Renovating buildings is nothing new, but a growing trend for repurposing could be contributing to fire risks. Where commercial buildings are modernised for mixed use, including residential purposes, it can be tricky to maintain all the fire systems you would expect in an industrial building.
Typically, commercial buildings have a network of ventilation ducts that run through the fabric of the building. They are mainly used for circulating air throughout the structure and typically vent to the roof. When a building is converted for residential use, these are often overlooked. However, in the event of a fire, these ventilation channels can cause fire to spread rapidly throughout a building, with potentially devastating results.
So, who takes responsibility?
This is where things get tricky. If a building is still occupied for commercial use, it’s the responsibility of the occupier or responsible person to ensure all fire systems are up to date and operational. When a building has been converted to residential use and individual dwellings are owned or rented by different people, the responsibility will typically fall to a managing agent or lease holder. However, in both cases, the person or entity who is responsible can be completely unaware the ventilation ductwork still exists, as it’s hidden from view.
To put this into perspective, we recently helped a client who owned a site which was converted to over 500 flats from large office two years ago. When fire officer attended and asked for report on annual fire damper testing, it was the first time the freeholder knew there was an issue.
So, what should you do if you suspect you have hidden ventilation in your building?
Our first recommendation is to seek out the original building plans. Once you have these you can check key areas in the building to see if the ductwork still exists or if it was removed during renovations. The schematics will also show the presence and number of fire dampers.
If you do not have drawings and plans but you are aware the building has ventilation systems, it would strongly suggest fire dampers are present, you need to identify and test dampers where found.
If you need support with the inspection or testing of fire dampers, get in touch today for your no obligation, free quote.
