Fire Alarms

The Regulatory Reform Order (RRO) has a number of guides to assist in the risk assessment and advice for fire detection systems.

Securi-Guard Fire & Security have a number of cost effective wired and wireless fire alarm systems to  meet the requirements of your risk assessment and the RRO. The guides address sleeping accommodation for staff, common areas for residents and sleeping, dining or other accommodation for guests/residents including:

• The common areas of houses in multiple occupations (HMO)
• The common areas of flats and marionettes
• The common areas of sheltered accommodation where care is not provided
• Bed and Breakfasts, guest houses, holiday chalets, holiday flat complexes, camping, caravan and holiday parks (other than privately owned individual units)
• Areas in work places where staff 'sleeping in' is a condition of the employment or a business requirement as in licensed premises or hotels

Sleeping accommodation
The RRO Act covers all types of sleeping accommodations types

Please see - http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/firesafetyrisk4 for full information.

It applies to premises where the main use is for sleeping accommodation.
The premises addressed in this guide include:

• all guest accommodation properties, e.g. bed and breakfasts, guest houses, inns, restaurants with rooms, and farmhouses;
• self catering accommodation (individual and multiple units), chalets, flat complexes, narrow boats and cruisers, caravan holiday parks (excluding privately owned units – unless they are sub-let);
• hotels, motels, holiday villages, serviced apartments and aparthotels;
• hostels, e.g. Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A., youth hostels, bail hostels or homeless persons’ accommodation;
• refuges, e.g. family accommodation centres, halfway houses;
• residential health and beauty spas, resort and destination spas;
• residential conference, seminar and training centres;
• student halls of residence and areas of sleeping accommodation in other training institutions including military barrack style quarters;
• those areas of buildings in boarding schools that provide sleeping accommodation;
• seminaries and other religious colleges;
• the common areas of houses in multiple occupation (HMO);
• the common areas of flats and maisonettes;
• the common areas of park homes;
• the common areas of sheltered accommodation, where care is not provided (where care is provided, see residential care guide); and
• areas in workplaces, where staff ‘sleeping-in’ is a condition of the employment or a business requirement, as in licensed premises and hotels (but not including tied accommodation such as separate flats, houses or apartments).

Fire detection and warning systems
Virtually all premises that this guide applies to will need an electrical fire detection and warning system incorporating automatic fire detection, sounders and manually operated call points (break-glass boxes).
In simple premises of limited size/occupation e.g. ground and first floor with a small number of guest/residents, an alternative system of interconnected smoke alarms or point detectors, incorporating interconnected manual call points and, where necessary separate sounders may be acceptable.

In more complex premises, such as the sleeping areas of hotels, boarding schools or student accommodation, you will probably need an automatic fire detection and warning system with a control panel which is able to identify either the zone or the specific location where the alarm has been raised. The control panel (or a repeat panel) should be located near the entrance to the premises.

Installation, testing and maintenance
New fire precautions should be installed by a competent person.
You must keep any existing equipment, devices or facilities that are provided in your premises for the safety of people, such as fire alarms, fire extinguishers, lighting, signs, fire exits and fire doors, in effective working order and maintain separating elements designed to prevent fire and smoke entering escape routes.
You must ensure regular checks, periodic servicing and maintenance are carried out whatever the size of your premises and any defects are put right as quickly as possible.
You, or a person you have nominated, can carry out certain checks and routine maintenance work. Further maintenance may need to be carried out by a competent fire alarm maintenance company such as Securi-Guard.

Checks

Daily checks
Check escape routes to ensure they are clear from obstructions and combustible materials. Ensure that doors on escape routes swing freely, close fully and are in a good state of repair. Where security devices are fitted to fire exits, these should be checked for correct operation. Check the fire alarm panel to ensure the system is active and fully operational. Where practicable, visually check that emergency lighting units are in good repair and working. Check that all safety signs and notices are legible. (See Appendix B3 for more details on bolts, padlocks and security devices.)

Weekly tests and checks
Test fire detection and warning systems and manually operated warning devices weekly following the manufacturer’s or installer’s instructions. Check the batteries of safety torches and that fire extinguishers and hose reels are correctly located and in apparent working order. Fire pumps and standby diesel engines should be tested for 30 minutes each week.

Monthly tests and checks
Test all emergency lighting systems and safety torches to make sure they have enough charge and illumination according to the manufacturer’s or supplier’s instructions. This should be at an appropriate time when, following the test, they will not be immediately required.
Check that fire doors are in good working order and closing correctly and that the frames and seals are intact.

Six-monthly tests and checks
A competent person should test and maintain the fire-detection and warning
system and emergency lighting.

Annual tests and checks
All firefighting equipment, fire alarms and other installed systems should be tested and maintained by a competent person.
All structural fire protection and elements of fire compartmentation should
be inspected and any remedial action carried out. Specific guidance on the
maintenance of timber fire-resisting doors is given in Appendix B2.

• take account of the findings of the fire risk assessment;
• explain your emergency procedures;
• take account of the work activity and explain the duties and responsibilities of staff;
• take place during normal working hours and be repeated periodically where
appropriate;
• be easily understandable by your staff and other people who may be present;
• address the roles of staff and others (guest, residents); and
• be tested by fire drills.

In simple premises, e.g. small hostel, this may be no more than showing new staff and long term residents the fire exits and giving basic training on what to do if there is a fire. In complex premises, such as hotels with a high staff turnover and shift patterns, the organisation of fire safety training will need to be more formal, e.g. by an induction course.
Your staff training should include the following:

• what to do on discovering a fire;
• how to raise the alarm and what happens then;
• what to do upon hearing the fire alarm;
• the procedures for alerting guest, residents and visitors including, where appropriate, directing them to exits;

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