Fire in Flats and Fire Risk Assessment

Following the awful disaster at Grenfell, we would do well to take a look at our properties for signs of fire safety breaches that have occurred during the building’s life.  Blue Box Partners @savasurveying (twit) @sarvaschoolofsurveying (fb) have released an excellent Technical Bulletin that covers the issues in more depth, but here are a few considerations from their text:

1. Are the walls, ceilings and floors between your flat and neighbours or common parts sealed?  Look in storage cupboards and areas where electric cables and pipes enter your property.
2. Remember, normal expanding foam is not suitable of fire stopping and the pink foam unsuitable over a 20mm gap.
3. Are your mechanical ventilation and boiler flues runs ducted straight to the outside?
4. Do you have a hard wired fire alarm and have you tested it?
5. Is your front door a 60 minute fire rated door (FD60)? Fire doors are heavier than hollow flush doors and according to Fire Safety Advice Centre @safelincs older panel doors, especially if less than 44mm thick are unlikely to be fire doors.  Gaps around the door shouldn’t be greater than 2mm to 4mm.
6. Check on your building’s Fire Safety Risk Assessment and Plan.