Residential Fire Consultancy

Inspection of timber fire doors in a very large blocks of flats near Marble Arch, Edgware Road, North London

My client, a letting agency, required an inspection of a sample of flat entrance doors to establish if they possessed the required half hour fire resistance etc. It was understood that a general fire risk assessment for the builidng had previously been undertaken and the risk assessor had correctly indicated that the flat entrance doors may not have the required fire performance.

There were 280 flats in the 1930's complex (perhaps the largest of its kind in London) and the initial inspection involved a detailed examination of the doors, frames and door hardware for four flats (three were flush and one was panelled). Some of the contexts involved large corridor travel distances and it was vital that the flat entrance doors would not put other tenants at risk should there be a fire in a flat. The inspection involved consideration of factors such as type, thickness and condition of door, suitabilty of door frame, type and robustness of hinges, efficacy of latch, condition of letter plates and other openings, self-closing device, performance seals, above-door construction compatibility, etc. The doors appeared on first sight to be hollow with plywood faces, perhaps with a paper honeycomb core, but this would need to be confirmed by exploratory tests. Assuming they needed replacement with new fire door leafs, practical recommendations were made on the work needed to obtain requisite fire resistance and smoke seaing properties. A check list of relevant factors was prepared and research was also undertaken on current and old guidance on fire doors.

I had made many such assessments while at the government Fire Research Station in the late 70's end subsequently

Client: PW Lettings, London.

Advice on fire safety precautions, Springfield Road, St Johns Wood, London.

The new owner wanted advice on the adequacy of fire precautions for life safety in this prestigious finely finished 4-storey house, circa 1880. The main concern was means of escape using the single staircase from upper floors. I made a survey of the building and recommended a replacement of the existing fire detection and alarm systems (which comprised a partial hard wired system and a separate stand-alone system added at a later date). The recommended solution, though more expensive than a total hard wired system, was a wireless fire detection and alarm system and this was an attractive option as the décor did not have to be spoilt. Other minor structural recommendations were made.

Client: private owner

Fire risk assessment, Thurlow road, Hampstead, London.

 A fire risk assessment was required under the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 and was made on this four-storey house converted into separately owned flats served by a single staircase, and a report was prepared. After a survey of the common parts and the insides of the flats, recommendations were made for a fire detection and alarm system that would give early warning (while minimising false alarms) of fire in the flats thus  giving sufficient time for escape down the staircase. The need for emergency lighting and fire extinguishers was marginal, but some constructional work would be necessary to prevent fire from a lower flat breaking into the staircase through a glazed portion cutting off people in the uppermost flats. The need for fire and smoke seals on some doors, and upgrading work on cupboards within the staircase, was identified. Written guidance was given on the maintenance and testing of the active and passive fire protection systems.

Note. The landlord of flats or houses of multiple occupation are at risk of heavy fines if a fire risk assessment has not been made and the fire safety precautions are inadequate.

Client: Private owners

Loft conversion in a two-storey house in Glebe Street, London W4

The owner of a two-storey house had made a loft conversion but the ground floor was open plan and the staircase was not enclosed and thus not in accordance with official regulatory fire safety guidance. I was asked to provide a fire safety engineer's report and recommendations to resolve the problems. I made a survey of the building, prepared a fire safety strategy, recommended some alterations, including improvements to a life safety sprinkler system, and prepared a report for the client to submit to building control to get building regulation approval.

Client: private developer

Erection of new nursery/hobbies building in rear garden of large house, Gwendolen Avenue, Putney, London SW15

I was asked to provide help to get building regulation approval for a new single-storey timber framed and clad building of modern design that was intended for dual use as a hobbies room or extension of nursery facilities for the main building. The new building was set in the large back garden and was close to the site boundary therefore attracting the requirement for fire resistance in the boundary wall to prevent fire spread to adjoining property. Being timber clad it raised questions of acceptability in terms of fire spread. I examined the design under all aspects of the fire regulations, made suggestions for, and prepared a report on, improvement of the fire response of the structure in terms of internal/external fire spread, means of escape, emergency lighting, fire detection and alarm systems (linked to the main building) and fire appliance access.

Client: Designer/manufacturer of the building system (Rooms Outdoor Limited).

Private Apartment, Orchard Place, Mayfair, London W1

This prestigious 8-storey apartment building is adjacent to Portman Square in Central London. The building incorporates a number of open-topped light wells. MDesign had designed a new interior for an apartment in the penultimate storey which featured a large air conditioning/heat pump unit venting to a 5m square light well. This unit was immediately below a bathroom window in the apartment above. The owner of the top apartment was concerned that the unit would be a fire risk.

I was asked to give an independent assessment of the fire risk. I pointed out that the building regulations official guidance (Approved Document B 'Fire Safety') does not recommend against the use of window- or wall-mounted AC units in external walls, and that this may be taken to imply that they are not regarded as a serious life safety hazard. Nonetheless, I examined the fire risk in the particular context. The AC unit was a heat pump which comprises a compressor and the associated electrical motor, a tank for storing the refrigerant and pipework operating at a pressure of 350psi. The refrigerant gas within the AC unit is held partly in vapour form and partly in liquid form in a pressurized tank. I considered a number of fire scenarios and, in particular, I examined what would happen if there should be a fire within the unit involving the release of a plume of vapour and the possible effects this might have on the neighbour above. My conclusion was that the fire risk was acceptable.

Client: MDesign London

Mixed-use 6-storey development at 150 Curtain Road, London EC2.

The existing 5-storey building had office accommodation over the lower 3 floors and a storey was to be added so that the upper three floors would form new flats and duplexes. There was a single full height staircase at the front and an exter