Places of Worship

[SamFIRT]

Hi all

I would please like to solicit opinion regarding the FSO and its application to places of worship?

The FP act excluded these premises.

How do you think a FRA would apply the FSO to a modern (1960’s) single storey church being used as a place of worship and a café / coffee shop, intended to be a part of the church’s evangelistic purpose and not a business? Double door normal access to the front of the church. Single width Fire Exit to the back left to open air and front right through the kitchen to open air. Travel distance through kitchen 5 m? Length of church overall 18 m.
 

[nearlythere]

Hi all

I would please like to solicit opinion regarding the FSO and its application to places of worship?

The FP act excluded these premises.

How do you think a FRA would apply the FSO to a modern (1960’s) single storey church being used as a place of worship and an occasional café / coffee shop, intended to be a part of the church’s evangelistic purpose and not a business? Double door normal access to the front of the church. Single width Fire Exit to the back left to open air and front right through the kitchen to open air. Travel distance through kitchen 5 m? Length of church overall 18 m.
 

CLG guide Place of Assembly Sam and common sense.

You're lucky in having a rear exit door. Many older churches I am involved in have only the main entrance and most have balconies with a single stairway. There can be a combined maximum occupancy factor of 3 to 4 hundred.

Granted normal occupancy levels are nowhere near this but there can be some occasions, particularily funerals, which can attract a full house, and more.

The problem/good thing with many churches is that they have been standing for hundreds of years without incident but there is no specific guidance which gives consideration to limited use which is usually 3 - 4 hours a week.

Your church is typical of small rural churches and common sense has to prevail.

[John Webb]

Remember that the CLG Guides on buildings of public assembly cover everything from small and ancient chapels to large nightclubs with capacities of 3000+. It is therefore sometimes difficult for users (and anyone who does an FRA for them) to sort out what is reasonably applicable to a church building. With the older buildings Appendix C sometimes has to be called into play and the users shown how to 'manage the risk' as an alternative to physical alterations, although this should not be needed in the case of your 1960s building.

Main things I'd concentrate on from your description would be the maintenance of clear access to the various escape routes and means of rasing the alarm in the event of a fire - in this building I'd have thought the short distances are going to ensure a fire is spotted quickly and a shouted voice warning would be heard through the building.

Shortly after the IFE's Heritage Special Interest Group was set up several years ago (and of which I am a member) we decided to produce a guide for the 'average' church which church users would find easier to use. This went off earlier this year to another IFE group for 'peer review' and I hope will be available fairly soon in the New Year.

[kurnal]

Other helpful features of Churches often include a very high ceiling and sparce low risk furnishings, a very focussed hierarchy of control and everybody doing the same thing. Mosques on the other hand are very different and pose some unique challenges.

[AnthonyB]

Challenges are also presented by some denominations of church who rarely use purpose built (ancient or modern) premises but adapt others never designed for assembly.

One client has at least two traditionally industrial sites with areas tenanted by churches and there are some horrific situations within.

I've done a Baptist Church FRA where management controls are the only realistic ways of reaching a solution to certain situations.

I would find it easier to FRA a church only used as a Place of Worship, but often there are so many varied uses and occupancies as the premises is put to multiple uses during the week, partly as a community resource, partly for income, that a lot of thinking is needed!

[Golden]

Anthony I've also experience of these in N. London where you can find anywhere up to 1000 people occupying an industrial unit on a Sunday morning or afternoon. Some that I have come across include an old engineering style workshop, an old cinema and an old college. The cinema had adequate MoE for the numbers involved but others have been very poor. On one occasion the building was almost derelict but had been made good with a few drapes. I don't think this is what Sam had in mind in his original post but its worth remembering when carrying out FRAs on places of worship. We did a lot of work with local groups to make them aware of the dangers but there are so many and some who didn't want to be identified; it remains quite a big worry for the local FS officers.

To balance the post one of the best FRAs I've seen carried out by an occupier was for one of the premises above, just a shame some of the younger members of the congregation had decided to set light to the toilets while the building was fully occupied!

[SamFIRT]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Food for thought.

What would be the requirement for emergency lighting in the circumstances I described in my original post do you think?

My gut feeling would be for self-contained illuminated FE units over the two doors at the back and the main doors out at the front. This is due to the building being used in the hours of darkness for both worship and refreshments / social use. I accept the light over the main doors need not be signed FE.

Can anyone suggest a supplier of SCFE light units?

[nearlythere]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Food for thought.

What would be the requirement for emergency lighting in the circumstances I described in my original post do you think?

My gut feeling would be for self-contained illuminated FE units over the two doors at the back and the main doors out at the front. This is due to the building being used in the hours of darkness for both worship and refreshments / social use. I accept the light over the main doors need not be signed FE.

Can anyone suggest a supplier of SCFE light units?

I had a small church which was only used at night on only two evenings a year. I accepted a few responsible adults with torches as a reasonable means of providing EL.

Sam. Most sparks should be able to provide these. Have you the benefit of street lighting outside each exit to borrow for extewrnal EL?

[AnthonyB]

Are you wishing to comply with BS5266 or are you able to risk assess a lower benchmark (such as hand lamps which are used in the DCLG Entry Level Guide albeit in a lock up shop) as that affects how you would need to install the system, lux, number of fittings, etc


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