Fire & CO Alarms ●From previous page
Responding to recommendations made by Dame Judith Hackitt following the Grenfell Tower fire, the government is currently carrying out a complete review of AD B covering all aspects of fire protection for England. The pressure is now on government to seize this opportunity and upgrade the minimum requirements of AD B from Category LD3 to LD2. Not only would this bring AD B into line with other recommendations around the UK and potentially save lives, it would also substantially increase the market in interconnected mains smoke and heat alarms.
New Scottish Regulations But what about existing homes not subject to the Building Regulations? Here, the Scottish government has just taken the lead, with wide ranging new proposals calling for a consistent, high level of smoke, heat and CO alarm provision to be applied across all types of housing. This will also increase demand. These new Scottish requirements herald a fresh, straightforward approach to fire and carbon monoxide safety, recognising the key role of smoke, heat and CO alarms as the first line of defence to provide critical early warning at low costs.
In essence, the minimum safety standards
currently in place for private rented properties (and under Building Regulations) will be extended to all other tenures including social housing and even existing owner-occupied homes. Effectively, this means the ‘Category LD2’ level of protection, including smoke alarms in principal living rooms and heat alarms in kitchens, in addition to smoke alarms in circulation areas on each storey.
CO Alarm Requirements In addition, a CO alarm will need to be fitted where there is a carbon-fuelled heating appliance (such as boilers, fires, heaters and stoves) or a flue passes through the room. These minimum standards will now be extended to all Scottish homes and they must all comply within 2 years (by February 2021). Clearly, there are parallels between smoke alarms and CO alarms, with increasing interest in combining them to provide more coverage. Hard-wired carbon monoxide alarms should therefore grow in popularity, particularly where they can combine with mains smoke/heat alarms to form comprehensive systems. Scotland’s major step in housing safety could
well influence requirements elsewhere too. For example, in England, private rented properties only require one smoke alarm on each storey and a CO alarm just with solid fuel heating, mirroring Building Regulations Part J. There are also no specific regulations for social housing or effective requirements on owner-occupied
homes. But government is currently considering extending the CO alarm requirement to any carbon fuelled appliance. It might else apply the regulations to social as well as private rented housing and should reconsider the particularly poor smoke alarm provision, contrasting with the BS 5839-6 Code of Practice.
Market Growth So, we should anticipate real growth in the smoke, heat and CO alarm market over the next few years to meet new regulatory demands. One certainty in this uncertain regulatory environment is that smoke, heat and CO alarms offer the first line of defence against fire or carbon monoxide in all types of housing, providing critical early warning at low costs. But the right provision of alarms – to detect fire or CO, and also ensure that occupants are alerted throughout the home – is critical. To help electrical wholesalers and specifiers understand the issues involved, Kidde has launched a programme of independently accredited CPD presentations and discussion documents. In addition to reviewing current minimum requirements, topical issues and conflicts between the various current and proposed standards and regulations are addressed as ‘Talking Points’ to help readers question recommendations and make their own judgements.
kiddesafetyeurope.co.uk
New Scottish requirements herald a fresh, straightforward approach to fire and carbon
monoxide safety, recognising the key role of smoke, heat and CO alarms as the first line of defence to provide critical early warning at low costs.
26 | electrical wholesalerMarch 2019
ewnews.co.uk
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