Fire safety regs

[Steve125]

Hi. I live in a 3 storey town house. I want to open up the downstairs area to make the entrance room/reception room bigger. Which means the front door will lead straight into room with staircase within it. There is still a fire door separating the kitchen from the stairs. Is this allowed or will building regs say there needs to be a fire door at bottom of stairs between this front room and the staircase. This front room measures 3.75x3.5m. Does this make any difference? Also the distance from bottom of first floor window to pavement below is only 2.75m. So this would make a good secondary means of escape should a fire in front entrance room be obstructed.

 

[bernardgreen]

Fire doors can prevent ( delay ) smoke and fumes spreading from room to room as well as containing the fire.

Also the distance from bottom of first floor window to pavement below is only 2.75m. So this would make a good secondary means of escape

Only if you can quickly find the window and open it, Seems simple but when people are in panic mode and there is zero visibility due to smoke finding and opening a window is not easy.

 

[^woody^]

If you already have a protected route down the stairs direct to an outside door, then it will need to be maintained.

 

[Steve125]

Currently we have an enclosed front room. With no direct access to outside door. You still have to go through front door. But stairwell is protected from front room, with route of escape via kitchen. Have attached plans.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

That won't rub as you're compromising the means of escape, a fire in the living room will mean the stairs will be inaccessible.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Can't you just keep the door? What's the point in removing it? Losing the door will mean all the heat from the living room will just get sucked up the stairwell anyway.

 

[Steve125]

Yep both fair points. We mainly wanted to open it up to get some more light in that room as it only has a small window.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

How does moving the wall and losing the door give you more light in the room?

 

[Steve125]

There’s a large window in the stairwell that floods the room with light.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Well as mentioned you're preventing the use of the whole stairwell from ground to top floor if a fire breaks out in the living room.

 

[jeds]

The only possibility I see here - with the limited info - is possibly a protected escape route from a first floor window or a sprinkler system?