I think it would be hard for any hotel owner to argue that people are not at risk in such a hotel.

If any of you can give me examples of where a hotel might get away with no detection I would be interested to hear them. I would be looking at article 13, 'to the extent that is appropriate' and also using the 'Sleeping accommodation' guide as a benchmark. Wakeful watches & 24hr security are both better than nothing, but nowhere near as reliable as a tested & working AFD system. (Doesn't fall asleep, doesn't nip off to the garage for some cigs, doesn't nip outside to have a recently purchased cig...)

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Author Topic: Fire alarms in hotels (Read 18840 times)

Graeme