31/10/2011 
lrs_keeper 
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7:15 pm
QuoteMulti occupancy buildings such as flats and apartments are subject to The Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005. Landlords have a duty to ensure buildings are properly risk assessed for Fire Safety. This is something most Landlords can do themselves with a little bit of outside help. if you have any Fire Doors related questions please go to http://www.firedoorscomplete.co.uk Advice is easily available and is inexpensive.
12:44 pm
20/05/2011
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Hi Neil,
Thanks for becoming a sponsor by the way.
A question: One of our buildings was inspected this week and although it passed the fire safety inspection a few years ago after we had to upgrade the internal bin store. We had to put on 1/2 hour fire doors with smoke seal intumecent strip and a smoke detector interlinked to our main system, however we just had the fire officer out after works were carried out in a shop below and he has  now insisted that we put all new 1 hour fire rated doors with fire and smoke intumecent on and we have had to upgrade our fire detection system to have both smoke and heat installed, We have also had to double tack the ceiling up to hour rated and put on upgraded door closers.
Has their been a recent  change in the law our members should know about or is he just being a bit more cautious than most. I have no problem doing it although it is expensive but feel that if there has been a change in the law our members may need to know
2:33 pm
He must consider that the shop below poses an increased risk of fire then? What type of business is carried on in the shop?
The main consideration has to be to protect occupants from fire and protect escape routes. Why do the escape routes need 60 mins protection? What means of escape is present?
If you want to email / fax /post me any layout plans for the building I will have a look!
7:50 am
20/05/2011
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Thanks it is all done now but I will send it over next time- the shop below is a Noodle bar with open flamed wok cooking a insurers nightmare 
4:27 pm
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There is a brilliant gulde for landlords to download free here
I have had fire doors, even in two story terraced properties since the 80's when they cost over £100 each with £12 percos plus cost of intumescent strips which were not fitting in those days. I once had a fire in a lounge and it took out the whole floor, pipes, wires, window etc and left a black hole BUT because I had fire doors fitted and they were kept closed there wasn't so much as smoke damage anywhere else. My colleagues in West Midlands Fire did however break every door frame kicking the doors in to see if there was anything going on else where!!! Every girl loves a fireman but not that day
I have had fire doors, even in two story terraced properties since the 80's when they cost over £100 each with £12 percos plus cost of intumescent strips which were not fitting in those days. I once had a fire in a lounge and it took out the whole floor, pipes, wires, window etc and left a black hole BUT because I had fire doors fitted and they were kept closed there wasn't so much as smoke damage anywhere else. My colleagues in West Midlands Fire did however break every door frame kicking the doors in to see if there was anything going on else where!!! Every girl loves a fireman but not that day
There is a brilliant gulde for landlords to download free here http://www.homestamp.com/wp-co….. Excellent info on where and how to fit firedoors.
Apart from keeping our tenants safe fire doors often look better than tatty old Victorian doors that have been given some wellie.
9:58 pm
12/10/2011
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Unfortunately Mary by the sounds of the fire you had was quite severe; fire travels through unprotected wooden floors.
Efectively it will burn away around the wooden fire door.
Access to areas where fire may have travelled to will be behind locked fire doors and there may be people also overcome behind those doors.
So whilst the aftermath of the fire may seem not to warrant accessing through fire doors; it is paramount at the time to check for casualities and check for fire spread.
If there are no keys and genarally time is of the essence then I am afraid the most expedient method has to be the size 10 boot!!
Fire spread can be very insidious and it can be tens of mins before the fire spread presents itself.
The best place to have a fire is in concrete flat as generally it just becomes a little oven, but is confined.
Traditional houses with traditional wooden floors are a nightmare for fire spread.
This generally means HMO types, very few of which are purpose built.
It is for this reason that fire regs were introduced.
It is a fact that HMO's have more fire deaths than any other single property type.
Generally because of the occupants and not because of the property type itself.
So don't take against the poor old fireman; they will not cause damage if it is not appropriate.
If there is time then slower less damaging methods may be used to access fire doors etc.
Keys are handy but not sometimes readily available, breaking in tools may be used which will generally damage a frame rather than the door.
Frames are cheaper to replace as opposed to doors.
A fireman's main concern are possible casualties and in a fire situation they tend to hide in all sorts of strange places.
