Fire Safety

Question 1

What is required to start a fire?

Answer 1

1. Source of ignition
2. Fuel
3. Oxygen

Question 2

What steps could you take to reduce the risk of fire?

Answer 2

Remove one of the three elements from the fire triangle e.g. practical steps could include securely storing documents away from potential ignition sources.

Question 3

What is passive fire protection?

Answer 3

Inherent parts of the building structure which slow or inhibit the spread of smoke or flame i.e. built in elements.

Question 4

Can you provide some examples of passive fire protection?

Answer 4

1. Compartment floors
2. Compartment walls
3. Intumescent coatings e.g. to steel

Question 5

What is active fire protection?

Answer 5

Items or systems which require a certain amount of motion or response to work.

Question 6

Can you provide some examples of active fire protection?

Answer 6

1. Fire alarms
2. Sprinkler systems
3. Fire extinguishers

Question 7

Where would you find guidance on fire within buildings?

Answer 7

Section 2 of the Technical Handbooks.

Question 8

What requirements are there for fire alarms in domestic properties?

Answer 8

1. Must be interlinked as of February 2022
2. Smoke alarms located in principal habitable room and circulation spaces (1 per storey)
3. Heat detector in kitchen

Question 9

Are you aware of any legislation relating to fire safety in Scotland?

Answer 9

Yes, the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

Question 10

Can you tell me about the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations?

Answer 10

Yes, they are a piece of legislation which impose responsibilities on the Duty Holders (employers, premises managers etc.) in relation to fire safety.

Question 11

What are the responsibilities placed on Duty Holders under the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006?

Answer 11

1. Carry out Fire Risk Assessments of the workplace.
2. Where appropriate equipping the building with fire fighting equipment.
3. Provide clear emergency exit signage and lighting.
4. Ensuring any systems in place are suitably maintained and in good working order.

Question 12

What is an EWS1 form?

Answer 12

It is a mortgage lending tool, not a certificate of fire safety.

Question 13

Can you explain the EWS1 process?

Answer 13

Yes, my involvement was in assisting on identifying wall makes up through site visits, intrusive investigations and review of Building Warrant information. This would be then be fed back to the wider team and a decision was made on the suitability of the property for EWS1 issue by a suitably qualified and competent chartered surveyor.

Question 14

What are the EWS1 form options?

Answer 14

Option A - External wall materials unlikely to support combustion

Option B - Where combustible materials are present in external wall make up

Question 15

What is the “Golden Thread” principle?

Answer 15

This is the principle that all information about a building needs to be easily traced and fully understood to protect residents / users now and in the future.

Question 16

How would you identify ACM cladding?

Answer 16

Personally, I am not sufficiently qualified nor does my firm have the appropriate PI insurance in place to comment on cladding issues. However, ACM is generally identified by:

• two no. sheets of aluminium bonded to a insulated core.
• anywhere between 3mm to 7mm

Question 17

Under BS EN 13501 what are the combustibility ratings?

Answer 17

• A1 Non-combustible No contribution to fire
• A2 Limited combustibility - Very limited contribution to fire
• B Combustible - Limited contribution to fire
• C to F - increasingly combustible in ascending order

Question 18

What is travel distance in relation to fire?

Answer 18

The furthest distance in a building, or storey, to a place of relative safety.

Question 19

What are the categories of fire alarm systems?

Answer 19

• Type M - Manual, with call points at exits
• Type P - Property, property protection (P1 or P2)
• Type L - Life protection, (L1 to L5)

Question 20

What dictates the type of fire alarm you should use?

Answer 20

• Type of premises
• Occupancy characteristics
• Occupancy load
• Time needed to evacuate