Since April 2001 all new building work in schools has been subject to approval under the Building Regulations. This includes fire protection;
“To ensure the spread of fire over the internal linings of buildings is inhibited: To ensure the stability of buildings in the event of fire; to ensure that there is a sufficient degree of fire separation within buildings and between adjoining buildings; and to inhibit the unseen spread of fire and smoke in concealed spaces in buildings. Building Bulletin 100 Revised
Whilst it’s true that fires in schools are rare, and the severity is usually low, we believe it’s down to the fact that fire protection and these guidelines are taken very seriously.
New school building or a refurbished one – they’re all the same
We see no difference between building a school from the ground up and refurbishing what’s already standing. In fact, in light of revelations concerning insufficient building materials (think asbestos, cladding, and the aerated concrete crisis), we treat any refurbishment the same as a brand new building, in respect of the government guidelines and Building Regs.
In this blog we’re concerned with preventing the spread of the fire, through the installation of fire resistant doors and walls.
Fire resistant doors and walls
All fire resistant doors are required to have a minimum fire resistance of 30 minutes. In some cases, it must be resistant to fire for up to an hour. Unlike at home, all doors must be fire resistant regardless of which floor they are on or their proximity to a more likely source of flame, a kitchen for example.
For internal (compartment) walls, the minimum fire resistance is one hour, and measures must be taken to ensure they reasonably inhibit the spread of fire from one room to the next. The reason for the elevated resistance is because walls can easily spread fire through the spaces and wiring inside.
Best practice for inspection and maintenance
There is no law regulating a schedule of inspection for fire doors, however, ‘best practice’ is given in BB100(revised) as follows:
Ask us about fire doors and walls
If you’d like to know more about how we would incorporate the design of fire resistant elements in your school construction or refurbishment project please get in touch with us.
We’d be happy to talk about your project and crunch some numbers!
