Blog Feed: Plumis fire protection blog

Easy to retrofit fire protection utilised in HMOs

Published on 2013-05-21 13:06:00

The problem of meeting HMO licensing conditions at the same time as maximising income potential and avoiding unnecessary, costly and time consuming building work for landlords can be resolved by the installation of Plumis Automist, the first active f

Automist provides viable solution for 4 storey Georgian conversion in Bridport

Published on 2013-05-21 10:29:00

The necessary compliance with fire regulations in a conversion project can mean that design is compromised, costs are greatly increased and sprinklers may need to be installed with the potential for significant disruption. The owners of a 4 store

Automist Fire Suppression for Private Development in W1

Published on 2013-05-21 10:22:00

Private developers are just as demanding as local authorities and still need to meet the requirements of Approved Document B whatever the aesthetic considerations and budgetary constraints. Hammersmith’s Devonport Property Consulting were developin

Valentine’s Day: Cooking, candles and smoke, oh my!

Published on 2013-02-12 11:00:00

Recent rumours that we’re headed for a triple dip recession will have tons of us skipping the romantic meals out this year and opting for an intimate evening in. This means more cooking, more candles and potentially more fires if we’re not carefu

Providing adequate means of escape through an open plan ground floor after a loft conversion

Published on 2013-01-17 06:10:00

All roof conversions must comply with the statutory Building Regulations Part B (Fire Safety) and therefore require Building Regulation approval. Specifically the Building Regulations acknowledge that the risk to life from a fire occurring in a three

Parliament lacks effective fire compartmentation, they should consider Automist for easy to retrofit automatic fire suppression

Published on 2012-12-14 05:45:00

The Houses of Parliament has a range of fire safety deficiencies including a lack of effective compartmentation and numerous hidden voids in the building. The shortcomings have been highlighted in an

Leaseholder pleads guilty to 12 fire safety offences

Published on 2012-12-14 05:32:00

The leaseholder of a shop and house in multiple occupation has had to pay more than £18,000 for 12 offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Tahir Ahmed pleaded guilty to the offences at Aldershot Magistrates Court on 6 Decembe

The cost of poor housing fire safety

Published on 2012-12-07 06:08:00

In September, BRE launched the Housing Heath Cost Calculator (HHCC), a tool that measures the cost of poor housing conditions against the health of residents. By working out the cost to society of a potential incident resulting from various poor hou

Ten people rescued in residential block blaze

Published on 2012-11-12 04:41:00

Ten people have been led to safety by firefighters following a fire in a four-storey residential building in East Kilbride. Strathclyde Fire & Rescue sent three appliances to the blaze after receiving a number of emergency calls at around 3.30am on

Worst London house fire 'in a decade' caused by freezer

Published on 2012-10-26 08:42:00

A house fire described in September 2011 as ‘the worst house fire in the capital in over a decade’ was probably caused by a freezer, an inquest has heard. Channel 4 news reported on Monday

Suspended sentence and curfew for landlord’s fire safety offences

Published on 2012-10-23 11:21:00

A landlord who pleaded guilty to 13 fire safety offences across seven properties has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence and a six-month night-time curfew. Rubbish in the stairwell of one of

Scottish fire deaths up 10% despite fall in house fires

Published on 2012-10-15 12:22:00

Provisional figures from the Scottish Government have shown an increase in fire deaths, despite a 17% reduction in the total number of fires. Figures for 2011-12 show that there were 57 fatalities, an increase of 5 on the previous year. The total number of fires fell to 32,204, down from 38,970 in 2010-11. Primary fires – that is all fires in non-derelict buildings and outdoor structures, fires involving casualties or rescues or any fires with more than five appliances in attendance – acco [..]

Blaze damages historic 17th Century hotel in Devon

Published on 2012-10-05 06:26:00

A fire in a ground floor kitchen involving deep fat fryers spread to the first floor ballroom of a historic hotel in Devon. Crews responded to the fire at the Royal Seven Stars Hotel in Totnes just before 10.00pm on Saturday 29 September. Staff and 35 guests evacuated the building and no one was injured. At 11.12pm, crews confirmed the fire had spread to the cavity walls and firefighters were attempting to expose and extinguish the flames. The fire was extinguished by fire crews using eight [..]

