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Advice about building/fire regulations please
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Need some help if anyone knows anything about the legalities of this sort of thing. The main communal entrance to the building I live in is currently dangerous, with a hanging piece of mechanical equipment perched precariously above the door (it serves to open the door automatically if a button is pushed, installed due to there being a severely disabled man living on the ground floor). There is another exit to the rear of the building but this is down a further flight of stairs and unusable as an emergency exit for the elderly and disabled occupants of the building.
The building is owned and 'managed' by a housing association, some flats are privately owned and some are rented from the HA. On their website under the repair section is says that the timescale for emergency repairs is 24 hours, which is also what the person who initially reported the problem was told last night at 10pm. I also reported the problem this morning and stressed the urgency of it and that it was dangerous - I was advised that people should avoid entering and exiting the building until the problem was fixed.
At 10pm tonight I called to find out why it hadn't been fixed yet. I was told that a note had been added to say that it would have to wait until the main office was open on Monday, because they couldn't find a contractor who could deal with it.
I've just spoken with the carer downstairs to relay the message and apparently he spoke to a contractor who came this afternoon - they sent a JOINER. No part of the main entrance doors in these buildings is made of wood! Let alone the mechanical thing above it! I bet they'd just put down 'faulty door'!
So apparently an emergency is no longer an emergency if they can't easily find someone to fix it.
What I need to know is, are they in breach of any fire regulations? |
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"It's not a breach of fire regulations it's a repair issue
Fair enough didn't know if they were obliged to make the exits usable."
They are but it's more if an urgent repair issue I'd phone on Monday  |
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"It's not a breach of fire regulations it's a repair issue
Fair enough didn't know if they were obliged to make the exits usable.
They are but it's more if an urgent repair issue I'd phone on Monday "
Thanks for the help  |
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"It sounds like the exit is useable if there is a fire. So fire regulations are out. They just have to repair the door as soon as reasonably practicable. That is a variable definition."
Well it's currently half open which is the only thing holding the big box thing above the door up. It's ok for me to get in and out but guy in wheelchair can't. It'd be nice if someone could just come and remove it if they can't fix it yet |
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"It sounds like the exit is useable if there is a fire. So fire regulations are out. They just have to repair the door as soon as reasonably practicable. That is a variable definition.
Well it's currently half open which is the only thing holding the big box thing above the door up. It's ok for me to get in and out but guy in wheelchair can't. It'd be nice if someone could just come and remove it if they can't fix it yet "
Sounds bloody annoying. Is there another exit? |
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"It sounds like the exit is useable if there is a fire. So fire regulations are out. They just have to repair the door as soon as reasonably practicable. That is a variable definition.
Well it's currently half open which is the only thing holding the big box thing above the door up. It's ok for me to get in and out but guy in wheelchair can't. It'd be nice if someone could just come and remove it if they can't fix it yet
Sounds bloody annoying. Is there another exit?"
Yes at the back down a flight of stairs. Doesn't open from the outside though so no use as an alternative in/out door and again, no good for the disabled and elderly.
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"It sounds like the exit is useable if there is a fire. So fire regulations are out. They just have to repair the door as soon as reasonably practicable. That is a variable definition.
Well it's currently half open which is the only thing holding the big box thing above the door up. It's ok for me to get in and out but guy in wheelchair can't. It'd be nice if someone could just come and remove it if they can't fix it yet
Sounds bloody annoying. Is there another exit?
Yes at the back down a flight of stairs. Doesn't open from the outside though so no use as an alternative in/out door and again, no good for the disabled and elderly.
"
Are all the residences on the same floor? |
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If there are residences on different floors, the fire brigade will already have plans to rescue infirm or disabled people im the event of a fire or other emergency where it is assumed that they are not able to leave of their own accord. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Phone them back up, say monday isnt satisfactory for the tenants living in the block, say you require a electrician to come up to fix the unit as its a electric unit, it could also be linked to the door system if you have one so could also be a door entry engineer, the HA will have a list of contractors they use for all on these repairs but as its new it might be a different contractor done via social work department or something like that, so might not be easy to get that engineer out id presume they haven't got the details of this, you will and should get this fixed before monday as its causing the wheelchair user to be basically imprisioned in his own home, and its a fairly easy repair tbh the call center will have details of the maintenance staff at the HA, so someone can make a decision about getting this sorted, kick up a stink and note all calls etc |
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