Housing Fire Safety Policy - Testing, checking, inspection, maintenance

12. Testing, checking, inspection and maintenance of fire safety equipment and installations

12.1.  All fire safety equipment, such as fire and smoke alarms, will be tested, serviced and maintained in accordance with the relevant British Standard or measures that achieve the same and considering manufacturer’s recommendations. Any fire safety installations, such as fire doors and emergency exit signage, will be maintained appropriately. This will include the completion of all essential remedial works requirements identified during any inspection, testing and maintenance activity, including from FRAs.

12.2. The Council’s policy and practices for installing, testing, checking, inspecting, and maintaining an appropriate range of fire safety equipment and installations is set out below: 

Automatic fire detection and alarm systems

These will be installed in all ‘higher risk’ buildings, Installations will be maintained and upgraded to meet current legal and regulatory requirements. 

Servicing and maintenance arrangements:

• Quarterly testing and servicing carried out by suitably qualified contractor in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and industry best practice, including fittings located within individual accommodation.
• Weekly testing by WBC housing staff or contractors, in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and industry best practice.
• Prompt replacement of failed fittings or components identified during weekly and quarterly testing and servicing. 

Emergency lighting units and systems

These will be installed in all buildings with communal areas at the time of building construction or later, such as to meet the recommendations of an FRA. Installations will be maintained and upgraded to meet current legal and regulatory requirements. Following a survey of blocks, a programme of upgrades is taking place 2024-25. 

Servicing and maintenance arrangements: 

• Annual testing and servicing, including three-hour drain-down test, carried out by suitably qualified contractor in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and industry best practice.
• Monthly flick testing by WBC housing staff, in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and industry best practice.
• Prompt replacement of failed fittings or components identified during weekly and quarterly testing and servicing.

Smoke detectors (individual dwellings where automatic fire detection and alarm systems are not installed)

These will be installed on each habitable floor of the dwelling and will be mains powered with a date-marked 10-year life lithium battery. Any battery powered alarms will be replaced at the next inspection date. 

Servicing and maintenance arrangements (properties with gas boilers): 

• Annual inspection and testing, carried out by suitably qualified gas service engineer in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and industry best practice.
• Inspection and testing at time of void.
• Prompt replacement of failed fittings and routine replacement of fittings where at the date of inspection the date-mark on the fitting shows it to be over 8 years old. Servicing and maintenance arrangements (properties without gas boilers):
• Five yearly inspection and testing, carried out by suitably qualified electrician at time of 5 yearly EICR (electrical installation inspection).
• Inspection and testing at time of void.
• Prompt replacement of failed fittings and routine replacement of fittings where at the date of inspection the date-mark on the fitting shows it to be over 5 years old.

Sprinkler/mist systems

These will generally be installed at the time of construction, or as determined by regulations. Servicing and maintenance arrangements: 

• Annual inspection and testing, carried out by suitably qualified service engineer in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and industry best practice, including fittings within individual accommodation.
• Inspection and testing of fittings inside accommodation at time of void.
• Prompt replacement of failed fittings. 

Dry or wet risers and automatic opening vents

These will be installed in buildings or at time of construction or as determined by regulations. 

Servicing and maintenance arrangements: 

• Annual inspection and testing, carried out by suitably qualified service engineer in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and industry best practice.
• Prompt replacement of failed equipment.
• Regular inspection to confirm and ensure free access to riser inlets is available 

Portable fire-fighting equipment (fire extinguishers)

In line with guidance, the Council’s policy is that these will only be provided in ‘higher risk’ communal locations, such as boiler plant rooms. They will be removed from general communal areas during 2024. 

Servicing and maintenance arrangements: 

• Annual inspection and testing, carried out by suitably qualified service engineer in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and industry best practice.
• Prompt replacement of failed equipment.

Fire blankets

These may be provided within individual accommodation at the time of construction/handover but will not be checked or maintained thereafter. They will be provided in communal kitchens, such as at sheltered housing schemes and will be checked and maintained. 

