Regulations about smoke ventilation in block?

[thick_diy_thighs]

I'm in a small block of flats and there was a bin fire in a flat downstairs from me.

There was no alarm sounding at all from that property or that floor. There should be smoke alarms on each floor and each flat. There are no fire extinguishers in the halls/stairwell that is the only means of escape. I only investigated downstairs because there was a strong chemically fume smell in my bathroom and kitchen, so bad I couldn't stay in those rooms for long. I got a headache and felt sick from it.

The fire brigade said it was coming up through the walls/floors. Is this normal? I couldn't use the fan extractors in those rooms either as they were seeming to pull more of it in. Those rooms are nearer to the flat with the fire.

I'm looking at pictures like this for example looks very much like layout of this block except the skylight hatch was not able to be opened by the fire brigade. I had to phone the housing association to get someone to come to open it, but they only opened it a tiny bit if at all, which also seems wrong to me.

 

[^woody^]

If you are not qualified, then avoid trying to determine what safety measures are required in one block by comparing with others or diagrams.

Ask for a copy of the block fire safety risk assessment from your landlord.

Or ask for a visit from your local fire safety officer at the fire service.

 

[thick_diy_thighs]

If you are not qualified, then avoid trying to determine what safety measures are required in one block by comparing with others or diagrams.

Ask for a copy of the block fire safety risk assessment from your landlord.

Or ask for a visit from your local fire safety officer at the fire service.

I will do both I think. What bothers me is the things I listed are regressions.

Faulty/inaccessible skylight which has a sign "break glass in emergency" on this panel to somehow get the thing to open. It's a physical steel cord attached to the skylight.
The smoke alarm status because why would they go to the trouble of installing/testing them on each flat and floor?
There used to be fire extinguishers in the hallway too.

 

[^woody^]

Fire extinguishers are removed nowadays because its an old concept that someone, untrained, would be expected to fight a fire instead of just getting out.

I doubt a roof skylight is a means of escape, so I can't understand the break glass instruction.

There would not normally be a requirement for interlinked flat and communal alarms, and you don't want to be running out of your flat every time a neighbour burns the toast, but you really need sight of the block risk assessment.

If smoke did come through the flat walls, that's a compartmentation issue which you should report to your landlord. That won't be covered on a typical block fire risk assessment which is communal areas only. But if you are a leaseholder, that would normally be your responsibility to deal with.