Best value HMO retrofit water mist suppression

Published on 2012-09-28 04:25:00

Automist was installed by Quench Fire as a key part of an alternative fire protection scheme to protect the escape route through a first floor, open plan, communal lounge and kitchen area in a Oxford City HMO. Lyndworth Mews is a block of 16 three storey town houses in Headington, Oxford, several of these properties are rented to students as a HMO property. A typical HMO in this block is two bedrooms and a bathroom on the ground floor, a communal lounge diner and kitchen on the first floor and [..]

Shropshire Housing extends fire safety to communal areas with Aico RadioLink

Published on 2012-09-28 04:22:00

Shropshire Housing Group has made the decision to install Aico’s RadioLINK wireless interconnect fire detection system into HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) and smaller blocks of flats to allow for alarm interconnection between communal areas and individual dwellings. The system provides a high level of tenant safety at an affordable price, especially when compared to panel-based alternatives. The decision to extend coverage to communal areas followed a detailed Risk Assessment ca [..]

Sprinklers in care homes mandatory in Australian state New South Wales

Published on 2012-09-14 08:02:00

Australian state New South Wales has passed new rules requiring automatic sprinkler systems to be installed in all care homes. The NSW government initiative is designed to protect elderly and vulnerable care home residents from fire risks following a devastating fire in November 2011 at the Quakers Hill Nursing Home that killed at least ten residents. Up to 20 deaths have been linked to the fire since, and a 35-year-old Sydney man is awaiting trial charged with ten counts of murder and several [..]

Isle of Man Fire and Rescue install Automist

Published on 2012-08-25 01:02:00

Isle of Man Fire and Rescue have been demostrating a new fire protection sprinkler system that can be fitted into the kitchen tap.

Five deaths a year from US clothes dryer fires

Published on 2012-08-25 00:44:00

An estimated 2,900 clothes dryer fires in residential buildings are reported to US fire departments each year, causing an estimated five deaths, 100 injuries and $35 million in property loss. These are some of the findings of a new study from the US Fire Administration’s national fire incident reporting system which examines the characteristics of clothes dryer fires in residential buildings. Other findings include: Failure to clean (such as removing lint from traps, vents and surrounding a [..]

Fire Kills - Don't drown in toxic smoke

Published on 2012-08-17 10:12:00

The Fire Kills campaign is the national fire safety campaign delivered by Communities and Local Government. The campaign aims to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by accidental dwelling fires by actively encouraging people to change their behaviour and attitudes towards fire safety. The Fire Kills campaign's 'breathe' advert has won a number of awards, including a Silver Lion for Best Cinematography, a D&AD Yellow Pencil for Best Direction and a Creative Circle Gold award for Best [..]

Four rescued from Douglas house fire

Published on 2012-08-17 10:04:00

Four people have been treated for smoke inhalation after being rescued from a house fire in the Isle of Man. Fire crews were called out at 00:05 GMT to a property in the Springvalley area of Douglas. It is thought the blaze, which started in the kitchen, was caused by a grill pan being left under the grill. A spokesman from the fire and rescue service said an adult had been found in the front room and three children in a first floor bedroom. The alarm was raised by concerned neighbours and a [..]

Creating desirable open-plan kitchen-diners that meet fire building regulations

Published on 2012-08-17 09:59:00

Open plan living is a trend that is here to stay, with an increasing number of homeowners using this type of layout to make their homes feel larger and brighter. Gone are the days of a poky kitchen and separate formal dining room. Now, you are likely to find large family spaces in the form of modern kitchen-diners. These spaces add value to your abode and make it not only a better place for you to live but also an easier home to sell when it comes to putting it on the market. Most kitchen [..]

Vital fire safety information not being passed on

Published on 2012-08-09 05:57:00

The Passive Fire Protection Federation (PFPF) believes there is insufficient awareness of the need to pass on vital fire safety information on completion of a building. Under Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations the person carrying out the work is required to pass on fire safety information of a building to the responsible person, as defined by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The information required relates to the design and construction of the building or extension, and t [..]

