Victorian hotel conversion: single stair and sleeping risk
A 24-bedroom, three-storey hotel was converted from two Victorian townhouses in 1998. It has a single protected staircase, no sprinklers, a BS 5839-1 Grade D LD2 domestic-style alarm in bedrooms and common areas, and 30-minute fire doors to bedrooms. The ground floor has a restaurant and bar with a commercial kitchen; upper floors are guest bedrooms. The fire risk assessment was produced by the owner using a template and records 'low risk' because 'the building has a fire alarm and extinguishers'. During your visit you find: the staircase is open to the ground-floor reception at the base; a fire door on the first floor is wedged open with a chair; an extension lead daisy-chains a heater and kettle in a second-floor room; the kitchen extraction duct has no access panels and grease is visible at the hood; two emergency exit signs are unlit; and the rear fire exit opens onto a locked yard. Occupancy is up to 42 guests and 10 staff; the bar is open until 01:00. No records of alarm testing or door inspections are available.
1. Critically evaluate the existing fire risk assessment and identify the significant findings that should have been recorded.
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The assessment is not defensible. A 24-bedroom hotel is a sleeping-risk premises where occupants may be asleep, unfamiliar with the building and slow to respond. The recorded conclusion of 'low risk' appears to rely on the presence of an alarm and extinguishers while ignoring the escape strategy, compartmentation and management. Significant findings should include:
- Single protected stair open at its base to reception. This can allow smoke from a ground-floor fire to enter the only stair before guests evacuate. The stair should be enclosed in fire-resisting construction, with a protected lobby at the base where required.
- Wedged first-floor fire door. This removes compartmentation and can spread smoke into the stair or corridor.
- Domestic-grade detection. A Grade D LD2 domestic alarm is unlikely to give the reliability, coverage and monitoring appropriate to a 24-bedroom commercial hotel; the category should be specified from the fire strategy, commonly a BS 5839-1 system with detection in escape routes and bedrooms.
- Kitchen extraction grease and no access panels. A duct fire can spread unnoticed; access for cleaning and inspection is essential.
- Electrical daisy-chaining in a bedroom. This is a credible ignition source, especially with a heater and kettle.
- Unlit exit signs and locked rear yard. The escape route is not available or identifiable.
- No testing or door records. The system cannot be shown to be maintained.
The judgement is that the combination of a single stair, sleeping occupants, open stair base and failed doors creates a credible risk of multiple fatalities, so the FRA should be reviewed by a competent person and the conclusion changed.
2. Recommend a prioritised action plan using the hierarchy of control, separating immediate interim measures from permanent works.
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Use the hierarchy: remove ignition and fuel hazards, then protect escape routes, then detection/suppression and management.
Immediate (24–48 hours)
- Unlock the rear exit and clear the yard; check it opens from inside without a key.
- Remove the chair from the fire door and close it; remove the extension lead, heater and kettle from the bedroom and provide safe socket provision.
- Shut the kitchen or stop using the extraction system until the hood and duct are cleaned and access panels fitted; a grease duct fire is a serious risk.
- Repair or replace unlit exit signs and test emergency lighting.
- Brief staff on the interim arrangements and start hourly checks of escape routes and doors until repairs are complete.
Short-term (30 days)
- Adjust/renew fire door closers, gaps and intumescent strips; introduce a door inspection log.
- Commission a duct cleaning contract and fit access panels.
- Introduce PAT testing and a policy on heaters/kettles in guest rooms; provide adequate sockets.
- Test the alarm weekly and record it; review staff night cover and evacuation roles.
Medium/long-term
- Enclose the stair base and provide a protected lobby; this is a building works project requiring competent design and building control.
- Upgrade detection to the BS 5839-1 category required by the fire strategy and consider sprinklers.
- Update the FRA, emergency plan, staff training and guest briefing.
The priority is to keep the only stair usable and the rear exit available. Permanent structural works follow because they take longer but are needed to make the single-stair strategy tolerable.