Guide to Conversion of Traditional Buildings

Part 1: An introduction to the fire standards

2. Fire

The primary purpose of this guidance for practitioners and verifiers is to support the Technical Handbooks for the conversions of buildings of traditional construction. However, it is also likely to be useful for projects where alterations or complete refurbishments do not require a building warrant.

The guidance provided by the Technical Handbooks regarding Mandatory Fire Standards is primarily intended for new construction. When applied to traditional buildings, it has the potential to have a negative impact on their character and cause significant loss or damage to historic fabric and the way it performs. However, the primary aim of the standards is to ensure the safety of all persons in or around the building in the event of a fire.

It is often assumed that older buildings were constructed without considering fire risk, fire resistance, compartmentation or adequate routes for escape. In fact, learning from tragedies, enacting “stable door” or reactive legislation and publishing guidance has been a continuous process, as can be seen in the following examples.

• The Resolutions of the Associated Architects¹ of 1792 detailed various solutions to fire spread in domestic buildings, reacting to the Prevention (Metropolis) Act 1774 for the further and better regulation of Buildings, and Party Walls, etc and the best means that can be adopted for preventing the like in future. Solutions for fire prevention included ‘Securing’ and ‘Double Securing’, otherwise known as pugging, which consisted of laying rough plaster on boards or laths fixed onto batons attached to the sides of the joists. Hartley plate² and other solutions designed to stop the passage of air were tested in fires involving barrels of burning pitch in various London houses.
• Outward opening doors were made mandatory in Nordic countries after the disastrous fire in Grue Stave Church³, Norway, in 1822 when 113 people died. This was the first documented multiple fatality fire caused by ignition of a flammable external surface; timber treated with pine tar.
• The 1952 Post War Building Studies recommended a 2.5-minute evacuation time for traditional buildings, referring to the fire at the Royal Palace Theatre, Edinburgh, in 1911, when the audience evacuated safely whilst a version of the National Anthem was being played. Lessons learnt from the 1863 fire tragedy at the Jesuit Church of the Company in Santiago, Chile⁴, which claimed over 2500 lives, were incorporated into the design by theatre architect, Frank Matcham. The Royal Palace Theatre opened in 1892, the high fire-risk stage being protected by a proscenium arch and fire curtain, and ample exits and wide stairs were provided for quick evacuation.
• Various fireproof construction methods were developed during the Victorian era, including brick jack arches on cast iron pillars commonly used in mills, terracotta tiles and fireproof roof construction in the Palace of Westminster⁵ designed by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin, and concrete jack arches in St Pancras Chambers in London designed by George Gilbert Scott.

Traditional buildings may contain features that accelerate fire spread. Undivided roof spaces and hidden voids in walls can allow fire to spread and emerge far from the point of origin. Interconnected voids are a major hazard that must be accurately identified during initial building surveys. In addition, most traditional buildings will have undergone alterations and changes throughout their life, where ducts, chases, shafts, old chimneys and flues (including lift shafts, ventilation shafts and old staircases), may have been built over and forgotten. This can provide an easy route for heat, fire and smoke to spread unseen throughout the building. This was seen in the Cowgate fire in Edinburgh (2002) when a fire in the Belle Angele nightclub in Hastie’s Close spread upwards eight stories to damage or destroy the buildings on South Bridge and beyond.

Since the 1970s, modern improvements in compartmentation have been made to traditional buildings, such as plasterboard and stud partitions in roof voids. It is essential to assess these improvements to ensure they can prevent fire from spreading through joints, eaves and over cavity or fire barriers.

When considering the requirements of the Scottish Building Standards and the conservation needs of a traditional building, it is essential to strike a balance between fire-safety provision and conservation principles to arrive at the optimum solution. In general, every traditional building is unique, and solutions must be tailored individually to each case. This sometimes means that alternative approaches to fire safety must be considered so that the specific characteristics of the building and its construction are factored into the equation.

