Posted By Chris121
Afternoon all, just afer a little clarification re the following:

large open plan warehouse installs a very small mezanine floor of metal construction with a single staircase. An office has been installed on the mezanine for a max of 2 employees to work from. My question is, does the door to this office need to be fire resisting in order to provide a refuge area?

I have read the official fire guide but found this quite contradictory and confusing.

your responses are greatly apprichiated.

chris CMIOSH

Posted By Chris121
the warehouse itsself is satifactory, with adeuate provision for fire dectection and warning escape routes, signage and fire fighting equipment etc.

In light of the above I get the feeling that it does not need to be fire resisting - but would apprichiate some clarification.

Posted By pluto
Whoooa!!

You cannot just create a fire resisting room/office and call it a refuge.

Unless I'm really missing something in your post this is a definite, absolute, categorical, NO.

What happens as your open plan warehouse becomes fully involved in fire and because BRegs doesn't require structural fire resistance...the roof caves in? The law says that everyone, with the exception of very limited groups such as residential care, must be able to escape. That means leave the building.

You really do not want to stand in front of the coroner trying to explain why you left your two employees to slowly choke/roast.

Although there are other means of making this arrangement safe, such a mezzanine office should have almost direct access to a fire escape.

Sorry to be so blunt.

Posted By Mitch
Don't forget the rope ladder for the window escape or a robust mattress below.

Posted By Mitch
Sorry Ashley (I keep having to apologise today, I blame the Doctor who is weaning me off the medication!) You would still have to ensure that they can be rescued before being barbecued this comes back to the FRA and what is and is not possible and acceptable in the environment.

Posted By Crim
Hi Chris

Forget the refuge!

Ensure the existing fire detection is adequate and install a smoke detector and sounder outside the new room on the mezzanine ceiling. Ensure the fire alarm system for the building sounds the alarm from any point operated.

If you fit a window as well anyone inside the new room has an ability to see if anything is happening outside the room.

Travel distances should already be assessed so no difference there, however include the route from the mezzanine in the travel distances.

Update the fire risk assessment and you should be OK.

Also check the need for emergency lighting under the new mezzanine floor?

All above off the top of my head but should start you off?

Posted By Ashley Wood
Pluto, you are correct about the non reliance on rescue. The fire services do not take kindly to being relied upon to rescue occupants in refuges as it places their own staff at risk. However, a window in this situation would serve many purposes in a fire scenario IE. Fresh air to trapped persons who can not jump to safety, safe rescue point of same persons for fire service. Also, if a person hangs full length from the sill, the actual drop height is not to great. What you can not do is list the window on the fire risk assessment as a secondary means of escape as it is not truly for that purpose.

Posted By pluto
Ashley,

The fire service does not object to rescuing people or putting their lives at risk. The reason for non-acceptance of refuges, other than for short periods whilst others make good their escape and/or people with a disability rest awhile, is because no fire service can give a guarantee on their attendance times. Most cities are well provided for but in the more rural areas the first fire appliance could be ten minutes away. If that one is out on another fire the attendance time could easily stretch to twenty minutes. This is the reason that the legislation says you must be able to continue your escape from the refuge.