Alternative position for fire door protecting escape route

[kazzz]

Hi!
Installing a new attic bedroom on the second storey, and can't put a firedoor at the base of the stairs on the first floor because of a stairlift rail that would travel through it.
Attic headheight is tight for a standard fire door (would have to be bespoke made (£££!) because would need both top corners cut off to follow profile of sloped roof and not even sure BC will like this).
Could we put a fire door at the start of a corridor on the first floor...that has all three first floor bedroom doors behind it...therefore protecting the stairwell for the second floor attic? Could this mean no extra fire door is then required for the attic? We've got mains wired (and battery back up) smoke alarms on every floor, and a large escape window on to a small first floor roof in the attic, as well as fire escape windows from all three bedrooms. I know each BC has slightly different ideas but would love to know your thoughts too...excuse the dodgy sketch!

 

[Nakajo]

Are Building Control insisting upon one, or would your own piece of mind demand one regardless?

 

[kazzz]

Hi...thanks for your question. BC want fire doors (as well as mains smoke alarms)...we are just looking for alternative ideas to suggest to him when he comes...

 

[kazzz]

Because of my wheelchair we will hardly ever be closing fire doors behind us as a we go, so this is purely to try to keep BC happy.

 

[kazzz]

We looked into sprinkler/misting solution instead but they were quoting over £7000...well beyond our budget

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Your door won't work where you have proposed it, that will not allow safe escape from the first floor bedrooms. The point about fire doors is that they can be closed in the event of an emergency rather than need to be closed all the time, providing any occupant in the bedroom additional time. Fire safety is always a compromise.

Anyway, you can cut down a 'fire door blank' to suit, which is basically a massive solid fire door, so you can cut the corners off as you wish. eg https://www.builderdepot.co.uk/44mm-plywood-fd30-fire-door-blank-2440mm-x-1220mm-8ft-x-4ft

 

[kazzz]

Thanks so much for the link (and the advice)! All the other doors i found were talking about only allowing 8mm off each side...so these look fab! Do you know if there anything in the regs I can look at about triangular topped fire doors...or do you reckon this will just be down to our BC officer and how he feels about it? I'm having trouble finding info on required widths of fire doors at head height if they are an unusual shape?

 

[^woody^]

The requirement is for a protected direct route from the loft to the outside, so the placement of any required fire doors is flexible as long as there is a protected route.

I would suggest that you need to modify your attitude to fire safely and not think in terms of just "keeping BC happy", but to actually design install and use fire safety systems and devices - especially if your chances of escape in a fire situation are limited ... and the associated risk to rescuers coming to your aid in a fire situation.

 

[kazzz]

Thanks Woody...trying to, but the stairlift rail creates quite a few issues...couldnt get planning permission we needed for a lift so now trying to find creative ways to keep everyone safe. We have other added ideas to help with safety...but need to address BC rules first so we can work our designs around what they want.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Ideally when you or your builder orders the blank you need to ensure whoever is supplying it is able to provide the necessary certification for the door that the manufacturer has had to have carried out, then you can shove this under the nose of Mr BC and that should satisfy him. Of course he may not ask but, more so for flats/commercial buildings, some BCO's these days are (rightly so) getting extraordinarily strict where fire safety is concerned (since Grenfell).

For example this one from Howden has links to the certification: https://www.howdens.com/joinery/doo...-flush-fd30-fire-door-obj-sku-family-25306489 including a link to it's test report which states how the door may be trimmed down on page 10 https://www.howdens.com/-/media/how...ucts/clh_asset_levela_108973/ass_25308090.pdf Really you should be speaking with Mr BC to discuss the solution and ensure he will be satisfied and waft the certification under his nose rather than surprising him on his final inspection.

 

[kazzz]

Once again.. thanks so much...you've been so helpful !