Fire Signs made easy

Choosing your fire signage can be a daunting task. What exactly do you need? Where do you have to install them? Will you be complaint with BS EN ISO 7010 and BS 5499? What happens if you get it wrong? A Prohibition notice from the fire inspector isn’t the worst case scenario. In the UK between 2010 and 2014 there were 97,500 fires in commercial premises, with 1,881 fatalities over the same period. Having clear fire escape plans, with clearly marked routes of exit and fire fighting equipment, limits the risk to loss of life. So, how do you determine the escape route? Firstly you’ll need to determine a primary escape route. This should be the shortest and quickest route out of the building from any given location. You will also need to plan a secondary escape route should a fire make the primary route impassable. Determining the signage for your escape route is where a lot of people then come unstuck, but following a few simple rules, this can be relatively simple. From any position within the building an escape sign should be visible. Once you have passed the first sign, the next sign along the route must also be clearly seen. You will also need further signage at every change of direction along each route and above all the final exit doors. You must also never have conflicting signs, for example, two arrow up signs back to back, due to the confusion this could cause. The directional arrows can also cause confusion. Left and right is self explanatory, but when do you use an up or down arrow? An up arrow sign should be used when you have to continue along from that point, towards another fire exit sign along the route. Up should also be used for final exits, unless there is a step down or ramp immediately outside. In this case an arrow down is necessary. The same principle applies throughout, if after an exit sign there is a staircase leading down immediately after you sign, then a Down arrow is required. Inside the stairwells themselves diagonal exit routes must be used. So, now you know how many of each direction you need, how do you determine the size to order? This is based entirely on the maximum distance the sign will be viewed from. For no more than 10 metres a small sign is compliant, 15 metres requires a medium size and up to 20 metres requires a large size. In instances where viewing distances are up to forty metres, extra large signs are required. When should you use Photoluminescent signs? In short there is never a bad time to use these, but any premises where staff will be working outside of daylight hours can benefit from these in addition to emergency lighting, in case of power failure during an evacuation. In the height of summer people forget about the short winter days, which make almost all premises affected. Now you have all your compliant signs, how do you install them? All signs should be fitted 1.7 to 2.1 metres from floor to base of sign, mostly above doors. Signs can also be suspended from ceilings where needed. So now you have your escape routes clearly marked you’re done, yes? Not quite. People often overlook the other aspects of fire safety. Don’t forget your signs for Fire Doors, Fire Alarm Call Points, Fire Extinguishers, Fire Action Notices and the most commonly forgotten: For outside your final Exits, Fire Exit Keep Clear Signs. If at any stage during the planning of your escape route you can always contact our advisers on 01737 77 40 72 for free advice, or for complete peace of mind we can arrange a full site survey for a very reasonable price. By Chris Pope, Sales Team Manager Offer: Get 10% off all Photoluminescent signs with Discount code CMP10

For more information on Fire Signs made easy talk to Stocksigns Ltd