Care home fined for fire safety breaches

Published on 2012-08-02 08:28:00

The owners of a care home in Kendray, Barnsley, have had to pay more than £11,000 in fines and costs for breaching fire safety legislation. Park Care Ltd, the owners of Park Grange nursing home, pleaded guilty to three breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 on 19 July at Sheffield Magistrates Court. The breaches were a failure to put in place suitable fire emergency procedures, failing to rectify defective fire doors, and a failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient f [..]

FIA launches campaign to reduce false alarms

Published on 2012-07-06 05:58:00

The Fire Industry Association (FIA) has launched a new section of its website as part of its campaign to reduce false alarms. The new online section aims to help cut the cost of false alarms to businesses and fire services. The FIA says the vast majority of false alarms come about as a result of poor management issues rather than poor installation. “It is a common misconception that false alarms are caused by malfunctioning fire alarm systems,” said the FIA’s chief executive officer, Gr [..]

Fire suppression and ADB - Bespoke or pre-engineered?

Published on 2012-06-15 06:37:00

At Plumis we are frequently asked how Automist fits with the sprinkler standard BS9251, and more recently the water-mist standard DD8458.

The emergence of the open plan kitchen diners in the UK

Published on 2012-06-02 04:50:00

Sprawling, bright living spaces have become a modern trend with the number of kitchen-diners rising by almost 50 per cent in the past decade. One in three homes now features a kitchen-diner, and one in five Brits plans to blend their separate living room and cooking spaces into a single area, a survey found. The growing popularity of open plan spaces applies to all types of property from new homes to Edwardian, Victorian, and Georgian era houses, according to the survey of 2,000 home owners. [..]

Dummy Walls: Dumb Idea!

Published on 2012-04-05 08:27:00

A clumsy approach to meeting building regulations in loft conversions has led to a dangerous phenomenon – the dummy wall. William Makant explains the problem and proposes a safe and legal route to open plan layouts.With sluggish property markets, loft conversions have grown popular: they add value without the high legal, stamp duty and agent’s costs of a house move. But in many cases householders and builders collude to work around fire safety regulations with an illegal, makeshift construct [..]

Landlord jailed for fire safety offences after fatal blaze

Published on 2012-04-05 08:10:00

A landlord has been jailed for four months and ordered to pay £10,000 costs after pleading guilty to three offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.Lookman Adeyemi – the landlord and registered owner of a house in multiple occupation in Milton Keynes where a mother and her daughter died in a fire in 2010 – was sentenced at Amersham Law Courts on 29 March. He had previously pleaded guilty on 8 March to failing to:make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessmentensure [..]

Helmet cam shows the point of view of a firefighter fighting a blaze in a 2 story home

Published on 2012-03-22 04:02:00

Firefighters tackling a domestic fire on a 2 story residential structure. Video taken by Fire Cam MINI HD.

From Living Room To Inferno In Under 2 Minutes

Published on 2012-03-08 12:33:00

A flashover is the near simultaneous ignition of all combustible material in an enclosed area. Flashover is one of the most-feared phenomena among firefighters. Firefighters are taught to recognize flashovers and avoid backdrafts.

Automist sprinkler alternative filmed for brand new Channel 4 series, Home of the Future, which starts February 12th, 7.00pm on Channel 4

Published on 2012-02-22 08:29:00

Plumis’ product Automist was filmed for brand new Channel 4 series, Home of the Future, which starts February 12th, 7.00pm on Channel 4.What happens if you ask a normal family to boldly go where no-one has gone before - to live in the future? This five-part Channel 4 series, co-funded by one of the UK’s leading energy companies E.ON, and produced by Twofour, transforms the lives of a family, filling their home from top-to-bottom with futuristic technology and gadgets. As well as having cutt [..]

Inner bedrooms in Social Housing – a disaster waiting to happen!

Published on 2012-02-01 12:52:00

IntroductionRanch-style layouts with open plan living areas are relatively common in rented accommodation, including social housing; these layouts often include “inner” bedrooms whose fire escape route is through the open area. This is clearly against the guidance under two pieces of major recent legislation, the Housing Act 2004 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which introduced new responsibilities for landlords and housing organisations. Some ambiguities in these laws ha [..]