The definition of the fire performance of a building⁶ is how well it will withstand the effects of a fire, thus protecting people in and around it as well as the property and its contents. An assumption is made that a fire will occur and although common causes can be predicted and precautions taken, there will always be unexpected incidents that result in the fire performance being tested. It can be rated as very good, good, poor, or very poor based on the likelihood of fire spreading from the room of origin to adjacent areas, the rest of the floor, and ultimately the entire building.

Reference is made in the Technical Handbooks to the term reasonably practicable, which in relation to the carrying out of any work, means reasonably practicable having regard to all the circumstances including the expense involved in carrying out the work. This was considered in the court case Edwards v National Coal Board 1949⁷ when the judge reasoned that ‘reasonably practicable’ was a narrower term than ‘physically possible’, and implied that a computation must be made in which the degree of risk was placed in one scale and the sacrifice involved in the measures necessary for averting the risk (whether in money, time or trouble) was placed in the other. Any effect on historic fabric should be included in the ‘trouble’ part of the balance. If there was a gross disproportion between them – the risk being insignificant in relation to the sacrifice – the onus on the owner was discharged”.

The HSE has published a guide on applying the concept of as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP)⁸, primarily for engineering solutions in the chemical industry, but still relevant to fire safety, aiming to meet the standard of a relevant approved code of practice.

An example of being reasonably practicable in a traditional building would be the fire testing of a bespoke replacement fire door. For mass production of a modern fire resisting door the cost of fire testing a sample door, frame and surrounding partition in a laboratory would add less than 0.05% to the price of the finished product (depending on number of sales). If the same test were to be carried out for a bespoke door the cost would add more than 300% to the price which would be grossly disproportionate.

In lieu of testing the bespoke door set, individual parts making up the whole should receive an engineering assessment based on test evidence of the components and burn-through times of the timber. The door will then become a nominal FD20, FD30 or FD60 with a suffix ‘s’ for those required to be fitted with cold smoke seals.

2.0.1 Factors influencing fire spread

Each traditional building is unique with variations to its scale, complexity, construction, materials, fire load and occupation or use.

An accidental fire will invariably start small with a spark or overheating and, if combustibles are close enough to ignite, it will grow until it has enough energy to spread. The heat generated will be transferred mainly by convection, some by radiation and possibly conduction (if there are conductors involved). Fire spread to involve a whole room or flashover is not inevitable as it depends on the size of the room, combustibles present, their spacing and the amount of ventilation available. Fire spread beyond the room of origin is also not inevitable as it depends on the size of the fire, the heat generated and the fire resistance of the walls, ceilings, doors and the external elevation.

The construction of a building can contribute to the fire load with timber floors, staircases, laths, internal partitions, doors, combustible linings and complex roof structures which, if not protected, may encourage fire spread.

The presence of voids within the construction may facilitate the rapid spread of smoke and fire from lower floors to the roof level. Should the fire reach the roof, it will be exceedingly challenging for fire and rescue services to manage and contain it.

The location of hidden voids should be identified and the planning of service risers and horizontal distribution routes for electrical and data cables, water and drainage should be undertaken at an early stage to enable the design of fire protection measures for service openings that will prevent fire spread.

Most older buildings will have been altered since their original construction, and these changes and extensions may increase the risk of fire spread if they have ignored the original compartmentation. Classic examples of rapid fire spread through unprotected openings into hidden voids were seen at the Glasgow School of Art building (2014), Clandon Park mansion house in Surrey (2015) and the Royal Clarence Hotel, Exeter (2016).

Buildings proposed for conversion should be systematically inspected to identify existing masonry walls which can provide fire separation of at least thirty minutes and often over an hour. The conversion scheme’s design should incorporate these natural fire compartments, as their removal or alteration could have a serious impact on the fire performance, the historic fabric and the economics of development. A satellite view of the building can show where natural compartment lines are likely to exist, and these can be followed down through the roof void and floors below.

