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Greater recognition of sprinklers and more help for firefighters to deal with fires in tall buildings are among the new provisions in the revised issue of Part B of the Building Regulations, published in November 2006.
Other major changes include amendments to the guidance on loft conversions, the use of door-closing devices on fire doors and greater recognition of third party certification schemes, for both products and contractors.
For non-domestic buildings, the key changes include the introduction of a maximum unsprinklered compartment size for single storey warehouses of 20,000m2 and a height of 18m, new guidance on residential care homes and a new requirement to ensure that occupiers are made aware of a building’s fire protection measures, to assist with their obligations under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.
The new regulations come into force on 6 April and apply to new building work in England and Wales.
In general, the new guidance provides more ways of complying with many of the regulations, especially in the areas of taller houses (over 4.5m), blocks of flats, loft conversions and galleries. It also revises smoke control measures in common corridors and lobbies inside blocks of flats.
Sprinklers are now required in individual flats in blocks over 30m tall. Subject to flow rates and pressure requirements being met, BS 9251 installations are now acceptable in blocks over 20m high.
One of the areas of potential controversy is the relaxation of using door closure devices on fire doors in dwellings. Closures are now not required except on fire doors to integral garages or entrance doors to flats. The government says that research into the use of door closures show that they are generally not working, with widespread examples of people propping or wedging tem open, so it would be better to concentrate on educating people on the importance of closing them, especially at night.
For the first time, the guidance has been split into two volumes: Volume 1 Dwellinghouses and Volume 2 Buildings other than dwellinghouses, to provide more clarity and accessibility.
Speaking last month at a BRE seminar to explain the main changes to stakeholders, Anthony Burd, principal fire safety professional at the DCLG, said the changes were evolutionary, not revolutionary, but were based on solid research and unprecedented stakeholder involvement. “I hope you will agree that it was a more open and frank procedure than previously and that the ADB [Approved Document B] is better for it.” He also commended the greater links between the design of a building and the management of its occupancy, saying: “If these parts of legislation can work together, so much the better.”