IPFMA Service Provider Profile

Pyrogard is now a service provider for the IPFMA

The representitve body for facilities management in Ireland

 

Service Provider Profile

 

 

Fire Safety Guide for Apartment Complex

A general guide for fire systems in apartment complexes

A Management/Maintenance Agent, as happens in most cases, may be employed to carry out general maintenance and management, including Fire Safety management, but the overall responsibility will lie with the Building Owners Management Company/ building owners collectively to ensure that it’s fire safety obligations are fulfilled.
Fire safety management includes the maintenance of all fire safety devices and systems within the building including for example, fire detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting, ventilation systems, fire doors etc.

In addition, housekeeping of escape corridors, waste management, building and site access and egress together with fire safety instruction and evacuation plans and drills are necessary.

Fire Detection and Alarm System
Virtually all multi-unit residential developments include a fire detection and alarm system. Some may have a 24 hour management presence on site such as caretakers/janitors and others may not. Some developments may be single blocks others may have many blocks, types of structures and forms of tenancy and use.
The fire detection and alarm system can be a simple manual system with only manual call points in the common areas (break glass units) and sounders in the apartments or it can be a much more elaborate fire detection and alarm system comprising for instance:

• Early warning to all the apartments of a fire in any one of the apartments
• Early warning to all the apartments of a fire in the basement car park or storage area or communal facilities
• Early warning to all the apartments of a fire in a non-residential area (retail units, offices crèche, hotel)
• An alert signal to other blocks of a fire in a sister block in the same development
• Early detection in stairway or corridors to open automatic opening vents or operate automatic smoke control measures
• Or a combination of the above

Whereas smaller older traditional built apartment blocks usually only included a manual fire detection and alarm system it is more usual for the modern larger developments to include a full-blown fire detection and alarm system usually with some early detection and warning in the apartments themselves and in the circulation areas.
In such systems it is desirable that remote indicators be provided over apartment entrance doors to assist the fire brigade in locating the apartment where a fire may have occurred.
There should be a clear understanding and written description of:

• The extent of the system and how it works
• Who maintains it and their competency to do so
• When is maintenance carried out, and provisions for arranging access
• Who should be contacted for immediate repair if the system goes wrong

In addition details of what was agreed for the fire detection and alarm system at fire safety certificate stage should be kept available for consultation.
In addition it is desirable that the management company retains the right of entry into individual apartments to carry out effective maintenance on the equipment (detectors and sounders) and in the interest of avoidance of false alarms and nuisance to the occupants of other units.

Emergency Lighting System
Virtually all multi-unit residential developments include an emergency lighting system usually only to illuminate the common escape routes (corridors and stairways).
Emergency lighting along with exit signposts illuminated in emergency lighting is generally required from accommodation such as basement car parks or other ancillary accommodation.

Contact info@pyrogard.ie for more information

 

The above comments is not an exhaustive list of legislation and should only be considered a guide, please see the correct legislation for definitive requirementswww.pyrogard.ieinfo@pyrogard.ie