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"Why do we always get told off for wedging doors open?" |
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Fire resisting doors are designed and used to hold back fire and smoke and protect escape routes usually referred to as your means of escape. In a fire situation, a wedged open door would allow a fire and its products of combustion to spread and could possibly cut off your escape route.
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"Should fire exits be kept closed all the time?" |
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Fire exit doors are not the same as fire resisting doors and are not generally required to be fire resisting and therefore can be left open if needed.
The exception to this is where a fire exit door may compromise an external escape route or stairway, in which case, the fire exit door would also then be required to be a fire resisting door and kept closed when not in use.
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"The caretaker uses the hose reel to wash his car. Shouldn’t hose reels be used only for fires?" |
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No. If anyone wished to use the hose reel for some other purpose, there is no harm in this, provided that the hose reel is left in working order or arrangements made to repair any defects found. Using the hose reel like this confirms that the hose reel is working correctly and can identify any faults. However it may not be suitable to use a hose reel in this way if it becomes a trip hazard or will prevent fire doors from closing.
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"How often should you carry out fire drills?" |
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Drills should be so arranged that all staff participate in at least two per year, it is therefore likely that more than two drills will have to be carried out.
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"How often should staff receive training?" |
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New members of staff should receive an initial induction to the workplace which identifies their responsibilities, the fire action plan and the fire precautions risk assessment to ensure they understand the fire precautions applicable to the building.
The aim should be to ensure that all staff receive instruction, practical demonstration and training appropriate to their position and should be based on written instruction. Each member of staff to receive instruction by a competent person at least twice per year.
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"What are you allowed to store in stairwells?" |
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Stairwells and corridors form your means of escape and therefore should be maintained free from all storage, combustible or otherwise.
Storage of non-combustible items leads to general storage and create other hazards such as blocked exits.
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"Can you use digital locks on doors?" |
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All fire exit doors and doors leading thereto should be fitted with such fastenings that will enable the door to be used easily from the escape side in the event of an emergency without the use of a key or having to manipulate more than one mechanism.
The exception to this is where digital locks or other such fastenings are operated electronically and are linked direct to the existing fire alarm system which are designed to open on activation of the fire alarm or power cut.
Where such fastenings are used, a means for operating the alarm should be present and consultation with the fire service should first be taken.
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"In the event of a fire, should you evacuate the building? (Care Homes, Hospitals and appropriate large buildings)" |
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Total evacuation should only be carried out as a last resort. In the event of a fire progressive horizontal evacuation should be carried out moving progressively away from the fire into one protected compartment to another from where further evacuation can take place.
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"Should you use lifts in an emergency?" |
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No. They could breakdown during or as a result of afire, trapping the persons inside.
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"Do the fire service charge for the calls they attend, particularly when they are false alarms?" |
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No. All emergency fire calls are not charged for, including false alarms.
Whilst there is no charge, the fire service encourage people to try and reduce the number of unwanted fire calls or false alarms.
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"If the fire alarm goes off should you wake everyone up ready to carry out horizontal evacuation? (Care Homes, Hospitals and appropriate large buildings)" |
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Having ensured that the fire service has been called you should establish the zone or compartment giving rise for the alarm sounding.
If there doesn’t appear to be a fire and you suspect that it could be a false alarm, leave the residents in their rooms whilst investigating the cause, but be prepared to evacuate that zone / compartment.
Don’t wake up any other residents because they could start wandering around distracting you away from investigating the incident.
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"If you smell smoke or something burning but can’t see a fire and the fire alarm hasn’t gone off. What should you do?" |
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Call the fire service immediately by dialling 999 and give the full details to the operator.
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"Do the fire service charge for the calls they attend, particularly when they are false alarms?" |
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No. All emergency fire calls are not charged for, including false alarms.
there is no charge, the fire service encourage people to try and reduce the number of unwanted fire calls or false alarms.
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"If we had a small fire and put it out ourselves, is there any need to call the fire service?" |
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Yes, no matter how small the fire or whether the fire has been extinguished, the fire service should be called in every case.
There is the need to establish that the fire has been fully extinguished and no hidden embers left smouldering.
Your insurance company will need to know if the fire service was called if you make a claim
Where there has been a confirmed false alarm i.e. a toaster or a small fire which you have extinguished, you can ring the fire service and pass on the details. The fire service will still attend but will be able to reduce the number of fire engines responding.
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"How often should the alarms be tested?" |
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Fire alarms should be operated weekly to ensure that they are working correctly. From then on they should be inspected by a competent person in accordance with the British Standard i.e. 3 monthly, annually and five yearly wiring check. (All tests to be clearly entered in the Fire Log Book).
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"If I discovered a fire what should I do?" |
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First of all sound the alarm. Only if you have been given instruction in or know how to use the appropriate fire extinguisher safely without putting yourself or others at risk should you attempt to extinguish the fire. Otherwise, close the door and ensure that the alarm is sounded, the fire service is called and progressive horizontal evacuation is commenced.
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"Who should call the fire service?" |
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There should be a pre-arranged fire action plan which identifies what actions are carried out in the event of a fire. The plan should identify the person responsible for calling the fire service or the person designated for giving the order the call the fire service.
In either case the plan should take account of absence due to annual leave sickness and therefore deputies should be appointed.
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"Can corridor doors with magnetic hold open devices be left in the open position all the time?" |
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No. These doors should be closed at night time. (2300 hours to 0700 hours)
One particular reason for this is to prevent the magnetic devices building up what is known as residual magnetism.
If residual magnetism is allowed to build up there is the possibility that the doors will not close when the fire alarm is activated and thus compromise the means of escape.
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