Views on kitchens at village hall

[Yoxallbookings]

The question is "should our kitchen be fire proofed?"
I have already read a thread on this topic on the forum.  The answer was it all depends on the risk.  We have had inspections by a fire officer who has not mentioned the topic.
Although the fire officer said that in the event of a fire that evacuation must take place in less than 5 minutes because of the wooden floor construction of the main hall.

To give an idea of the layout, there is a large hall 50x30 ft with 3 fire exits.  There is smaller hall built on the side 18ftx25ft with a kitchen at the front and toilets at the rear. Fire exits are positioned at the back of the small hall leading to the large hall, and one that passes by the kitchen.  The Small hall extension is of brick construction with a concrete roof.  The problem is the kitchen.  It has a fire proof door and a serving hatch. The serving hatch is just a hole on the wall.

My view is that risk is not great because the kitchen has only electrical appliances (checked every year) and the kitchen is not used often except to make drinks from a hot water dispenser.  No naked flames are permitted in the hall.  But if a fire were to happen, the kitchen is the most likely place.  To my mind, the "hole in the wall" would serve to let air get to the fire, but there is not really anything outside the kitchen, in the small hall, that could catch fire.
My inclination is to have the "hole in the wall" covered by fire resistant shutters.  I sent off for a quote and it came back as ?1,500, a substantial amount to cover a hole less than 2 ft by 3ft.  If there was a solution at say ?500, I'd go for it.  So really I'm just asking for opinions (to help me with the building committee).  As I understand it there are no regulations being violated.
Thanks in advance.

[wee brian]

Depends what you are trying to achive.

Safety is one thing and so long as people can escape from the kitchen and hall etc then your probably fine.

But if you want to reduce the damage that a kitchen fire might do to the hall then a shutter is probably what you need.

its all probably - this is a internet discussion forum - definate advice is another thing. Seek professional advice.

[Phoenix]

If the fire officer didn't mention it then you probably don't need it.

On the other hand if he stated that, "evacuation must take place in less than 5 minutes because of the wooden floor construction of the main hall" then I'm not convinced that he was an expert on the subject.  First of all, where does 5 minutes come from?!  Secondly, why is a timber floor the primary factor in determining the required evacuation time?!

I can answer both those questions: First, 5 minutes was plucked out of the air, secondly the timber floor is not actually a significant factor when it comes to determining required evacuation times but it was all the fire officer could see at the time so he/she arbitrarily picked it as believable evidence for his/her dodgy rationale.

I have to ask, how can the serving hatch be "fire proof" if it is "just a hole in the wall"?  If it has a substantial door that can be closed and that forms a good seal then I would suggest that that could be sufficient to contain fire for a reasonable period of time.

It doesn't sound like your kitchen is used for cooking and so it is unlikely to offer a greater fire risk that any other part of the hall.  You say that it's the most likely place for fire to start, but why?

In line with the others I'd say that you need advice and reassurance from someone who knows what they're talking about.  You should have a fire risk assessment anyway, written or otherwise, and this should cover the issue.

[kurnal]

I think Phoenix is right on all counts.
In any case its much better to prevent fire than try to mitigate once it occurs. In village halls the most likely cause of fires in the kitchen would be if a full cooker was provided and this was used without adequate supervision or care. It does not sound like you have a cooker but if you do, then consider a set of rules for its safe use. Make sure all Hall users are aware of the rules, such as banning frying, allowing only food cooked elsewhere to be re-heated, the cooker to be supervised at all times, checking nothing overhangs over the hob, provision of fire blanket and a safety check at the end of every event. 

[Yoxallbookings]

I just wanted your views really, and thanks for them.

To "fireproof" the hole, I would install automatically closing shutters.

The kitchen does have a cooker (normally isolated), but mainly people use it to heat things up or keep them warm, although some people have cooked baked potatoes.  There are two fire blankets and two fire extinguishers.

Actually you are right: a fire could start anywhere.  Last year a grid switch burst into flames and that threw up another issue: the property management company do not inspect "under" switches or plugs.  However, I talked to our normal electrician and he said it is normal practice for him to do 20% of the fittings at every inspection.  Not only that he routinely "nipped up" any connection automatically.  I looked up the standard and apparently and that does not require "under cover" checks, only if the customer specifies it.  Well I will be specifying it next time or changing the inspection company.

We have had a fire officer inspection and that did not raise the kitchen as an issue.  We'll have another on our regular schedule.

What am I trying to achieve?  Just simply understand if there is an issue.  From what you guys have said, I feel much more comfortable.  I'm pretty sure the risks are low and we have taken adequate precautions. I am satisfied people can get out safely in an emergency, which is my main concern.  We do have yearly fire drills by each and every user group.  It has thrown up some unforeseen issues - like some people push chairs back and others leaving them where they were creating an obstacle course for other users.

Many thanks for your replies.

[kurnal]

Have you taken account of the National Guidance document for fire risk assessments in small and medium siized places of entertainment published by HM Govt? Available for free download on the www.gov.uk website it is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of fire safety including seating.

[John Webb]

It's not clear if your kitchen's "Hole in the wall" has any form of closure (ie wood door(s)) or not. I have seen a number of kitchens in church halls which I've been looking at and I don't recall any which were left open - they all had doors that could close off the opening. On one occasion I suggested they fitted stops to the hatchway opening to reduce any likelihood of smoke getting out from the kitchen into the hall.

I would have thought that a discussion with your insurers might be appropriate as well, although their main concerns will probably be for property protection rather than life safety.

The Fire Protection Association used to publish a book on precautions in village halls which had some quite common-sense advice - that may be around still?