I have been asked by client whether the fire alarm call points which are connected to the fire alarm on each level in stairwell can be removed as they are constantly being vandalised by residents (rather worryingly) This is a block of residential flats, 5 flats on each level. There is a ground floor secure front door that permits access to the stairwell which on each of 4 levels provides access to communal balcony from which residents have their respective front doors. The fire exit stairwell is the only exit route from the property so we had call points installed on each level so that residents could activate the alarm. Instead they get smashed. I am proposing to put in place a STAY PUT policy in event of a fire as there is only this one exit. The risk of fire in the block is minimal in the common parts as its really only the stairwell and balconies (all are kept free of obstructions) and we do have detectors installed so if a fire occurred in stairwell the alarm would be activated. These are not tampered with and would be checked. We do this at present but always find the call points broken, wires ripped out. On the ground floor of the property below flat level there are commercial units and the bin stores are on this level in the car park. I am more concerned on the arrangements the commercial units have in place to alert them to fire from their rear storage areas (you can imagine, boxes etc piled high) but I am not responsible for this area. I will be asking them what measures they have in place and would imagine the detection system would be audible enough for residents to be alerted above as the balconies are open. Sorry to go on, my real query is whether I need the call points as costing a fortune to replace and cant get it through to residents that they should not tamper/vandalise. Appreciate feedback

Solas The scenario you describe reminds me of a situation I dealt with during the 1990s as an OSH adviser for a local authority. One of its area housing managers was being badgered by a newish fire officer to install fire alarms and call points in the common passages, balconies and stairways, (some of them semi-open) of a 3 or 4 floor complex of dwellings designated for older people. There was no concierge system and the tenants, some of them with limited mobility, were able to come and go as they pleased. The passages and stairways were built of fire-resistant materials and tenants were discouraged from putting chairs or other combustible items in them. Furthermore, the complex had been designed so that each dwelling with its external door shut was a fire resisting/containing compartment. Tenants were reminded from time to time that if a fire occurred or was suspected, they should stay in their dwellings if they couldn't readily leave the building. I think addressable smoke/fire detection was installed in each dwelling, and perhaps also the common areas, and linked to the council's control room. None of the fire officer's various predecessors had considered and raised the need for such a system in the complex, and there had been no recent relevant changes in fire or building control legislation. Also, no other local fire officers were asking for systems in the council's other buildings of a similar nature. I wrote to the fire officer (and the local fire chief) with these points plus questions such as who should do what in the event of activation of the system if installed. Ultimately, the fire officer 'backed off' about his requirement, possibly after internal advice from the fire chief and his counterparts with more experience. One of the council's electrical engineers who dealt with fire detection & alarm systems had calculated the cost of what the fire officer was requiring in the complex, plus the cost of similar installations in similar complexes owned and run by the council. He reckoned the total cost at the time would have been several million pounds - money which could be far better in other ways including the provision of justifiable fire precautions in council buildings. His boss shared the reckonings with senior council directors and thus helped reinforce the reputation of the council's small OSH team for resisting unreasonable demands by outside enforcement bodies. The building you describe differs in some ways from the complex I dealt with, notably as regards the type and behaviour of tenants/residents. Even so, I hope the above summary is of some use. p.s. Apologies to anyone who might be offended by the word "badgered" above. It was used in a colloquial sense and not intended to malign badgers!! :-)

You may have noticed that post in fact contains more than 2 points. I was never any good at maths :)