Thanks Tom.
Sorry for being tedious, I am just trying to prompt discussion all round the subject to give Colin a bit of a shopping list of concerns and issues that should be covered in the new guidance
(whether he needs it or not)
Tom raises a very valid point in respect of fires in communal areas and in response to Dave
Colin Todd said he did not have time to set out the background to the current position on sheltered housing, whereas I am currently stuck in hospital on chemo and so have all the time in the world to try and bring this together. Please therefore indulge me in this long posting which I hope is reasonably accurate.
Probably the best guidance currently available is contained in Colin Todds book "The design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire alarm and detection systems in domestic premises" And in particular chapter 10 - Sheltered Housing which has been widely referenced in structuring this posting. I have added many observations of my own and hope done the subject justice this time.
The nature of sheltered housing has changed radically during the life of current housing stock, the working time directive having put paid to live in wardens and these have been replaced by scheme managers who give at best limited cover.
Much sheltered housing incorporates communal lounges, kitchens, laundry facilities and it is appropriate that such areas are provided with a fire alarm (and detection) system. Many of these facilities are available for wider community use by persons outside the scheme and for rental by the public.
The nature of service users has become much more varied, schemes originally intended for elderly people have become used for general needs, whereas the increasing role for care in the community had led to persons with significant care needs being housed and "cared for" by health professionals on an occasional basis within their own dwelling. Some of these service users can have significant well being, mobility and mental health issues. Many would be unable to look after themselves effectively in an emergency and their actions may put others at risk. Some health professionals have little regard for fire safety, on one scheme I became involved with the mental health professional had required that the landlord approve that the dwelling entrance door to be fastened back in the open position as their client would otherwise feel trapped and closed in.
BS5588 part 1 referred to sheltered housing and is still listed as current guidance in ADB. This guidance referred to the need for fire alarms in the communal areas of sheltered housing but the purpose was not to raise a general evacuation alarm in the dwellings but rather to ensure the fire service was called quickly. The fire service would consider the need for an evacuation if necessary. To ensure this early response BS 5588-1 recommended detection in the communal areas and escape routes and a smoke detector in the lobby of each dwelling. Dwellings should have smoke detection to alert the occupant to a fire in their own dwelling but not to alarms in other dwellings or the communal areas.
The response of many fire brigades to calls from ARCs has changed radically and many brigades will not attend unless a responsible person on site confirms the need. This undermines the original objective of an early attendance.
BS5588-1 does not offer guidance on the action that should be taken in respect of a fire in the communal areas or escape routes and the extent of any audible alarm. Custom and practice is very varied, in many schemes the audible alarms are audible throughout communal areas and escape routes and persons instructed to evacuate the communal areas on hearing the alarms, but if in their dwelling to stay put. This has led to some persons leaving the communal areas and going to their flats whereas others go to an external assembly point. In many cases hirers of the rooms are not effectively briefed on their role in the event of fire. Whereas first aid fire fighting equipment is generally provided there are no trained persons to use it.
BS5588-1 was superseded BT BS9991 but this document contained much less practical guidance in respect of sheltered housing and is of little value.
The other main guidance document for new buildings and alterations is ADB in England and Wales. This document recommends that the provision of any fire alarm and detection system be determined by a risk assessment/ fire strategy but that where there is a managed scheme there should be a connection between any fire alarm system and an ARC to enable the early investigation of any alarms.
For existing buildings in England and Wales the DCLG guidance for sleeping accommodation is intended to apply to the communal areas of sheltered housing but not to the individual dwellings which fall outside the scope of the Fire Safety Order as they are domestic premises. However the DCLG guidance recommends that Grade C LD2 or LD3 (BS 5839-6 designations) be installed in the flats, the reference to Grade C is assumed to refer to the need for connection to a monitoring centre. The guidance is ambiguous in respect of both the level of detection and the provision of any facility for monitoring the alarm within the dwelling, though states that it need not be connected to any alarm covering the communal areas.
The DCLG guidance recommends an L2 system without defining the specific areas to be covered as specified in BS5839-1.
Custom and practice over the years has led to the installation, in very many sheltered housing schemes, of fire alarm systems that give rise to a general alarm throughout the building including within the dwellings even when a stay put policy is in place. The absence of on site wardens and the verification and attendance policy of many fire brigades means that despite the stay put policy occupiers of dwellings have to put up with the alarm sounding for a considerable time and therefore naturally leads to confusion and distress.
On the other hand many sheltered housing schemes have structural weaknesses that undermine the stay put strategy. Common examples include borrowed lighting with poor standards of glazing between dwelling kitchens and communal corridors (very common in the early 1970s), no compartmentation between communal areas and dwelling corridors, a lack of fire separation between dwellings within the ceiling voids, poor fire doors, extended travel distances in dwelling corridors.
In a number of more recent designs, architects have incorporated social areas into corridors serving dwellings - these often comprise alcoves containing a range of upholstered furniture. Depending on the individual circumstances these facilities are either loved or loathed in equal proportions. In designated schemes for the over 50s they tend to be welcomed, but where a scheme is in mixed use they can become a major liability.
In response to the lack of consistent guidance BS5839-6 2013 sought to rationalise recommendations for sheltered housing. Whilst it recommended that the design and specification of the alarm system should be based on a risk assessment / design strategy, it also based its advice on the original BS5588-1 objectives of an early call to the fire service to enable them to intervene and extinguish the fire and assess any need for further evacuation of the occupiers. Individual occupiers of dwellings are still deemed responsible for their own evacuation.
Even with the benefit of BS5839-6 2013, current guidance falls short in a number of respects. It does not give guidance on the action to be taken in the event of a fire alarm in the communal areas, and does not take account of the absence or slow response of an investigation team in the event of an alarm. It assumes the fire service will attend on the request of the ARC. It does not take account of the special needs of occupiers, some of whom, through their own special needs, may put others at risk. There is no guidance on suitable risk control measures for sub standard premises, and whether full evacuation ever becomes a realistic alternative. There should be a range of clear guidance and instruction for users of communal facilities. Where social alarms are used for the transmission of fire alarm signals then provision should be made to ensure that such signals are recognised as such at the ARC and that are responded to with the appropriate level of urgency.
