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| Refuge
Area that is both separated from a fire by fire-resisting construction and provided with a safe route to a storey exit, thus constituting a temporarily safe space for disabled occupants to await assistance for their evacuation.
NOTE 1: Refuges are relatively safe waiting areas for short periods. They are not areas where disabled occupants should be left indefinitely until rescued by the fire and rescue service or until the fire is extinguished. It is the organization’s responsibility to provide assistance, and the arrangements for this should be incorporated within the premises’ fire procedures.
(This should not be confused with the use of refuges in progressive horizontal evacuation, e.g. in hospitals from which people might not need to escape, but from where there is the potential for further escape should that become necessary.)
NOTE 2: In Scotland, a refuge is now generally known as a “temporary waiting space” (TWS).
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| Relevant fire safety legislation
(In England and Wales) Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
In Scotland) combination of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 (as amended) and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, In Northern Ireland) Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, together with the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 |
| Responsible Person
Person on whom legislation imposes a requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment
NOTE 1: The term “responsible person” has meaning within the RRFSO, and is used to highlight the person whose duty it is to ensure fire risk assessments are carried out. Within fire safety legislation, the responsible person could be a number of different parties according to circumstances.
NOTE 2: The responsible person can be determined from the relevant fire safety legislation.
NOTE 3: The responsible person is normally an organization, such as an employer, rather than a specific named person. but may be person in charge of building.
NOTE 4: There might be more than one responsible person within any premises. For example, in a multi-tenanted office premises, normally each tenant, and the landlord or managing agents, will be responsible persons. |
| Safe condition sign
Safety sign that provides information about safe conditions
NOTE: A fire exit sign is an example of a safe condition sign. |
| Smoke alarm
Device containing within one housing all the components, except possibly the energy source, necessary for detecting smoke and for giving an audible alarm.
NOTE: The term “smoke alarm” is normally reserved for devices intended for domestic use. |
| Smoke damper
Mechanical device which, when closed, prevents smoke passing through an aperture within a duct or structure
NOTE: In particular premises, smoke dampers might be automatically operated, or only manually operated, or a combination of the two, and their normal position might be either open or closed. |
| Structural fire protection
Features in layout and/or construction that are intended to reduce the effects of a fire |
| Third-party fire risk assessor
Independent fire risk assessor, who is not an employee of the Responsible Person, but who is contracted to carry out a fire risk assessment on behalf of a Responsible Person on whom legislation imposes a requirement for a fire risk assessment
NOTE: A fire safety consultant is an example of a third-party fire risk assessor. |
| Tolerable level (of fire risk)
Level at, or close to, that acceptable to a Responsible Person, taking into account the requirements of fire safety legislation), the nature of the premises, the fire hazards in the premises (see 1.33), the nature of the occupants, the cost of additional fire precautions and any other relevant factors |
| Travel distance
Actual distance to be travelled by a person from any point within the floor area to the nearest storey exit, having regard to the layout of walls, partitions and fixings |
| Unwanted Fire Alarm
Fire signal resulting from a cause(s) other than fire (e.g. vandalism, tampering or electrical problems) |
| Voice alarm system
Sound distribution system that provides means for automatically broadcasting speech messages and warning signals |
| Wet fire main
Water supply pipe installed in a building for fire-fighting purposes and permanently charged
with water from a pressurized supply, fitted with landing valves at specific points |
