Sheltered housing

[Ashley Wood]

Can anyone advise me regarding the following? I have a client who has several blocks of 2 storey flats. Each block has an entrance lobby, rear fire exit/s, central core stairs and landing on 1st floor. What is the position for the landlord regarding the installation of a BS5839 manual fire alarm and AFD in these communal areas? The flats are sheltered housing for the elderly. Each flat has a hard wired domestic smoke detector fitted but they are not linked to the fire brigade or a central station.

[AFD]

Any requirements will be those required by an accurate risk assessment, which will generally mean for a sleeping risk that some form of detection is required.  The circulation areas are part of the RRfsO and enforced by the Fire Authority, the individual flats 'can' be classed as an HMO and be enforced under the Housing Act by the environmental health or other designated organisation. The general standard would be a 5939 pt1 system covering circulation routes L2/L3 (therefore rooms opening on to circulation routes ) and a 5839 pt1 sytem to cover flats, sounding in individual flat only. Both systems should be linked to wardens accomodation and or monitoring centre.

[wee brian]

Just how is an individual flat an HMO??

[kurnal]

This discussion keeps popping up on this forum and we never seem to reach unanimous agreement.
Common areas fire alarms and detection in FLATS should not be necessary if the flats are designed abd built to comply with BS5588 part 4 or Approved document B or CP3 part 4 (older buildings). This design standard incorporates a high level of fire compartmentation, short travel distances in corridors, fire doors to flats, ventilation on stairs and some corridors, stand alone smoke alarms in flats and no common areas fire alarms because it is considered that persons are not at risk from fire and dont need to evacuate unless the fire is in their own flat. Flats on ground and first floors were allowed some additional relaxations because escape or rescue could be made from suitable windows just like in a dwelling house.  

Your two storey blocks of four flats are at the lowest  risk end of the flats spectrum but I bet the flats have no fire doors, have furniture/ junk stored  in the common areas and probably a refuse store as well.

For my clients in these situations I always  recommend fire doors to flats, fire doors to stores, try and limit fire loading in the stair. And ensure that the flats have opening windows of the correct size for escape.
If successfully achieved  that will do but if the residents do insist on storing junk in the entrance I recommend a mains powered smoke alarm to cover the common area as well and in some cases have even interlinked to additional sounders in the flats.  

Thats what I do- but some would argue

[Ashley Wood]

Kurnal, you are spot on with your description about junk, etc. The flats have fire doors but they have had slits cut into them, 500mm x 75mm, with a grill to aid ventilation! Good fire doors (Not). The rubbish bins are also inside the communal area in a store and these also have doors with slits!

Heres another situation that you may be able to advise on. Some locations have bungalows and only a communal lounge with kitchen and guest bedroom. This is a stand alone building. What about alarms, detection in this building? The lounge could have as many as 20-40 people using it.

BR

Ashley

[kurnal]

I would need to know the layout of the communal area/ guest bedroom. But would probably treat as a bungalow but as the  communal area is not under the  direct control of the guest in the bedroom would look for a self closing fire door between communal lounge and guest bedroom lobby and interconnected mains powered smoke alarms.

[AFD]

In reply to 'wee brian ' you will see I said individual flat 's' , as in 'the overall building' is a house in multiple occupation if you wish to discuss this with agencies that enforce the housing act you may find it applies to the overall 'building' .
I think if you do some research into this area, you will find there have been deaths in the last 4 weeks.
As to the 'level of risk', the move to provide 'sheltered housing ' on the cheap, as lead to the removal of wardens and 'when they can afford it' to replace them with technology eg. detection linked to a remote call centre.  The centres may be many miles away ( does it remind you of any other 'call centre' cost reductions), the systems installed may not be comprehensive or maintained and tested.
The reduction in the profits of private residential care homes leading to their closure and change of use to apartments, and the reduction in the number local authority residential care homes as led to occupants of sheltered housing being too vulnerable for that type of residence, couple this with the reduction in 'pastoral care' ie wardens etc, I think this is an area that will see a rise in the number of casualties ove the next few years. So in my opinion this is not a low risk area, possibly a low profit area those in the industry ?

[wee brian]

I'm not going to get into the semantics of the housing Act or the English language - cos its boring and wont help Ashley answer the question. Suffice to say The Act and the EHOs powers cover all housing not just HMOs.

Ashley's more detailed comments on the fire doors etc make me think that its not as straight forward as it first appeared. The bottom line with sheltered accom is that the residents are expected to look after themselves. As AFD rightly says the level of "care" available varies considerably.

I'm more worried about these great big holes in the doors. The principles of "defend in place" that apply to flats in this country are dependant on adequate compartmentation. If you havent got it then simultaneous evac may be necessary.