Still draft.
This is the text from the leaflet.
Fire safety for smaller B&B’s, self-catering holiday and similar accommodation
This section is intended to provide the operators of very small bed and breakfast and self catering accommodation, farms, bunkhouses and similar establishments with simple and straightforward guidance on what fire safety precautions may be necessary to make your premises safe and comply with the law.
Because of large variations in age, construction and layout of this type of accommodation any advice must be applied with common sense. What may be appropriate in a modern self catering apartment may not be sufficient in a three hundred year old coaching house. If you specifically market to people with disabilities you may have to do more. – Fire Safety Risk Assessment - Means of Escape for Disabled People – available for free download at
www.communities.gov.uk provides valuable advice.
If your premises are comparable with an average sized family home, the precautions necessary will generally be simpler than those required for people sleeping in larger premises with more complex layouts.
The following advice is not suitable for larger accommodation. There is no absolute definition of what is a large bed & breakfast establishment. If your premises are significantly larger than an average family home or include long, unusual or complex escape routes, e.g. more than 12m, to the final exit door then you will probably need more sophisticated fire safety arrangements.
For such premises you should consult HM Government guide – Fire Safety Risk Assessment – Sleeping Accommodation – available for free download via
www.communities.gov.ukAfter working through steps one, two and the first part of step three of your fire risk assessment you should have removed all obvious hazards and reduced the risk considerably.
The next thing you should think of is, “how will a fire be detected and how will the people in my premises be alerted”?
Automatic Fire Detection and Alarm systems
Bed and Breakfast or self-catering holiday lets of up to two storeys and occasionally premises comprising of three storeys, but still of a size comparable with an average family home, are likely to require an automatic fire detection system (designed specifically for dwellings rather than businesses) based on interconnected mains powered smoke alarms (with a battery back-up), with detectors sited in the staircase and corridors and rooms that open onto these routes including all bedrooms. (Technically this is referred to as a Grade D LD2 system as described in British Standard 5839 Part 6).
In the very smallest accommodation of no more than two storeys, with two or three guest bedrooms and short travel distances to open air, a system of interconnected (or radio interlinked) detectors with a ten year battery life, may be adequate. It will probably be best if you use a heat detector in any kitchen. (Technically this is referred to as a Grade F LD2 system as described in British Standard 5839 Part 6). Grade F systems can be self-installed and are therefore relatively inexpensive.
As with all systems regular testing to ensure they are functioning and can be heard within each bedroom will be necessary. They must be loud enough to wake a sleeping person. There are also similar systems available to include vibration units and flashing lights for people with hearing difficulty.
Larger premises will usually require a more sophisticated system with a control panel and manual call points. (Technically this is referred to Grade L2 as described in British Standard 5839 Part 1).
Once a small fire has been detected you should think about “how it could be put out and therefore save others in the premises?”
Fire Fighting Equipment
In small bed and breakfast accommodation and similar premises one extinguisher on each floor, hung on a bracket in the stairs and a fire blanket in the kitchen should be adequate.
Suitable multi purpose extinguishers can be brought from large retail outlets. They are guaranteed for five years and should only require the gauge checking to make sure the ‘stored pressure’ has not leaked. Make sure the instructions are clear and there is a warning to people not to tackle anything other than a very small fire.
“How will people get out of the premises?”
You should never underestimate the danger of a fire in small premises. Nearly all the people who die in fires in this country are trapped in domestic type premises.
Protection of Escape Routes
Escape routes include rooms, corridors and stairs that have to be passed through to escape from a building. Where rooms have doors which open onto escape routes the likelihood of safe escape is reduced when a door is left open. Even when there are fire detectors in all rooms, people may still not get an early enough warning to make a safe escape if doors are left open. It is important that doors will hold back fire and smoke long enough to give time for escape. For very small premises any reasonably solid timber door that fits well into its frame is likely to be sufficient. Cheap internal “hollow egg-box” type doors are not adequate. Self-closing devices can be a good way of ensuring doors are closed but may be considered undesirable if they impact on the appearance and normal use of the building. If overhead self-closing devices are not suitable then ‘in-frame closers or rising-butt hinges may be acceptable. If the doors and walls to the stairs and corridors are substantial construction and do not have any glazed panels then they will probably be adequate. You should pay particular attention to the kitchen doors. You should include instructions to your guests to ensure all doors are closed at night alongside other fire safety information provided.
Final exit doors, such as the front or back door should always be easy to unlock and must not need a key to unlock from the inside. A simple Yale-type latch or thumb turn is usually sufficient.
Can people see to safely leave the premises?
Lighting of escape routes
Normal lighting switches should be easy to find. If a fire knocks out the normal internal lighting would any borrowed lighting from nearby street lamps be enough? If not, in small bed and breakfast accommodation and similar premises, rechargeable torches, prominently mounted with a sign indicating their purpose is likely to be enough.
Larger premises will require more sophisticated emergency lighting systems.
Signs
Signs are only required where they are needed. In very small premises the escape route and the front door will be obvious, even to newly arrived people. The need for emergency exit or directional signs should be minimal. If there is a special escape route which is not in normal use, then signs should be used to indicate this.
Evacuation plan and instructions
In the event of your fire alarm operating during sleeping hours, people will evacuate more quickly if they have received clear instructions at the beginning of their stay. A simple plan and instructions on the back of the bedroom door may help. A welcome pack can contain further advice. They should be instructed to leave the building immediately by the usual exit route (e.g. stairs and front door). The fire and rescue service can then be called from outside the premises.
All safety equipment should be regularly tested and it is good practise to keep a written record of testing and the reasons behind the outcome of the risk assessment process.
For smaller premises you should not need to employ a professional fire consultant. If you do, you should ask for references from other similar premises before making your decision.
