Rank: Forum user 
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Hi all,
For a normal terraced 2 bedroom house, is there a legal requirement to have 2 escape routes?
We have a few which have one entry/exit route, which i thought would have been adequate as per the guidance under sleeping accomodation.
Can you please advice and it would help if you could refer to any guidance.
Thanks
a
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Much depends upon the use of the property.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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From 1981 to date, my last three homes have had but one door to the outside world. Plenty of windows though - and ones that open, not these highly dubious fixed 'picture frames' we often see on TV following some domestic fire tragedy.
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Rank: Forum user
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Hi MaxPayne,
It's a normal residential property housing a small family, 2 bedroom domestic house.
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Rank: Forum user
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Hi Abs
I agree with the previous two posters - high risk property? (storing interesting items under the stairs...white spirit, paints and badly maintained wiring for instance) Is it purely residential or does it have some 'workplace function'? Essentially though you carry out a fire risk assessment - once you've ascertained all the controls which you have in place you can then decide whether an additional exit is necessary. If it helps to paint a picture, we have a residential property which is on the top floor of a 2 storey listed building (no chance of an additional fire escape) and our resident was worried about the lack of second exit. We have a fire risk assessment which covers the well maintained fire alarm and detectors, protected staircase with additional fire doors, extinguishers and she is a trained fire marshal to boot (she is also in the centre of a town with a nearby fire station, although we don't rely on that!) You need to judge the situation on the current controls - if in doubt, ask the fire brigade for advice though.
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Rank: Forum user
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Abs - just seen your reply. Same process then but informal. In the event of a fire in my house I would be out of the top floor windows pretty sharpish (not that I could put that in an FRA though!), but I do have an escape ladder just in case. I also do the usual 'turn off at the wall and close doors' every night, check my smoke alarms regularly and am generally sensible about storing my flammables in the shed, not in the cupboard next to the fuse box.
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Rank: Super forum user
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mootoppers wrote:Abs - just seen your reply. Same process then but informal. In the event of a fire in my house I would be out of the top floor windows pretty sharpish (not that I could put that in an FRA though!), but I do have an escape ladder just in case. I also do the usual 'turn off at the wall and close doors' every night, check my smoke alarms regularly and am generally sensible about storing my flammables in the shed, not in the cupboard next to the fuse box.
I thought that was just me and have been worrying about OCD etc; welcome to the club member No 2 :-)
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Rank: Super forum user
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quote=MaxPayne] mootoppers wrote:Abs - just seen your reply. Same process then but informal. In the event of a fire in my house I would be out of the top floor windows pretty sharpish (not that I could put that in an FRA though!), but I do have an escape ladder just in case. I also do the usual 'turn off at the wall and close doors' every night, check my smoke alarms regularly and am generally sensible about storing my flammables in the shed, not in the cupboard next to the fuse box.
I thought that was just me and have been worrying about OCD etc; welcome to the club member No 2 :-)
Best make me member #3
Fire extinguisher in the kitchen, and a front door key up stairs, as they lead directly to the front door. So if I can get to the door I have a key to open it and I don't have to open any other doors to get out.
Andy
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Rank: Super forum user
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Motorhead wrote:quote=MaxPayne] mootoppers wrote:Abs - just seen your reply. Same process then but informal. In the event of a fire in my house I would be out of the top floor windows pretty sharpish (not that I could put that in an FRA though!), but I do have an escape ladder just in case. I also do the usual 'turn off at the wall and close doors' every night, check my smoke alarms regularly and am generally sensible about storing my flammables in the shed, not in the cupboard next to the fuse box.
I thought that was just me and have been worrying about OCD etc; welcome to the club member No 2 :-)
Best make me member #3
Fire extinguisher in the kitchen, and a front door key up stairs, as they lead directly to the front door. So if I can get to the door I have a key to open it and I don't have to open any other doors to get out.
Andy
We could start a whole new thread about this; I even looked at thumb turn deadlocks on the porch as I too keep the key on the bedside table but decided that wasn't so great on the security front so essentially did my own dynamic assessment of risk; burn trying to open the door half asleep with the key or get turned over by inner city hoodies whilst asleep....
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Rank: Super forum user
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We could start a whole new thread about this; I even looked at thumb turn deadlocks on the porch as I too keep the key on the bedside table but decided that wasn't so great on the security front so essentially did my own dynamic assessment of risk; burn trying to open the door half asleep with the key or get turned over by inner city hoodies whilst asleep....
Max.
If my house were on fire, the last thing I'd be was half asleep!!!!
Tomorrow would be a good day for an OCD thread.
Andy
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Rank: Forum user
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Laughing here....so glad it's not just me. Do you find yourself looking at balconies though and wondering about loading and structural integrity, or my personal favourite - refusing to go on some fairground rides because I wouldn't be 100% certain that the owner had stress tested the joints/bolts? My other half thinks I'm mad.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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mootoppers wrote:Laughing here....so glad it's not just me. Do you find yourself looking at balconies though and wondering about loading and structural integrity, or my personal favourite - refusing to go on some fairground rides because I wouldn't be 100% certain that the owner had stress tested the joints/bolts? My other half thinks I'm mad.
Now that is a club I would qualify to join.
I tend to avoid theme parks, and have also worried about balconies, the bigger the balcony the more I worry.
I also take my mobile to bed in case of fire affecting the land line, one bedroom window is my escape route onto the roof of g floor extension.
Front door key in the lock.
My kids have all watched "Donald's Fire Plan" an excellent cartoon, very old and dated but if you can find a copy I recommend it.
Take care all
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