Smoke on the Third Floor
A 6-storey residential block has a single protected stair, a lobby smoke detector system, and a fire alarm panel at the entrance. At 02:10 the panel shows a detector activation on level 3. The concierge, working alone, can smell smoke in the lobby but sees none. There are 84 residents, including a wheelchair user on level 2 who has previously told staff she needs assistance, and an elderly couple on level 5 who are hard of hearing. The building's evacuation plan says 'full evacuation on alarm' but also notes a 'defend-in-place' design for the flats. The stair door on level 3 is warm to touch at the handle but not hot. The concierge has a master key, a torch, and a phone. The fire service has been called and estimates 9 minutes. The concierge has no breathing apparatus and no formal rescue training.
1. Should the concierge investigate level 3 personally? Give the reasoning and the alternative actions.
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No - not past the warm door. The warm handle is the decisive detail. A warm door means fire is likely on the other side or in the stair enclosure; opening it can feed the fire and put the concierge in a flow path with no breathing apparatus and no rescue training. The concierge's value is as an informed caller and coordinator, not as a rescuer.
What to do instead:
- Confirm the alarm is sounding throughout and that the panel shows only level 3; note any further activations.
- Call the fire service back with the specific information: level 3 activation, smoke smell in lobby, level 3 stair door warm to the handle, 84 residents, two known vulnerable households. This changes their response.
- Start evacuation of the affected and adjacent floors by voice and by the alarm, not by sending yourself into smoke. Use the stair only if it is clear; if the level 3 stair door is warm, direct people to the other side of the landing only if a protected alternative exists - otherwise keep them in flats with doors closed and sealed, which is what defend-in-place is for.
- Assist the known vulnerable residents on levels 2 and 5 by phone or door-knock from the unaffected direction, or delegate to neighbours who are already awake.
- Meet the fire service at the entrance with the panel status and the key.
The 'full evacuation' line and the 'defend-in-place' note conflict; the concierge should not resolve that alone at 02:10. The safe default is to move people away from the affected floor where the route is clear and to keep others behind closed doors, while telling the fire service exactly what is happening.
2. How should the concierge handle the wheelchair user on level 2 and the hard-of-hearing couple on level 5?
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Different problems need different methods.
Wheelchair user, level 2: level 2 is below the fire floor, so the stair may be usable, but a wheelchair cannot be carried down by one person safely. The concierge should call her, confirm she is awake, and ask her to move to the protected stair landing or a designated refuge area if one exists, with her door closed behind her. If no refuge exists, she should stay in her flat with the door closed and seals if available, and the concierge should tell the fire service her flat number so they go to her first. Do not attempt a solo carry down stairs.
Hard-of-hearing couple, level 5: the alarm may not wake them. The concierge must physically knock and, if no answer, use the master key only if it is safe to reach the door - level 5 is above the fire floor, so the stair route must be checked for smoke before use. If the stair is clear, knock, wake, and direct them down. If not, call them and tell them to stay put with the door closed.
Principle: match the method to the barrier. Mobility, hearing, and location relative to the fire each change the action. The concierge should keep a written list of who was contacted, who answered, and who was left in place, and hand it to the fire service on arrival.