It can be seen from the satellite image (Illustration 2) that the original pitched and hipped roof has been overlaid at the time of extension with a new roof with a flat lead apex. The natural compartment lines A and D are formed by the new external walls of the extensions which contain chimneys rising through the roof covering. The red lines show protected zones which provide fire protection for the escape routes.

A detailed, recorded on-site investigation should be undertaken for each building which considers information on fire safety aspects such as the construction and compartmentation, separation, fire resistance of elements of structure, presence and types of concealed voids and cavities, including how they might be connected to offer potential routes for unseen spread of fire or smoke, and the nature of the finishes and linings which are provided such as to walls, floors and ceilings.

The need for individual appraisal of the building under consideration is paramount and required to understand the forms of construction and connection of voids in what can be complex buildings.

2.0.2 Regulatory principles

Proposals for the conversion of a traditional building may have a significant impact on its character and historic fabric due to the need to satisfy the fire safety requirements of the Building Regulations and other legislation. Fire safety measures in traditional buildings should achieve a balance between the protection of its historic characteristics and the fire safety measures introduced to protect it. Guidance should be carefully applied, particularly when its recommendations might not be achievable without irreversibly altering or destroying the historic features of the building.

Life safety is paramount, but it is important to consider how the protection from fire of individuals in and around a building can be balanced with the implementation of sensitive fire safety measures that meet both life safety and the conservation needs of a traditional building. To achieve this, some variation of the provisions in guidance may be appropriate. In such cases, it is appropriate to adopt a risk assessed approach and consider a range of fire safety features and document them in a building fire strategy. This may require the advice of specialists from more than one discipline as well as early engagement with a conservation architect and (if the building is listed) the local planning authority in consultation with Historic Environment Scotland.

Ideally, the building fire strategy should be kept by the responsible person in a secure location as a high-level document, perhaps structured along the lines of the Building Standards, to allow easy dissemination, including during an emergency. The details of construction and any upgrades should be included in the Fire Safety Design Summary (FSDS) which records key information relating to the design and construction of a building, assisting in ongoing operation and maintenance of the building for fire safety purposes. This is submitted along with the application for completion and should be kept with the building for future reference.

2.0.3 Fire Performance of critical elements

a) Floors

The fire resistance of timber floors can vary according to the protection afforded by the ceiling below. A boarded floor without an underlying ceiling offers minimal protection against fire and smoke. In contrast, a separating floor equipped with non-combustible pugging on boards and a lath and plaster ceiling can provide substantial fire resistance. As with all historic elements, it is essential to assess the likely fire resistance of a floor and ceiling combined. The protection offered by the whole floor construction to a fire from below depends on the robustness of the ceiling. The condition, thickness, type of plaster, the strength of its bond through the laths, and the fixing of the laths to the joists all influence its performance in a fire.

Although timber is a combustible material, the structural timbers in many historic buildings are generously sized in relation to the spans, imposed loads (or tensile strength of tie beams). The fire resistance of a timber section can be predicted by the charring rate for the species of wood involved: timber suffers no appreciable loss of strength until charring occurs. An oversized timber beam can achieve a significant level of fire protection, as charring of the outer surface will reduce air supply for combustion below the char layer and thus inhibit the rate of loss of strength of the beam. Impregnating smaller timber elements with a water-based fire-retardant liquid will increase their fire resistance further and improve the surface spread of flame rating.

Upgrading the fire resistance of floors and ceilings can become more difficult to achieve with finer and more ornate finishes and the size of original floorboards or type of fixing (e.g. handmade or hidden nails and tongue and groove boards).

