What is the title and purpose of the report produced by Dame Judith Hacket?
Building a Safer Future - To review the current building regulations and fire safety
What are the main issues found?
Lack of clear responsbility and no single entity took responsbility for the overall design
Lack of auidit trail
The regulations and statutory controls are not clear and causes misunderstandings in their application
The current process is not proportionate to the project scale
Lack of competence
Priority in cost over quality
What are the recomnedations?
New framework for 7 storey / 18m high buildings and has 2 or more residential spaces in their building control process
BSR - all approved inspector services must register and are now named ‘Registered Building Regulators Inspector’ for clarity and 3 duty holder sign off procesure
Duty holder responsibilites to that of CMD2015 inc new BRPD
BRPD role is to ensure the design meets the regulations, best person for this role is the designer. If there are more multiple designers then the PRBD will share the tracker, collerbate with the building control, and then sign the declration form
3 Gateways including during planning, before works and following completion
Better Information, Procurment and Product Information
What could start a fire?
Faulty eletrics, smoking, cook equipment, faulty detection system, intentionlly anti socoial behaviour
What is the fire trianagle?
Oxygen, heat and fuel
How does a fire spread in a building?
Convection - Fire rises but due to it being trapped it will travel horizontally first
Conduction - Fire will spread via mateirals
Radiation - Fire will radiate to air
How is a building protected?
Passive (building components which inhibit spread of fire) and active (systems which detect, supress and control) measures
What do passive measures include?
Compartmentations - Fire rated partions, doors and cavity closers and to sub divide a building, floors need to also be fire rated
Fire stopping - all holes and drillings are sealed with fire rated material
Itumbescent coatings - These expand when exposed to heat
What are the active fire measures?
-Smoke and fire detection system (manual or automatic)
- Fire sprinkler system (manual or automatic)
- Gas supression
-Dry riser system
What methods are available to ensure the safe escape of a buildings occupants?
Defined in the RRFSO2005
- Clear emergency exit routes
- Place of relative safety i.e staircase which has been compartmented
- Place of ultimate safety (in th air)
What are the key design requirements for means of esacpe and fire ccompartmentation?
ADB
Designing escape is dependant on occupants and travel distance
Section 2 (Horizontal escape)
- Min corridor width is 740mm wide
- In residential, office and other asset types, min travel disance in 1 direction to a protected area is 9m, where there are 2 exits, this is 18m
- 60 people = 1 exit, if up to 600 then 2 is needed (min)
Section 3 (Vertical escpae) - all stairways must be fire compartmenated
Escape route needs to have a minimun of 2m head height
Escape corridor needs to be atleast 30m fire rated
What is the Regulaotry Reform Fire Safety Order 2005
Key documents which outlines the requirements relatiing to fire safety in non dwellings
Who are the duty holders under RRFSO2005?
Raesponsible person is the building manager (landlord etc), they need to ensure FRA is undertaken and actioned and ensrure they maintain fire precautions
The main duty holder is the responsbile person who has control over premise i.e owner, landlord
they
What does the RRFSO2005 require?
FRA - looks at hazards, risks, occupants, evaulates passive and active measures, makes recomendations and review - carried out during operational phase
Mandates training
Mandates fire drills and escpae
Difference between FRA and FS?
FS is formed at the design stage where it is submitted to BC
What is the purpose of a compartmentation?
Alllow for safe passage, limit spread of fire and smoke, provide seperation of building uses
What is the Fire Safety Act 2021?
Amends RRFSO2005 to include the buildings structutre and external walls including windows and doors
Applies to high-rise, 18m and over and HMOs
Responsbible person is the person in control of the building, they need to provide plans, identify EW system, allow for wayfinding
What is the golden thread of information?
a digital record of all safety-critical information for a building throughout its entire lifecycle following any changes made i.e design, construction, mainteance, compliance and fire safety information -HRB only
What is the difference between fire insulation and fire integrity?
Integrity is about the structure staying up under the fire whilst insulation is about the passage of heat
