Fire

Let’s talk about Fire…

Blog 02, January 2021

FIRE!!….  

Yes fire. This may seem like an obvious or even dull topic to some, but it should not be overlooked when making alterations or additions to your home.  The news has featured a number of stories of flats/apartments and buildings with flammable cladding and the very tragic issues around this, but fire safety doesn’t always have to be on an industrial scale - sometimes it’s important to look closer to home...

At BWMA, at the very outset of any design, we think about the situation & placement of alarms and sensors and how the design would affect our clients’ abilities to protect themselves in the event of a fire.  Depending on which part of the UK you live in, the regulations and legal requirements for fire safety can vary quite a bit, and this is why it is important to discuss this from the outset of any design both from a gaining permissions point of view but also to the day to day use of a home or space by the client.

Fire and smoke alarm law changes in Scotland  

Although due to the current Covid-19 pandemic the changes to fire and smoke alarm law have now been pushed back to February 2022, we advise any current and new clients, to prepare for the change now.  For most people, the change will be simple and many houses may already meet the new requirement, but here is an extract from the Scottish Government guidance of what will be required: 

One smoke alarm installed in the room most frequently used for general daytime living  purposes.  

One smoke alarm in every circulation space on each storey, such as hallways and landings.  

One heat alarm installed in every kitchen  

In addition, all alarms must be ceiling mounted and interlinked with each other. We have also found that any proposed garden rooms, outbuildings and such that are used regularly or as a home office are required to be interlinked with the housing system.  

“Where there is a carbon-fuelled appliance (such as boilers, fires (including open fires) and  heaters) or a flue, a carbon monoxide detector is also required which does not need to be  linked to the fire alarms.”  

Check here for more information 

In certain locations and proximities to surrounding boundaries the use of intumescent cavity barriers, socket putty pads and intumescent paint / finishings may be required.  

Give yourself a fighting chance  

We don’t think you’ll need this many, but you get the point.

Like most people, here at BWMA, we have heat detectors and smoke detectors in our house, but during a recent renovation project of our own, we wondered what we would do if there was a fire and more importantly, depending where it was, how we would deal with it and escape if we needed to?

Modern technology is a fantastic thing and heat detectors, smoke detectors (of varying types) and both carbon monoxide and dioxide detectors, have become a thing we are all well used to in seeing but have we developed a complacency or reliance on these? what would actually happen in the event of a fire in the middle of the night? 

We would certainly be alerted to it by the various alarms, but could we do more ourselves to  prevent a small fire escalating quickly before the fire services could get to you to assist? For us, the short answer is now…. yes! After a review of our own home we purchased a number of both small and medium fire extinguishers for various areas of our home, garage and indeed the back of our truck.

Simple steps to get protected

Obviously, please call for help if the situation arises - we are not advocating for you to tackle a blaze yourself, or put yourself and your family in harm’s way.  However, we do think that educating yourself in how to deal with varying types of fire, in your own home or business is very important. 

For the relatively small cost of a few fire extinguishers, which can be stored in a safe and secure way, hopefully they are never required but like most things, the one time you need it, is the one time you don’t have it!  This small outlay could save your property or more importantly, your family’s life until the fire service arrive to assist if required.

https://www.toolstation.com/firechief-dry-powder-fire-extinguisher/p61435 https://www.screwfix.com/p/firechief-dry-powder-fire-extinguisher-1kg/5534h 

The above links are the types of dry powder extinguishers we recently purchased for our own home (others are available).  We have placed on upstairs, one in our kitchen (in a pantry cupboard, it doesn’t need to be on show like a student flat, so long as everyone knows where it is and how to use it), one in the garage, and we also keep a small 600g (about the size of a water bottle) in the back of our car.  

Please see links for further information on the types and classification of fire extinguishers, please bear in mind that these can be dangerous and again we are not advocating you tackle any fire on your own but we feel it is sensible to take additional steps to protect you, your family, your home and all around you.

https://firechiefglobal.com 

https://firechiefglobal.com/2020/07/22/which-fire-extinguisher-do-i-need-for-which-class-of-fire risk/

Maybe Fire safety isn’t as obvious or dull after all?  Again this is one of the many considerations we make as part of an overall project for our clients and is something everyone ought to consider.  

Stay safe!! 

All the best,

BWMA