Fire Alarm and Fire Extinguisher guidance for HMOs
If you are a landlord of houses of multiple occupation, ensuring that appropriate fire safety measures are in place is a legal requirement. The common areas of your HMO’s are subject to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Fire Risk Assessments
We would always recommend that a fire risk assessment is carried out for each property that house multiple occupancy. The fire safety team at CPS can provide fire risk assessments to document evidence of recommendations and actions required.
The aims of the fire risk assessment are:
- To identify the fire hazards.
- To reduce the risk of those hazards causing harm to as low as reasonably possible.
- To evaluate which physical fire precautions and management arrangements are necessary to ensure the safety of people in your premises if a fire were to happen.
Fire Alarms
If your property comes under the definition of HMO you will need a fire detection and alarm system, the standard of system will be determined by the risk assessment.
Installing a fire alarm for an HMO property as a recommended minimum, will incorporate a fire alarm panel with smoke detection covering all communal areas and escape routes with heat detectors in each of the accommodation areas connected to the landlord system. All accommodation areas will require a smoke alarm system fitted, that is a main wired battery backed smoke detector.
Our team at CPS provides advice, bespoke design, installation and the on-going maintenance of fire alarms and our engineers are multi-skilled in all aspects of fire and security and can provide a 360° for all your fire and security needs.
Fire Extinguishers
Fire Safety Guidance By LACORS (Guild of residential landlords)
According to fire safety guidance provided by LACORS, the body which co-ordinates local authority regulators, it is advised that it’s good practice to provide a facility for extinguishing a small fire in its early stages in common parts of HMOs and buildings containing flats. Documents relating to Housing fire safety and Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats.
Extinguishers should be positioned on each floor and any common areas. Fire extinguishers should only be used by those who know how to operate them safely and we would recommend that when a new tenant moves into a property, basic training should be provided on how to effectively use extinguishers and fire blankets.
Our extinguishers come complete with safety signage, which identifies appropriate action in the event of a fire incident.
Maintenance of fire systems and extinguishers
To comply with legislation all fire alarm systems must be maintained every 6 months and all fire extinguishers must be maintained on a yearly basis and replaced when required.
Crime Prevention Services are NSI Gold Accredited and comply to British standards in relation to all fire and security installations and maintenance. If you are wishing to discuss the installation or maintenance of fire systems or extinguishers for your properties then please contact us on 0345 23 098 23 or book a free survey today.