Some recognised methods of upgrading the fire resistance of floor construction are:

• consolidate any deficiencies in the original ceiling construction,
• replace any localized loss of non-combustible pugging,
• introduce wired mineral wool quilt supported between the joists by steel fixing bars,
• apply lime plaster from above to close any gaps between the laths and wall,
• apply additional layer of plasterboard, taped joints and skim to the underside of lime plaster ceilings that are too thin or too frail to withstand the effects of a fire.
• fix areas of plaster with inadequate keying using countersunk screws and penny washers, subsequently covered with lime plaster.

b) Doors

Doors have an important role in preventing smoke and gases from entering escape routes and reducing the amount of air available to a fire. Research has improved our understanding of their performance in fires, allowing us to realistically assess and retain historic doors. Doors that have thin panels or gaps in their construction or contain thin or leaded glazing that may allow fire to spread beyond the compartment of origin, will need to be upgraded.

There are several techniques that can be employed to improve the fire resistance of a door, including: -

• facing the thinner fielded parts of panels with an intumescent veneer, which is reversible.
• sealing all cracks and gaps with intumescent paste,
• fitting proprietary intumescent strips and flexible cold smoke seals to the door edges.

In some situations, it may not be practical to improve the fire resistance of a door, either because of its method of construction (stiles and rails are not wide enough to resist warping in a fire or that are too thin to provide sufficient burn through time) or because its historic interest mean there is a presumption in favour of retention. In both situations, the best way to secure their long-term future might be to retain them in place and investigate alternative solutions to providing fire resistance.

Listed building consent may be required in the case of listed buildings, and it may be that finding an alternative use for a room, or the blocking of the side that is of lesser importance behind doors that are fixed shut, offer a more sustainable outcome.

Image of two sides of a single plank historic oak door too unique for upgrading

c) Door furniture

Historic doors may have historic hinges, latches and self-closing devices, that predate any British standards. These items may be as historically important as the door leaf itself, so they will need to be assessed for their existing performance in a fire and for their future endurance.

Hinges are the hardest working component of a door set and require regular maintenance or they will eventually fail, either because the knuckles (barrels), bearings or pins have worn out or the screws become loose. This results in the door leaning out of true, forming a sloping gap at the top and sometimes scraping on the floor.

In theory, these hinges should be repaired or replaced by a CE marked hinge conforming with BS EN 1935, Grade 13 or 14. Hinges are tested in a rig with the full load applicable to the mass of door they are designed for. Some variation in leaf size and location of the screw holes is acceptable, but it is not reasonably practicable to test and certify all bespoke hinges. The engineering of the moving parts is well established, so bespoke hinges could be made to perform as well as hinges that have been tested.

Some hinges are over 200 years old and brass hinges are often criticized for having a low melting point. However, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, with a variable melting point, generally falling between 900°C and 940°C, depending on the composition. Yellow brass typically melts between 905°C and 932°C. Admiralty brass melts between 900°C and 940°C, while red brass melts between 990°C and 1025°C. All these will satisfy the requirement to support the door during a fire.

d) Roof voids

Roof voids are an important component in the fire performance of any building, making their investigation imperative. Many historic compartment walls do not continue up into the roof void, or have been breached for services, thus permitting the unhindered and rapid spread of fire along the roof space. Also, roof voids may be used as storage spaces, which poses an additional fire load. Ensuring the roof void is compartmentalized is crucial for enhancing the building's fire performance. When installing new fire barriers, they must align with the compartment lines in the areas below to maintain the building's fire integrity.

2.0.4 Emergency Planning and salvage⁹

An important consideration for many owners is the protection or removal of valuable artefacts and paintings from a building affected by fire or flooding. However, the efficient evacuation of all occupants takes precedence over procedures for limiting damage to property and contents. Salvage work should be limited to those parts of the building that are not directly affected by fire and only with permission of the fire and rescue service. Salvage teams tasked with carrying out salvage work should have received formal training, been given adequate protection, and be fully briefed about the health and safety risk assessment carried out to identify the dangers associated with this activity.

2.0.5 The Technical Handbooks

Section 2.0.7 (Alternative approaches) in the Domestic and Non-domestic Handbooks has very comprehensive guidance on variations for existing and traditional buildings and is reproduced here.

