Posted By Al.. Hose reels are slow to deploy compared with extinguishers and more difficult to maintain. If the fire cannot be extinguished with a 6 litre foam extinguisher then it should be left to the fire service. The unlimited supply of water which hose reels provide could result in those using them remaining in the building too long trying to extinguish a fire which is beyond their capabilities. I suggest that hose reels should not be installed in new builds. In existing buildings I suggest that you should supplement the hose reels with foam extinguishers and consider removing the hose reels when you have the opportunity. Al

Posted By Steven We too have had ours removed and like Alan it was the Legionella aspect that we looked at. We replaced the hoses with the correct amount of fire extinguishers as adviced by the company we use to supply and maintain extinguishers; and they have said that they are dealing with a lot of companies that are removing fire hoses at present. So I would suggest that fire hoses are definatley on the way out but would suggest that your risk assessment should identify whether hoses are a good form of extinguishing fires or a hazard – water/electricity/training/legionnaires etc Steve

Posted By Paul Durkin Hi All, Thanks all for your sensible advice.We as advised will do our FRA recommending hose reel removal amongst other things & then call in our local FSO to review/accept!!! our proposals.Yes this building does have a fire cert(when we can find it !!!)The fire hose we may have to accept is the one in the underground car park !!! Regards,Paul

Posted By shaun mckeever Jai You won't find anywhere that says to remove hose reels. This is a decision you have to make yourself then justify your reasons/demonstrate that you have suitable alternatives via a fire risk assessment. It is not hard to justify your reasons e.g. hose reels trailed through fire door openings preventing doors from shutting, longer to run out, people exposing themselves to fires larger than they ought, people delaying their escape trying to fight fire with unlimited water supply etc.

Posted By col In respect to legionella and fire hose reels. Legionella may proliferate within the fire hose reel and as such can present a danger. When you look at the dangers from fire and legionella then fire is a bigger risk. I look after a lot of hotels and council properties in respect to legionella. When we identify a risk from a fire hose reel we always contact the fire brigade and ask if they wish the hose reel to be removed. In some cases the fire hoses have been removed, but if the fire brigade cannot get their hoses to certain parts of a building then the fir ehoses stay in place. All fire hose reels have double check valves fitted in order that any loss in water pressure does not mean that the hoses back fill the main supply and thus contaminating the rest of the property. Risks and hazards have to be assessed on each individual property and as legionella only presents a danger during operation of the fire hoses and the fire hoses should only be used in an emergency and by trained personnel then then risk of legionella is a lower catagory to fire. Many people do discharge hoses annually and this should be taken into account on an assessment.