Two houses, mirror image of one another, converted in to a 16 bed hostel. Conversion believed to have been in 2003 but, from the compartmentation, it doesn't appear to have been in accordance with building regs. Unoccupied basement, with bedrooms spread over ground, first and second floor.
The hostel is managed on a 24 hour basis.
Service users either have mental health issues or are homeless. The management also state there is the potential for drunkenness and drug abuse, although they try to manage it.
Smoking in the hostel is banned but it goes on and had been the cause of false alarms, which has resulted in service users getting used to it and not evacuating.
Care is not provided. The service users have tenancy agreements but rent is paid by the local authority.
Kitchen and bathroom are shared and the bedrooms only have beds and personal belongings.
Personal electrical equipment is prohibited with the exception of TV & radio.
Staff have keys to the rooms.
Fire Alarm is L2 by the looks of things.
Emergency lighting is installed in the common areas.
Travel distance in the bedroom is no more than 5m. Depending on where the room is on the first floor tenants can make their way out to the main entrance in either 20m or 25m
On the second floor they can either go down the main staircase or use the alternative staircase in the other house & so TD is not a problem
Fire doors look old fire doors i.e. they are old doors with perko closers. Doors are 44mm thick and 3 hinges indicating that they are fire doors. Doors have or had smoke seals and strips.
However, there are the following problems with various doors. Some have one or more of the same problems listed below:
1. Cold smoke seals and intumescent strips removed.
2. Doors not closing in to rebates.
3. Perko chains broken
4. Holes in doors where locks were.
The tricky bit is that the member of staff can get in to rooms and they evacuate the service users.
My specific queries are as follows;
1. Do I suggest door upgrade or replacement?
2. Do I go by the guide and say a fire door is the set and therefore should be purchased and installed as a set?
3. Under The RRO the common areas and the ground floor office where the member of staff works falls under The Order? What about the tenant's rooms? If management has keys, does this indicate that rooms are a place of work?
4. Are staff obliged to evacuate tenants under The RRO?
5. Is the member of staff obliged to use an extinguisher in the common area?
6. Is the member of staff obliged to use the extinguisher in the tenant's room?
7. What purpose does non-maintained emergency lighting serve when there is the potential to switch off the normal lights at night in the common areas when they go to sleep at night? Should the lighting not be maintained?
8. House 2 has an independent panel to House 1. The only way a fire can spread is across the 2nd floor as there is a connecting fire door between the 2 premises, which can be used to access the alternative staircase. The nightwatchman, situated on the ground floor, would not here the fire alarm in next door's premises. Should the alarms be interlinked?
9. The tenants do have understanding but they are a bit slow. If staff are not required to evacuate, how can the message be got across to them that they should evacuate immediately when the fire alarm goes off?
10. If someone is in deep sleep due to medication and staff are not required to evacuate, does the RRO allow them to perish?
11. What to do about the false alarms?