It may be appropriate to vary the guidance contained in this Handbook when assessing the guidance against the constraints in existing buildings, especially those buildings which are listed for their special architectural or historic interest. In such cases, it would be appropriate to take into account a range of fire safety measures that are sympathetic to the character of these buildings, whilst ensuring that an appropriate standard of fire safety is achieved.

The Cameron House Fatal Accident Inquiry recommendations: Short Life Working Group report was published on 2 October 2023. The report provided short and longer-term actions targeted at industry, Scottish Government and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. This included the delivery and implementation of Simon and Richard’s Law, which mandates a requirement for automatic fire suppressions systems in mandatory standard for 2.15. To support the implementation of the technical updates associated with Simon and Richard’s law, a new definition has been introduced and is defined within standard 2.15.

The term “traditionally constructed building” means constructed by traditional construction methods, using permeable components, that promote the dissipation of moisture from the building fabric.

This definition is intended to align with the current definition of “traditional building” whilst recognising that the existing definition refers to a traditional building by its approximate year of construction. In relation to fire safety, the relevant risks relate to the materials used in such buildings which may not offer the same level of fire resistance duration compared to newer or more modern methods of construction.

Guide to Conversion of Traditional Buildings, formerly known as Guide for Practitioners 6: Conversion of Traditional Buildings, has been updated as part of the updates to the technical handbooks published in April 2026. These guidance documents provide a commentary on potential influences of the standard on traditional buildings, identifying risks from the standard to the building and recommends approaches to meeting the requirements of the standard.

Additionally, a letter to Local Authority Chief Executives under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 (Section 34 - Reports and Information - Notification of Application for Building Warrant - Section 2 – Fire) shall require verifiers to notify the Scottish Government where a traditional building is being converted to a residential building (including hotels).

Changes in occupation or use of buildings set out in Schedule 2 of the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 list 10 conversion types. Conversion Types 4, 6, 7 and 9 would include conversions of traditional buildings to residential buildings (including hotels). Traditional building means a building or part of a building of a type constructed before or around 1919: a) using construction techniques that were commonly in use before 1919 and b) with permeable components, in a way that promotes the dissipation of moisture from the building fabric. Traditional buildings may include buildings that are listed for their special architectural or historic interest. The listing of buildings was first established in 1957 and is now carried out under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997. The ‘Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)’ published by Historic Environment Scotland. This guidance sets the background and principles of listing and the policy that is applied in decisions about listing.

Traditional buildings may have interconnected hidden voids (cavities) that require to be ventilated to control moisture in the building fabric. Where the cavities are lined with combustible material e.g. timber lath behind plaster, this increases the risk of rapid fire spread in those hidden voids behind the wall and ceiling linings. Open state or intumescent cavity barriers allow through ventilation in their passive role and inhibit fire spread when activated by heat. However, they may not be the most practical solution in all cases especially where the building has features of architectural or historic interest which should not be disturbed. Other challenges with conversions of traditional buildings may include for example, fire compartmentation, structural fire protection (fire resistance), fire spread on internal surfaces (reaction to fire) or where travel distance may be excessive.

An automatic fire suppression system can be an effective measure in controlling fire spread and can be a cost-effective solution for reducing the risks created by the conversion of traditional buildings both from life safety and property protection perspectives. The automatic fire suppression system should limit fire growth, extend the time taken until untenable conditions is reached and hence give more time for occupants to evacuate the building. Therefore, where there are deviations from the guidance, it may be more appropriate to install an automatic fire suppression system (see guidance to standard 2.15) and a Category L1 automatic fire detection and alarm system to BS 5839-1: 2017 to ensure the earliest possible warning in the event of an outbreak of fire.

In the context of a traditionally constructed building converted for use as a hotel, a detailed appraisal of risk factors within the building should be considered. A holistic assessment of a building’s characteristics and associated risks is required for all conversions of traditionally constructed buildings to hotel use, regardless of whether the hotel is small or large (15 or more rooms used for sleeping accommodation). Each building must ultimately be assessed on its own merits. The same principle applies to any proposed alterations or extensions to buildings that are already in use as hotels.

