Im not trying to question colin todd, I have a lot of time for his experience and advice rearding fire safety
But the punter is saying that his guide says "no alarm in common areas under any circumstances"
I accept now common fire alarm system is required in flats masionettes built to current building regs, but does Mr Todd's guide say no common fire alarm is required in flats masionettes not built to current building standards
Can anyway confirm if thats correct or where i could get a copy of the guide as Ive gogoled it but nowt is coming up
If a fire started in a flat and the front door was left open, the smoke would hit a detector in the common area, activate the common fire alarm system, unaffected flats would begin to evacuate straight into the smoke logged corridor caused by the door being left open
That doesn't sound right to me (but thats just my opinion what do you guys think?)
Cheers
Midland Retty, did you ever get your answer the your question?
i quote from Colins guide, "individual flats,maisonettes & sheltered houses, Where I quote the word"individual" it should be noted that this word does not actually appear in the code. I have used the word to emphasize that, in the case of flats, maisonettes, and units of sheltered hosuing, the code makes it quite clear that its recommendations only apply to the individual dwelling units and not any common parts. This is because, in the case of new blocks of flats,maisonettes and sheltered houses, compliance with building regs generally necessitates that each dwelling unit is constructed as a FR enclosure.
The implications of this are that, in the event of a fire in, say a single flat within a block of flats, every other flat should usually be a place of relative safety, and complete evacuation of the block will not normally be necessary, even if, when the door of the flat with the fire is opened, some smoke enters the common escape rotes, the escape routes themselves should of course be sterile.
Colin goes on to add, therefore fire detection systems is not normally installed throughout the common areas of flats etc, , indeed a communual fire alarm system in a block of flats can actually result in a certain amount of danger to occupants, by causing unnecessary evacuation, perhaps in the case of an actual fire, into a smoke filled corridor or staircase.
He finishes saying that the code does not specifically recommend against such an installation, in the common parts, but that it is excluded from its scope.
