One wireless smoke alarm on each floor?

[bargepole]

I live in a 3 storey block of flats (17 flats) that was built circa 1970. There's a mis-mash of battery operated smoke alarms in the common areas that have been put in over the years by the resident's management comittee. I am now a memeber the said comittee  and we have decided to replace all of the old alarms with the Dicom ionisation 10 year battery alarms.

However I would also like to add, one to each floor, probably around the stairwell area, wireless smoke alarms. so hopefully if one of these alarms is triggered on one floor the other two will also sound on the other floors.

The common area floors are tiles on top of concrete (although now carpeted as well), the walls are unplastered brickwork, and the stairs and landings are also concrete. There are no firedoors between floors, the stairs and landings are all open plan.

Have spotted these wireless units ( http://www.tradesensors.co.uk/index.html?lang=en-uk&target=p7.html?lmd=38913.677083 ) and wondered if they would be ok for the job,. They seem to do away with the need for a control panel.  Also is ionisation or optical best for this position?

Are there any problems that can occur with this type of alarm ie alarms set off by other spurious RF signals, or shorter battery life due to being wireless?

[Richard Earl]

hi, if you need very good advice contact tecserv uk 08452 303434? or on the web at www.tecservuk.com

they have been fitting radio fire detection in listed building etc for years and i found them to be the best company for advice.

ask for Graham - Cliff

hope this is ok

richard

[David Rooney]

1. You should get a fire risk assessment carried out (RRFSO)
2. I wouldn't recommend making up your own evacuation strategy without talking to the authorities and getting advice.
3. You will probably need an L2 system in the common parts to BS 5839 pt 1: 2002
4. You should have systems within the flats to BS 5839 pt 6.
5. You may need a detector in each flat connected to your landlords system.
6. You may need to consider sounders within the flats from the landlords system
7. Much more information is required !!
8. Buy some shares in Tecserve.......I keep hearing about them, they must be good......

[Allen Higginson]

1. You should get a fire risk assessment carried out (RRFSO)
2. I wouldn't recommend making up your own evacuation strategy without talking to the authorities and getting advice.
3. You will probably need an L2 system in the common parts to BS 5839 pt 1: 2002
4. You should have systems within the flats to BS 5839 pt 6.
5. You may need a detector in each flat connected to your landlords system.
6. You may need to consider sounders within the flats from the landlords system
7. Much more information is required !!
8. Buy some shares in Tecserve.......I keep hearing about them, they must be good......

With regards to item 4 Dave this may not be the case if there are self contained units (own facilities) as opposed to HMO's.
Still on fer curry next week??

[Midland Retty]

1. You should get a fire risk assessment carried out (RRFSO)
2. I wouldn't recommend making up your own evacuation strategy without talking to the authorities and getting advice.
3. You will probably need an L2 system in the common parts to BS 5839 pt 1: 2002
4. You should have systems within the flats to BS 5839 pt 6.
5. You may need a detector in each flat connected to your landlords system.
6. You may need to consider sounders within the flats from the landlords system
7. Much more information is required !!
8. Buy some shares in Tecserve.......I keep hearing about them, they must be good......

With regards to item 4 Dave this may not be the case if there are self contained units (own facilities) as opposed to HMO's.
Still on fer curry next week??

Be careful there - even if they are privately owned flats a Part 6 system maybe required in order to protect common means of escape - a lot of fire officers I know would ask for that.

[IrishFire]

The fire officers here have just had the standards changed to now have 75db at bedhead as with hotels, is it not the case that a lot of apartment blocks have a detector (normaly heat) and a sounder from the landlords panel fitted inside the front door of each apartment? Although any service engineer knows that causes more problems than it's worth (access and vandalism etc..).

[Allen Higginson]

The fire officers here have just had the standards changed to now have 75db at bedhead as with hotels, is it not the case that a lot of apartment blocks have a detector (normaly heat) and a sounder from the landlords panel fitted inside the front door of each apartment? Although any service engineer knows that causes more problems than it's worth (access and vandalism etc..).

Is that not just in RoI at the moment (awaits kickin for not being up to scratch)?

[David Rooney]

1. You should get a fire risk assessment carried out (RRFSO)
2. I wouldn't recommend making up your own evacuation strategy without talking to the authorities and getting advice.
3. You will probably need an L2 system in the common parts to BS 5839 pt 1: 2002
4. You should have systems within the flats to BS 5839 pt 6.
5. You may need a detector in each flat connected to your landlords system.
6. You may need to consider sounders within the flats from the landlords system
7. Much more information is required !!
8. Buy some shares in Tecserve.......I keep hearing about them, they must be good......

With regards to item 4 Dave this may not be the case if there are self contained units (own facilities) as opposed to HMO's.
Still on fer curry next week??

Be careful there - even if they are privately owned flats a Part 6 system maybe required in order to protect common means of escape - a lot of fire officers I know would ask for that.

Point taken...... I was just thinking from a common sense point of view the flats should have at least one "domestic" detector.

I am out on Tuesday till Friday, and about the same the following week.

I will let you know how my nerves hold out..... Benedicts was interesting!!

[CivvyFSO]

1. You should get a fire risk assessment carried out (RRFSO)
2. I wouldn't recommend making up your own evacuation strategy without talking to the authorities and getting advice.
3. You will probably need an L2 system in the common parts to BS 5839 pt 1: 2002
4. You should have systems within the flats to BS 5839 pt 6.
5. You may need a detector in each flat connected to your landlords system.
6. You may need to consider sounders within the flats from the landlords system
7. Much more information is required !!
8. Buy some shares in Tecserve.......I keep hearing about them, they must be good......

With regards to item 4 Dave this may not be the case if there are self contained units (own facilities) as opposed to HMO's.
Still on fer curry next week??

Be careful there - even if they are privately owned flats a Part 6 system maybe required in order to protect common means of escape - a lot of fire officers I know would ask for that.

The part 6 is not to protect the common means of escape. The L2 does that. The part 6 is to wake up Mr DrunkStudent of a fire in his kitchen once he falls asleep on the couch half way through making an egg sandwich at 3am when steaming drunk.