An individual appraisal of each building is essential to understand the building fabric, construction methods, and the presence and location of voids within complex buildings. Where extensive removal of internal linings and finishes is not feasible, the identification of these risk elements and their potential impact on the performance of a fire-engineered solution may be limited. Guide to Conversion of Traditional Buildings, provides guidance on managing potential damage to historic fabric, which may restrict intrusive investigations. In such cases, alternative investigative survey methods, including endoscope or borescope surveys, should be considered to assess the building fabric and identify hidden cavities and voids.

It is recommended that specialist advice for design and construction should be sought from those with appropriate heritage and fire expertise. Guide to Conversion of Traditional Buildings offers advice for specialists and for those responsible for undertaking exploratory survey investigations.

Whilst each building will need to be considered on its own merit, more detailed planning and technical guidance on managing change and conversions in the historic environment is available at:

• Managing Change in the Historic Environment - Fire and Historic Buildings (2023)
• Guide to Conversion of Traditional Buildings (Published Spring 2026)
• Guide for Practitioners 7: Fire Safety Management in Traditional Buildings (2010)”

2.0.6 Alternative approaches

The guidance in the Technical Handbook states “However, it should be appreciated that, due to the generic nature of the guidance it cannot cover all building designs or, for example, innovative or new methods of construction. In such cases the designer or engineer will be required to show, by alternative means, that compliance with the building standards will be achieved in the completed building”.

2.0.7 Fire engineering

A fire engineering approach to fire protection, based on a thorough assessment of risk, may often be required in the application of fire standards to traditional buildings, particularly in the case of refurbishment of higher-risk buildings, such as large, multi-occupied or complex buildings.

When employing a fire engineer, a decision should be made about the degree of involvement necessary until completion of the project, the design input required, and their experience of working with traditional and historic buildings. The FIA guide to scope of works for the fire engineer¹⁰ will help in this decision. As well as clearly stating the role and responsibility of a competent fire engineer, it also provides a comprehensive breakdown of fire engineering services between the different RIBA Plan of Work Stages 1 – 7.

The most consistent way of showing an appropriate knowledge of engineering is chartership by the Engineering Council whilst holding membership of their relevant professional body. For fire engineering, this is the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) and the person signing off the assessment should be a Chartered Engineer with full membership of the institution. For any non-IFE members, the assessment sign-off can be achieved by a Chartered individual, from another relevant professional institution, once the competency in terms of fire engineering has been demonstrated.

a) BS9999 and BS9991

The attention of practitioners is drawn to BS9999 and BS9991 Fire safety in the design, management, and use of buildings – Code of practice, also BS 7974, Application of fire safety engineering principles to the design of buildings and CIBSE Guide E. These documents give an alternative to the guidance provided in the Technical Handbooks. However, users should be aware that these standards are based on the guidance outlined in the approved documents for England and Wales, and as such, they may not always be fully applicable or appropriate in the context of Scottish regulations.

It is important to ensure that any references to these standards align with the specific requirements and conditions outlined in the Building (Scotland) Act 2003. They provide a disciplined and structured approach, which compares alternatives and provide opportunities for innovative design solutions. For example, an existing historic door may only need to withstand the effects of a fire for the time it takes to evacuate the building with an adequate margin of safety, provided the time available to evacuate is reduced through (for example) an effective and reliable fire detection and warning system.

Sections of British Standards 9999 and 9991 applied in isolation might give little or no benefit and might even reduce the level of fire safety so should not be used in isolation or “cherry picked”. However, management strategies found in Section 9 clause 40, Managing occupied buildings, have universal application and can be used in the management of fire safety in buildings not designed in accordance with the rest of the British standard.

b) BS 7974

Fire safety engineering to a higher level is provided by the latest edition of BS 7974. It offers an alternative approach to fire safety, which might be the only practical way to achieve a satisfactory standard in some large or complex traditional buildings, and in those containing different uses.

