Best Practice - Fire Safety
Examples of fire safety best practice from around the University.
External areas
Main foyer areas
Corridors
Stairwells
General Signage
Lecture rooms and teaching areas
Fire fighting equipment
Emergency lighting
Final exit door release mechanisms
Fire precautions box information
Fire safety and disabilities
External areas Back to top
| Storage of waste bins - locked away to prevent arson. If cannot be locked and secured then kept away from buildings. | |
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| Final exit doors onto footpaths - door open outwards, footpath clear, where hedgerow and plants exist, these are cut back to keep path clear; well lit. | |
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| Final exit doors onto open spaces - where doors likely to be obstructed, yellow hatching in place, doors clearly signed to keep clear | |
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| External bollards - where required, removable to allow access for emergency services | |
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| External dry risers - maintained and inspected; clearly signed | |
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| Gas bottle storage - where possible all gas bottles (but particularly flammable gases) should be stored outside the building and piped in. Mesh front or grilled doors provide adequate ventilation. Area should have clear warning signs stating no smoking/naked flames. Extinguisher close at hand. | |
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| External escape routes - handrails, slip resistant materials underfoot, where possible stair nosing clearly marked or surface texture different from step; area at bottom of steps clear. | |
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Main foyer areas Back to top
| Entrances - clear, dry, adequate width maintained, running man sign above exit, no combustible materials stored in area | |
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| Fire alarm panel - alarm panel and fire precautions box, mandatory sign, spare key, mimic diagram, call point . | |
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| Break glass release buttons - clearly marked with white text on green background labels | |
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| Foyer seating - in good condition, no tears or rips. Preferably flame retardant material. | |
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| Fire action notice - marked with emergency contact number and assembly point. | |
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| No smoking signs - prohibitory red circle, black symbol on white background ; prominently placed in main entrance. | |
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Corridors Back to top
| Corridor - clear, width maintained along length of corridor, good lighting (emergency lighting fitted if no natural light), clean and dry. | |
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| Long corridors - divided by doors with vision panels and smoke seals. If busy thoroughfare, held open on detente systems. | |
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| Dead end corridors - all doors to be marked "fire exit keep shut" or all rooms and corridors fitted with smoke/heat detection. | |
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| Noticeboards - where used, noticeboards kept to a minimum, no loose paper | |
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Stairwells Back to top
| Stairwells - clear, stairwell width maintained, no protrusions through handrails. Information displayed limited to designated poster holders (no boards with loose paper). | |
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| Space under stairs - clear of all combustible material | |
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| Doors onto stairwells - all should be marked as fire doors; vision panels fitted. | |
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| Doors onto stairwells - should either not open onto stairwell or if they do stair width should be maintained | |
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Example where doors open into recess |
Example where doors open away from stairwell |
| Alarm sounders - located such that there is only one door between an individual and an alarm sounder. Sounders on all stairwells. | |
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General signage Back to top
| Fire door keep shut signs - mandatory blue circle with white text. Found on all doors onto stairwells, laboratories or similar high risk areas and "dead end corridor" doors. | |
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| Automatic fire doors - doors held open either on magnetic detente device or noise activated device fitted to bottom of door. Blue mandatory circle with specific wording) | |
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| Running man signs above door - green background with white symbols : arrow pointing downwards if moving forward through door. | |
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| Fire extinguisher signage - red extinguisher symbol and information on which fires the extinguisher can be used on. | |
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| Fire alarm call points - red background with white "hand and flame" symbols | |
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| Do not use in the event of fire lift signs - prohibitory red circle with black symbol and white background. Placed near lift call buttons. | |
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| Internal fire dry risers - maintained and inspected, clearly signed | |
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Lecture rooms and teaching areas Back to top
| Assembly point information - note to remind lecturers/trainers to inform group of assembly point. | |
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Fire fighting equipment Back to top
| Fire extinguishers - red with coloured panel to indicate type, fixed on wall and off floor to aid handling, plastic seal around handle intact, test label fixed to side (evidence of annual test), access clear/no obstructions | |
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| Fire blankets - Positioned away from likely fire source, guidance sign adjacent, test label on reverse (tested annually) | |
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Emergency lighting Back to top
| Emergency lighting (placed in areas that have little or no natural lighting, e.g. internal staircases, basements, plant rooms, etc). | |
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Example of emergency lighting in internal staircase |
Example of emergency lighting in basement area |
| Emergency lighting test buttons - emergency lighting tested by Facilities Management unless test buttons are installed in buildings. Local representative expected to carry out regular testing if buttons fitted. Test to be recorded in fire precautions log book. | |
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Final exit door release mechanisms Back to top
| Final exit door release mechanisms - final exit doors should only require a single operation to open the door. A variety of different door release mechanisms are in use, a selection of which are below: | |
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Simple turn buckle with cover) |
Flat panel push bar device |
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Single metal push bar |
Push handle device |
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Break glass and lever |
Ceramic barrel |
Fire precautions box information
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Fire precautions box should contain: Fire precautions log book - white pages (fire evacuation drills, delivery of annual fire instructions and weekly fire alarm tests) to be completed by local staff; green pages (checks on fire alarm system and emergency lighting) to be completed by Facilities Management maintenance staff (and local DSC if test switches fitted); pink pages (fire extinguisher testing) to be completed by external contractor Fire risk assessments - should contain a structural assessment (normally completed by the Safety Adviser) and a local operational assessment (normally completed by the DSC/fire Officer) Isolation point diagrams - clearly labelled diagrams showing isolation points for gas, water and electricity |
Fire Safety and Disabilities Back to top
| Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) - each person with a disability that could affect their ability to escape in an emergency should have a PEEP drawn up for them. | |
| Disabled lifts - when building new or when retrofitting old lifts these should be designed such that disabled people can used them in an emergency. These lifts should be clearly marked as a lift designed to transport disabled people in an emergency | |
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| Doors on emergency exit route - doors should be designed such that they assist the individual achieving a prompt escape (e.g. special closers on doors, open in direction of travel, etc.) | |
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| Example of doors opening in direction of travel with vision panels at low level |
Example of slow closing closers in Waterhouse building |
| Refuge points - where refuge points are established, these should clearly marked and should provide a simple means of communication to inform those in control that they are at a refuge point. | |
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Intercom system |
Telephone with large buttons |
| Evac chairs - where someone who uses a wheelchair needs assistance out of the building in an emergency, evac chairs should be installed. A group of people should be trained in the use of the chair (refresher training should be carried out at least every 3 years). | |
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| In/out boards - these should be used as a means of warning the evac chair team that they assistance may be required in an emergency. | |
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