The LWF Blog

Fire Safety for Facilities Management Personnel – Fire Detection & Fire Alarms – Part 208

July 3, 2023 10:54 am

Lawrence Webster Forrest (LWF) is a specialist fire engineering and fire risk management consultancy whose aim is to give information on best practice in fire safety for facilities management personnel through this blog series. In part 207, we looked at the areas covered by the BS 7273 codes of practice in more detail up to and including BS 7273-3. In part 208, we continue from BS 7273-4 onwards.

BS 7273-4 Code of practice for the operation of fire protection measures – Actuation of release mechanisms for doors has widespread application in all buildings where mechanisms referred to as ‘hold-open’ and ‘self-closing’ are used on doors. Such devices are designed to operate when the fire alarm system is activated and doors which are commonly held open to allow easy movement are automatically closed to prevent the passage of fire, smoke etc. along escape routes and from one area to the next. The doors are manually openable but will close again once the occupants have passed through the doorway.

BS 7273-4 provides guidance on ensuring the interface between a fire alarm system and the door release units is reliable and appropriate.

In addition, BS 7273-4 has guidance on the interface between fire alarm systems and electronically locked doors. Some doors must remain locked at all times, except during a fire situation when they must be automatically unlocked to allow evacuation from a building. Although it is preferable to have no locked doors on a means of escape route, it can be necessary in certain circumstances to have additional security for the safety of building occupants and members of the public. Some examples are banks and other buildings where large sums of money are handled, hospitals where mental-health units must be secured or maternity units in some cases (depending on the position in the building relative to exits and other security measures), and prisons and other secure units.

BS 7273-4 covers the equipment controlling powered sliding doors, commonly used as entrance doors. While normal operation sees them open when people approach the sensor on each side of the door, during a fire situation, the doors must remain in the permanently open position.

BS 7273-5 Code of practice for the operation of fire protection measures – Electrical actuation of watermist systems (except pre-action systems) provides guidance on the interface with water mist suppression systems.

In part 209 of this series, LWF will look at the checks that should be performed on fire alarm systems. In the meantime, if you have any queries about your own facilities or wish to discuss this blog series, please contact LWF on freephone 0800 410 1130.

 

Lawrence Webster Forrest is a fire engineering consultancy based in Surrey with over 35 years’ experience, which provides a wide range of consultancy services to professionals involved in the design, development and construction and operation of buildings.

 

While care has been taken to ensure that information contained in LWF’s publications is true and correct at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of this information.