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Mersey  
#1 Posted : 05 September 2019 11:41:38(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Mersey

Before asking this question I have already searched in the forum and could not find an answer or guidance should I say.

I have just walked around a medium sized unit with 10 F/E all of them have the Emergency Exit Light above them indicating that they are a fire exit also the mandotory keep clear signs are present too.

However,

Not all of them have Fire extinguishers / Fire call points / Fire action notices present.

I was wondering whether this was mandatory ? 6 of the 10 do have these.

The other four although they have the fire exit sign they appear to be different style of door, some actually open inwards but they are final exits doors and will take a person to a place of safety.

Thanks

SJP  
#2 Posted : 05 September 2019 13:38:56(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
SJP

There should be a call point adjacent to an exit that leads to a place of safety.

Fire Extinguishers - Ours are placed adjacent to office electrical equipment and distributed about the office. Of the three exits we have, only two have fire extinguishers adjacent to the exit.

thanks 1 user thanked SJP for this useful post.
Mersey on 10/09/2019(UTC)
Messy  
#3 Posted : 06 September 2019 16:07:40(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Messy

For a fire alarm system to be BS5839 compliant a manual call point must be positioned by every exit from the building, regardless whether they are designated fire exits or not. It is possible to record a variation from that standard if it can be justified (a pub, prison or mental health unit for example) There is no requirement to put a sign over the fire extinguishers or call points unless they are hidden or obstructed although it best practice to do so Again, its usual practice but not law, to display fire action notices by manual call points
thanks 1 user thanked Messy for this useful post.
Mersey on 10/09/2019(UTC)
A Kurdziel  
#4 Posted : 09 September 2019 10:54:22(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

I am not a fire safety person by any means but looking at what they are intended for, final fire exits are doors that (typically) lead out of the building into a place of safety eg a car park.  What is the point of having a call point there? Or a fire extinguisher either?  You are now out of the building and safe; you should not be going back into building either to fight the fire or to raise the alarm. If you need to locate a fire extinguisher it should be in the area where the fire might break out eg a workshop. The fire extinguisher and the alarm call point should be in that area but near the exit point from that area, not the final exit point. In that scenario you can them choose either to fight the fire or complete your evacuation.  In some small buildings it might be the case that the fire exit from the workshop etc  is the final fire exit but in larger building this makes no sense.  

thanks 1 user thanked A Kurdziel for this useful post.
Mersey on 10/09/2019(UTC)
O'Donnell54548  
#5 Posted : 09 September 2019 11:23:16(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
O'Donnell54548

Originally Posted by: A Kurdziel Go to Quoted Post

I am not a fire safety person by any means but looking at what they are intended for, final fire exits are doors that (typically) lead out of the building into a place of safety eg a car park.  What is the point of having a call point there? Or a fire extinguisher either?  You are now out of the building and safe; you should not be going back into building either to fight the fire or to raise the alarm. If you need to locate a fire extinguisher it should be in the area where the fire might break out eg a workshop. The fire extinguisher and the alarm call point should be in that area but near the exit point from that area, not the final exit point. In that scenario you can them choose either to fight the fire or complete your evacuation.  In some small buildings it might be the case that the fire exit from the workshop etc  is the final fire exit but in larger building this makes no sense.  

From my fire training I believe the principle was that the call point was there so that you could raise the alarm as you left the building, and the extingusiher in case you needed this toi evacuate safely.

thanks 3 users thanked O'Donnell54548 for this useful post.
mihai_qa on 09/09/2019(UTC), SJP on 10/09/2019(UTC), Mersey on 10/09/2019(UTC)
jwk  
#6 Posted : 12 September 2019 14:19:53(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
jwk

Straightforward answer: no, it is not mandatory to have an extinguisher and a call point at every fire exit. The only set of mandatory requirements (in England and Wales) is to be found in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, and this does not mandate extinguishers and call points at every exit. BS5839 is a voluntary standard.

So, what is the mandatory requirement? I hate to say this, but it's risk assessment. Your fire safety risk assessment should determine the positioning of call-points and extinguishers. It may be a good idea to have a call-point at every exit, but it is not mandatory,

John

thanks 3 users thanked jwk for this useful post.
Mersey on 12/09/2019(UTC), CptBeaky on 13/09/2019(UTC), A Kurdziel on 13/09/2019(UTC)
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