Servicing and maintenance arrangements: 

• Annual inspection, carried out by WBC housing staff in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and industry best practice, including provision of installation date-stamp.
• Routine replacement if missing or when the fire blanket reaches 5 years old.

Fire doors

We will ensure that suitable fire doors are installed in all locations where required and maintained to meet current requirements. This means they must be specifically designed to withstand fire for up to 30 or 60 minutes, installed at the entrance to flats which open onto communal areas shared with other tenants, plant rooms and riser 

Inspection and maintenance arrangements: 

• Using best endeavours carry out an annual inspection of flat entrance doors, carried out by suitably qualified person in accordance with best industry practice.
• Using best endeavours carry out a quarterly inspection of communal area doors, carried out by suitably qualitied external contractor in accordance with best industry practice.
• Prompt repair or replacement of door closers, seals, or other aspects of the door system. cupboards, and where are designed to automatically close. In addition, they must have seals and other components like letter boxes that are fire-safe 

Fire exit, fire action notices and other statutory signage

These will be installed in the communal areas of blocks of flats where deemed necessary or where recommended in an FRA. 

Inspection and maintenance arrangements: 

• Annual inspection, carried out by WBC housing staff to ensure the signs are still in place.
• Prompt replacement if missing.

12.3. We will work with our contractors to maintain and update the Fire Safety Asset Inspection and Servicing Schedule. This will identify and allow us to plan for carrying out all required tasks at the appropriate time with reference to previous inspection and testing dates. 

12.4. The annual fire safety equipment inspection and servicing Schedule will be based on the fire safety asset register and will record all installations and safety inspection/servicing dates. Contractors will support the Council to update the plan on an ongoing basis to take account of all servicing, testing and replacements carried out, including all those carried out through the responsive repairs, void property, mutual exchange, or planned maintenance processes. 

Leaseholders and shared owners

12.5. In some cases, fire safety equipment relating to the dwelling will be the responsibility of a Shared Owner or Leaseholder. Most commonly this will include any smoke detectors. We will not typically request evidence that this equipment has been tested/serviced but will write to the residents periodically to remind them of the importance of maintaining the equipment in fully working order. This is detailed in the communication section of this policy 

12.6. Accessing properties

12.7. Our tenancy agreements contain terms and conditions for reasonable access to be provided by residents for essential maintenance works. This includes the carrying out of fire equipment and fire door inspections/servicing where there are installations located within the dwelling. 

12.8. Where reasonable access is not given, we will take appropriate action in accordance with our Access Policy*, tenancy agreement and leases to ensure residents’ homes remain safe. If access has not been granted and there is a serious concern about a raised risk of fire due to situations such as hoarding, mental illness etc., then the main option available to us is the use of a breach of tenancy injunction. 

*Access Policy TBC and under review 

12.9. To maximise the opportunities to gain access to individual accommodation to carry out inspections of smoke detection equipment or fire doors we will have in place a process for providing information to residents about the need to access their home, with a series of access request letters. We will seek to gain access both with and without appointments, maximising the opportunities as best as possible.

13. Ensuring effective building management

13.1. To ensure the ongoing safety of residents, the Council will take a proactive approach to the management of properties, including all those in respect of which FRAs are carried out, so that fire risks can be managed and minimised appropriately. These activities may be changed or adjusted in line with recommendations from an FRA, but will generally include: 

• Prohibiting and enforcing the storage of any items in communal areas and in escape routes without the Council’s express permission.
• Prohibiting high risk items from being stored in communal areas including mobility scooters and electric bikes/scooters.
• Prohibiting and enforcing the storage of items on balconies, beyond those deemed reasonable and appropriate.
• Maintaining and enforcing a no smoking policy in all communal areas.
• Implementing a risk-based approach to the periodic inspection of communal areas and escape routes.
• Ensuring that, where provided, furniture is compliant with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended).
• Asking residents to alert the Council to the presence of stored oxygen so that the Fire and Rescue Service can be alerted to its presence.
• Enforcing resident responsibilities where required considering a balance of individual residents’ rights with the need for effective, timely action where there is a risk to the safety of other residents.