A fireman's nightmare is the fire to be over and then someone says what about this body behind this door!!
Believe me it has happened.
So whilst you might feel that the fire service was a little over zealous I can assure you at the time they were not.
Minutes cost lives.
A few broken doors and frames are inconsequential in the overall scheme of things!!
9:56 am
As important as having fire doors is the need to check they are correctly installed and maintained. You can pay hundreds for new fire doors but if they are not correctly installed they will not stop spread of fire.Â
Don't take for granted that the carpenter installing them will work to the tolerances required. Contact a fire door professional to be certain they are correctly installed and maintained.
Also, the Fire Safety Officer may not understand fire door installation. BWF Certifire and GAI have launched a new service to promote understanding of Fire Door installations – go to http://www.fdis.co.uk for more info.
5:33 pm
20/05/2011
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I Had a fire in a building started by a guy who had allegedly been registered blind for 10 years, when we cleaned out his burned out flat stashed in the cupboard were 50 half smouldering girlie mags, lol
.
Anyway the doors stood up to a raging inferno for over an hour as the fire brigade cleared the building and attacked the fire.
The fire precautions held the fire into 1 flat leaving the other 16 untouched, actually the halls suffered more damage from the firemen and their hoses than was caused by the fire.Â
I tell you what take it from a man who got the call and had to go through an interrogation after the fire – saving money on not putting in proper fire precautions will cost you dearly if one breaks out in both money and liberty.
8:09 pm
12/10/2011
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Couldn't agree more Paul.
And you would be surprised even a non-rated door that is closed can hold back a fire for quite a while and that includes the smoke.
Closing a door, any door is always a good idea.
When I used to do inspections you would go back to the fire stn with a pocketful of wedges which had been used to keep fire doors open!!!
Then the fine was £1000 per fire door offence.
The classic were hotels when cleaners were doing their thing.
10 fire doors wedged open X £1000!??
7:58 pm
If you are thinking of fitting new Fire Doors there is now a new product on the market. The EASIFIT door is a fire door already hung in the frame with hinges, lock, latch handles and closer already fitted.
All you need to do is fit the complete assembly into the structural door frame opening. SIMPLES!
You can buy these from http://www.firedoorscomplete.co.uk
4:46 am
12/10/2011
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Neil Ashdown said:
If you are thinking of fitting new Fire Doors there is now a new product on the market. The EASIFIT door is a fire door already hung in the frame with hinges, lock, latch handles and closer already fitted.
All you need to do is fit the complete assembly into the structural door frame opening. SIMPLES!
You can buy these from http://www.firedoorscomplete.co.uk
Â
Sounds like a great solution for landlords with HMO's
12:12 pm
01/08/2012
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2:12 pm
hello! just thought I would share this link with you all :
https://www.facebook.com/GasSafeRegister/app_409448132445785
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for a chance to win your gas bill paid for the year from @GasSafeRegister
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good luck everyone!Â
2:47 pm
A Staffordshire woman has been fined today, for failing to provide evidence that a gas safety check had been carried out at one of her tenanted properties.
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South Walls Magistrates' Court was told today that despite numerous requests the certificates were not produced.
Liane Dewsbury pleaded guilty to breaching Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay costs of £3,209.
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Who thinks the court should have been more harsh ? After all, she chose to put the health and safety of her tenants at risk, aswell as ignoring repeated requests to produce the records.
3:57 pm
12/10/2011
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Maybe they should have been more harsh but not until fines & prison sentences are equal for other criminals like muggers, rapists, burglars & rent thieves.
To all landlords that own their own home when was the last time you had a gas safety check? How about your home owning neighbours down the street? Think we already know the answer to this one. Â
10:52 pm
12/10/2011
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These gas safety checks are ONLY required for tenanted properties.
This includes any homeowner who has a lodger or lodgers.
Now why would a homeowner's life be worth less than a tenant's or a lodgers, god only knows.
And of course if a homeowner's property blows up it will doubtless have an effect on the neighbours!!!?
Quite frankly a Gas certificate should be every year for EVERY single gas installation in the UK.
This would be great news for gas engineers!!!
How many gas installations are there in the UK!!?
That is an awful lot of business for gas engineers and all those hidden gas flues which will need sorting!!!
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