Fire engineering can be defined as: “The application of scientific and engineering principles to the protection of people, property and the environment from fire.” In the context of BS 7974, this is the provision of adequate fire safety precautions in a traditionally built or historic structure to meet performance-based objectives, or to accommodate a departure from the prescribed methods in any specific area. A fire engineering analysis will take account the total fire safety needs of the occupants, contents and building, recognising the use, complexity and cultural significance of the building to provide an economic and holistic solution.

Inherent weaknesses in fire integrity are common in traditional construction. Compartment walls may be incomplete, boundaries between ceilings and walls may not be properly sealed, and openings in compartment walls may feature doors with inadequate fire resistance.

While it may be possible to improve the passive fire performance of specific elements, there is likely to be a point beyond which the conservation needs of a building are threatened by interventions to its fabric or the appearance of the building and its rooms.

In these situations, the use of an engineered approach can offer an effective compromise, perhaps using active fire protection, which can compensate for deficiencies in passive measures. Active measures should be part of the fire safety management system developed for the building, which will place emphasis on ways that will allow the occupants sufficient time to evacuate the building before escape routes become untenable.

These measures are: -

i. Fire detection – the earlier a fire is detected the more time there is available for evacuation and firefighting. The choice of system should reflect the nature of the building, the risk posed to occupants, and the value of historic fabric and contents. Automatic fire detection (AFD) can reduce the vital time between ignition and detection. Installation should be in accordance with the recommendations of British Standard BS 5839 Part 1 for non-residential buildings, or BS 5839 Part 6 for residential buildings.

ii. Fire suppression – the use of systems designed to inhibit the growth of or extinguish a fire. Fire Suppression Systems within buildings of cultural significance or which house valuable artefacts can save these artefacts and historic structures from complete loss through fire while also reducing risk to occupants of the building. The systems can range from portable fire extinguishers (properly trained personnel are better able to tackle larger fires successfully than untrained people) to automatic suppression systems, such as sprinkler or water mist systems. However, the installation of pipework and sprinkler heads can be very disruptive to historic fabric so careful design, selection and installation of the system will be required, appropriate to the individual circumstances. Whilst it may be compulsory to fit a suppression system in some categories of building, it can still be regarded as a compensatory measure for other departures from the guidance.

iii. Smoke control – Methods include containment by smoke filling, containment by construction, pressure differential, natural-release ventilation, mechanical extract and fire suppression which restricts fire growth and therefore smoke production.

iv. Fire management – If the design and characteristics of the traditional or listed building preclude the introduction of conventional fire safety features, it will be necessary to manage the building in such a way that: -

• limits the number of occupants, either staff or members of the public,
• limits activities within the building and
• provides adequate supervision within the building.

In buildings open to the public, staff will require a high degree of training and written instruction to ensure the safety of visitors.

Alternative strategies may compensate for deficiencies in the passive fire resistance of the fabric and layout of the building. Active measures, such as automatic fire detection and suppression systems or a combination of schemes, might be introduced based upon an assessment of risk, a hazard reduction exercise and the implementation of an appropriate management strategy, in accordance with the guidance in the latest version of BS 9999: Section 9, item 40: Managing Occupied Buildings.

When the conversion of a historic building is being considered, an assessment of the proposed fire strategy for the building should be undertaken to determine whether the proposed use is reasonable and appropriate. At the same time, a look forward to how the fire safety information will be recorded, who will need to see it and how easily it can be accessed should be decided (the golden thread)¹¹.

The fire strategy should contain the information compiled for the Fire Safety Design Summary that must be submitted alongside a completion certificate.

The fire strategy is often used as a method of comparing the building with the Technical Handbooks, sometimes copying and pasting individual sections into it. This might demonstrate compliance but does not make for quick or simple reading when being used by the dutyholder or fire and rescue service when responding to an incident. If the fire strategy is used as a high-level document containing useful site and building plans, the detail can be contained in separate Operation and Maintenance or Safety folders. BS 8644-1:2022 provides recommendations and guidance on the digital management of fire safety information. The standard covers the entire lifecycle of built assets, including design, construction, handover, asset management, and emergency response.