Don’t drink and fry this Christmas

Published on 2011-12-22 12:08:00

Don’t drink and fry, have a takeaway. These are the messages from Cleveland Fire Brigade, and London Fire Brigade this Christmas.With a third of all fatal accidental house fires being alcohol related, fire chiefs across the country are warning the public to be extra-careful when indulging in a drop of Christmas cheer.Cleveland’s Stay Safe and Celebrate campaign, launched at the start of December, is designed to raise awareness of common causes of house fires during Christmas.Some of the advi [..]

Landlord pleads guilty to breaching fire laws

Published on 2011-11-04 10:39:00

A landlord and his property firm have been ordered to pay more than £33,000 for breaching fire safety legislation.Lee Pemberton, a director of PemCo Investments Ltd, pleaded guilty to seven offences relating to a property above a shop, in Lune Street, Preston.Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service chiefs said Pemberton put residents at risk of death or serious injury if there had been a fire in the house of multiple occupants.The offences included failing to provide appropriate fire detectors [..]

Push the button and test your fire alarm

Published on 2011-10-07 06:29:00

Well done to Staffordshire Fire Service for making this great fire safety video.

Residential Landlords pay £27,500 for 'severe' fire safety breaches

Published on 2011-10-07 06:22:00

Two private residential landlords have been found guilty of breaching fire safety regulations and fined £23,000.Fiaz Mahmmud, 48, and Audrey Feegrado, 39, were each found guilty of five breaches of the Housing (Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation) Regulations 2006 at a house in French Horn Lane, Hatfield, after pleading not guilty to the offences at Watford magistrates court.The defendants were each fined £11,500, ordered to pay £2,225 each towards the council's costs.The pair we [..]

Fire safety for blocks of flats guidance released

Published on 2011-08-05 06:33:00

A new guidance document on fire safety for blocks of flats has been published.Fire Safety Guidance for Purpose Built Blocks of Flats, now available for download, will run alongside existing advice on housing. The 192–page document covers topics ranging from escape routes, door insulation and fire prevention, to firefighter access, the needs of older and disabled people, and combating vandals and arsonists. As well as general apartment complexes, it also covers flats in sheltered housing schem [..]

Social housing blocks 'unsafe in fire'

Published on 2011-07-21 10:15:00

Fire safety experts say modifications by right-to-buy owners have exacerbated problemThree-quarters of all social housing blocks are potentially unsafe in a fire, according to a survey questioning managers responsible for ensuring buildings are properly maintained.A similar proportion of housing managers are not confident that their blocks have had a proper fire risk assessment, according to the study, carried out jointly by the Chief Fire Officers Association and Chartered Institute of Housing. [..]

Become an Accredited Reseller of Automist and help meet growing demand for our affordable sprinkler alternative!

Published on 2011-07-15 06:08:00

Plumis has now launched a certification scheme for Accredited Resellers and is looking to establish a network of fully trained specifiers and installers.Automist is increasingly being used to provide routes to freedom and flexibility in layout to provide the modern, contemporary, open-plan residential layouts that clients increasingly expect whilst still complying with fire Building Regulations and keeping occupants safe.· Avoids enclosed staircases· Contemporary and minimalist [..]

Fire risk warning over faulty Beko fridge freezers

Published on 2011-07-05 03:16:00

The problem is with a faulty defroster timer.Up to 500,000 fridge freezers could be posing serious fire risks in homes and businesses across the country, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has warned.The LFB said a fire in the capital last week, which was

Jersey fire service issue chip pan warning

Published on 2011-07-05 03:08:00

Damage caused by kitchen fire in St Saviour, Jersey The whole of the St Saviour flat suffered severe smoke damageFire chiefs have warned people about using chip pans following a blaze in Jersey on Sunday.Two fire engines were called to the kitchen fi

40 firefighters attend London tower block blaze

Published on 2011-06-30 12:18:00

Around 40 firefighters were called to a fire in a tower block in London earlier this week.The blaze damaged part of a flat on the 17th floor of a 21-storey block in Bermondsey.It was first thought to have been caused by lightning, but London Fire Bri

Solving problems associated with loft conversions and Building Control in dwellings

Published on 2011-06-01 11:23:00

If you intend to convert an existing loft space into additional rooms, you will need to apply for Building Regulation Approval. You may also need Planning Permission if you live in a Conservation Area or a Listed Building or are installing a dormer

