OTish - Public Buildings Fire Regs

[CB]

A little OT for DIY as this applies to a Local Authority building but I thought there might be someone on here who could advise.

The local authority leisure center that I attend is currently undergoing a "refurb". The studio (where the aerobics classes are held) has been repositioned and completely rebuilt. The studio is about 8 yards by 6 yards (capacity of about 30ish for aerobics classes).

There are no doors on three sides of the room, but on the fourth side there are two single doors with about 1 yard (one and a half ish door widths) of the wall between them, both doors empty into the same corridor.

The old studio had a general entry/exit double door from the admin area on one side and a "Fire escape" double door on the opposite wall emptying directly to the outside world.

I am just curios as to why the new design is two single doors (double doors would be much more convenient for getting equipment in/out and someone has suggested that it might be driven by fire regs. On the other hand it may simply be that structurally two doors was easier to implement (but if simplicity/cost was the issue why not just have a single door?) Can anyone shed any light on this design choice.

Thanks.

[Martin Brown]

It sounds questionable if both exit doors go into the same corridor and there is no independent means of escape if that route is full of smoke.

That sounds a fairly normal configuration - two independent exit routes.

I am very surprised that they have been permitted to downgrade the fire safety margin in this manner if it is as you describe.

Double doors can be fitted but are required to have a cunning contraption that forces them to close correctly irrespective of which door swings back the fastest. There is a mechanical device fitted to the door frame that ensures it forms a positive smoke tight seal with a bristle and/or intumescent sealant tape in any gap(s).

Our village hall has four independent routes of escape although only the three on the front side are designated fire escapes with the muster point on the village green.

You could also escape by the back door but it is a long trek round through the fields to reach the muster point (tricky in the dark).

[RobertL]

Don't windows count as a secondary means of escape as long as they are near enough (I dont't know what the figure is) to the ground?

Does it have windows?

Robert

[Davey]

It might be worth mentioning it to the local Fire Department.

[Brian-Gaff]

Maybe they kept getting the gear stolen when they had double doors! Brian

[Nightjar]

...

It is permissible to have a single means of escape into a second area, subject to limitations including the distance travelled and the availability of exits from the second area.

[Robin]

Is there a fire door in the corridor between the 2 exits from the room? That would be a common way to provide 2 exits into 2 distinct areas, one of which should be smoke free

[CB]

No, Just the same corridor with no doors between the 2 entrances to the studio.

In answer to another post there are no windows in the room.

(Another point already raised by the users is it gets very hot, there is no aircon, only an extractor fan which IIRC is supposed to do something like 4 room changes of air per hour - even at this time of year that it starting to look inadequate with 30 hard exercising bodies in the room)