If a building warrant is required for proposed works to a non-domestic building, a Fire Safety Design Summary (FSDS) will also be required along with the completion certificate (as introduced under The Building (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2013). This document should outline the fire safety measures implemented within the building, providing a comprehensive overview of the fire safety provisions. A copy of the FSDS should also be passed onto the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to allow them to gather operational intelligence of the building’s fire safety systems prior to attending any fire incident. The FSDS can also be adapted and modified for domestic premises as ‘best practice’.

Some traditionally constructed and historic buildings are in remote locations where they might be at greater risk of fire spread throughout the property because of the extended time taken to attack the fire. Adequate means of escape must always be provided to enable occupants to evacuate safely without fire and rescue service help.

The opportunity for fire growth and spread increases with the time taken for intervention. This includes the time; -

• from ignition to discovery
• from discovery to notifying the fire and rescue service,
• for fire-fighters to respond to stations and crew the fire appliance/s
• to travel to destination

The initial attack on the fire might be on arrival of the first fire crew, unless it is tackled by a suitably trained occupant using a fire extinguisher, or the activation of automatic fire suppression. Adequate compartmentation will help to minimise the risk of fire spread to other parts of the building but will not prevent damage to the room where the fire starts. However, fire growth may be inhibited by a lack of ventilation in some circumstances.

Effective fire risk management has a contribution to make in satisfying the Building (Scotland) Act 2003. A power to impose a ‘continuing requirement’ is contained within the Technical Handbooks. This requirement imposes a duty on a building owner that the verifier feels must be fulfilled after the completion of the conversion to ensure the aims of the regulations are met. It is for special cases where the arrangements agreed for complying with the functional standards might be frustrated by uncontrolled changes (reference should be made to section 22 of The Building (Scotland) Act 2003 as amended, The Building (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2004, and paragraph 7.2 of the Procedural Handbook). An example of a continuing requirement would be the periodic testing and maintenance of a sprinkler system.

The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 also requires the dutyholder to ensure a suitable system of maintenance for facilities, equipment and devices provided in connection with fire safety measures.

c) Domestic and non-domestic buildings

Applicants must specify which version of the Building Standards Technical Handbook (domestic or non-domestic) is being used for the proposed conversion works. If the verifier has any uncertainty around the intended use of a building or the handbook against which it has been designed, the verifier should discuss this with the applicant and seek an explicit statement confirming the design basis.

Where a building does not clearly fall within the scope of either domestic or non-domestic guidance, it is common practice for an alternative means of compliance to be provided. Further information for non-domestic buildings with sleeping accommodation is provided in LABSS Information Paper - INFOP38/2023 Version 1 Non-domestic buildings with sleeping accommodation.

d) Extended Fields of Application in fire performance testing

An Extended Field of Application (EFAP) report involves forecasting performance based on one or more test results. This allows for a broader scope of application than originally tested, while adhering to established performance standards. Without EFAP reports, every product design might need to be tested for fire performance. However, due to testing capacity and commercial constraints, this is not always feasible.

The validity of extended applications is significantly influenced by the precision of initial testing and the relevance of the data to new application scenarios. The importance of Extended Field of Application (EXAP) has increased following the Hackitt Report of 2018, which highlighted the need for robust evidence of performance. Fire resistance of products and systems are tested against BS EN standards, and only EXAP or direct application rules may be utilised to extend test results.

BS EN 13501-2 2023 classifications should be conducted and provided by Approved Bodies to ensure compliance and reliability. While EXAP serves as a valuable tool in fire performance testing, its application must be approached with caution and an in-depth understanding of its limitations.

Further information is provided in BS EN 15725:2023-TC Extended application on the fire performance of construction products and building elements: Principle of AXAP standards and EXAP reports.