Fire service not to respond to automatic fire alarms until after 9pm

Published on 2011-05-06 12:22:00

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service will not respond to any automatic fire alarm (AFA) calls between the hours of 9am and 9pm, starting this month.It is hoped that the move, which will not apply to residential care homes, sheltered accommodation

Draft guidance for purpose built flats published

Published on 2011-05-04 12:44:00

Draft guidance on fire safety for purpose built blocks of flats has been published and is now available for comment. The guidance aims to give practical support and advice on existing purpose built flats to landlords, managing agents, enforcing offi

Open space solutions for modern life styles

Published on 2011-05-04 06:39:00

Approved Document B limits the layout and aesthetics of residential developments by containing fire spread through compartmentation or increased fire resistance. Residential sprinkler installation in redevelopment of existing structures can have majo

First official guidance on selecting fire risk assessors

Published on 2011-04-18 07:35:00

Detailed guidance on selecting suitably competent fire risk assessors has for the first time been made available on a government website. In its FAQ section, www.firelawscotland.org gives information on current fire risk assessor registers and schem

Don't Fan the Flames in your Flats!

Published on 2011-04-15 06:55:00

Most people would accept that fire prevention is ‘common sense'. However, here are some true statements made by residents complaining about fire risk assessments - "We've been living here for years without an incident why should we bother?""Fire R

Developers are 'gambling' with fire as schools 'ignore' active fire protection advice

Published on 2011-04-14 06:19:00

Around two thirds of new or refurbished schools planned for the capital have not been installed with sprinklers, the London Fire Brigade has warned.It follows Government guidelines introduced three years ago that recommended that sprinkler syste

Fire protection innovation gives Architects design flexibility to meet regulations

Published on 2011-04-10 08:24:00

Automist is a new type of active fire protection system which can be an effective compensatory feature to meet building control fire safety requirements. The recently updated issue of Building Regulations Approved Document B has placed more emphasis

New guidance on fire safety in residential care homes

Published on 2011-03-29 07:25:00

New, additional guidance for operators of residential care premises has been published to enhance the existing government fire risk assessment guide for the sector.The additional guidance, published by the National Association for Safety and Healt

Penhallow Hotel company admits fire safety breaches

Published on 2011-03-24 06:26:00

The fire was described as the worst in the UK for nearly 40 years A Yorkshire company that owned a hotel in Cornwall which was destroyed by fire in 2007 has admitted two charges of failing to meet fire safety standards. Three people died as a res

Fire warning over DIY loft conversions

Published on 2011-03-24 04:41:00

Nottinghamshire residents are being warned about the dangers of carrying out DIY loft extensions after crews struggled to access a fire. The landlord of a house in Aspley was issued a prohibition notice for converting the loft into a bedroom without

Derbyshire Fire chief calls on UK government to introduce automatic fire sprinkler legislation

Published on 2011-02-10 12:46:00

A leading fire professional from Derbyshire has called on the government to introduce new legislation to make automatic fire sprinkler systems mandatory. Sean Frayne, an assistant chief fire officer for Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, said that W

Welsh Assembly vote to make sprinklers compulsory in all new homes in Wales

Published on 2011-02-02 12:18:00

Welsh Assembly members voted on Wednesday to make the installation of sprinklers compulsory in all new homes in Wales. The move was championed by Labour assembly member Ann Jones and as well as getting cross-party support from the Welsh government an

Practise your own home fire safety drill

Published on 2011-02-01 00:35:00

In a recent episode of “The Office”, Dwight Schrute feels his PowerPoint presentation on fire safety doesn’t get through to his colleagues, so he tries another method. “Experience is the best teacher,” says Dwight, he is not wrong, but not

Solving Layout problems

Published on 2011-01-19 06:36:00

The largest class of inquiries at Plumis this year so far has been from architects and independent inspectors who see Automist as a non-disruptive and cheap home sprinkler system which can address concerns over the fire safety of proposed dwelling la

Introducing Automist

Published on 2011-01-19 06:11:00

The Problem In the United Kingdom alone, there are an estimated 300,000 dwelling fires each year, of which 180,000 start in the kitchen. Of the 55,000 dwelling fires reported to the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS), the average cost is £24,900, leadin