Special edition
high-rise news
ISSUE 7 January 2014
Councillor Peter Mole OBE, centre, presents Regent Court resident Pat Finlay with
a bouquet of flowers along with John Baines, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, back, and
Phil Gallagher of The Gateshead Housing Company when the fire safety work was
carried out.
Regent Court recently benefitted from a
range of upgrades to ensure it complies
with current fire safety regulations.
As these upgrades are now complete, we thought it would be
useful for you if we explained why the upgrades were carried
out and some do’s and don’ts for future reference.
Why were fire safety upgrade works carried out?
The Gateshead Housing Company worked closely with Tyne
and Wear Fire and Rescue Services and Gateshead Council to
determine improvements needed to Regent Court to limit the
spread of smoke and flames in the event of a fire.
A package of improvements was identified to the flats and
communal areas.
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What work has been
carried out?
A domestic sprinkler system has been
installed throughout the block.
This is linked to the fire alarm and covers
the communal areas and the flats.
Fire sprinklers are fitted to the domestic
water system, with each independent
unit operating only if a fire causes it to
do so.
Each sprinkler is fitted with a small bulb that is activated at no less than 30
degrees Celsius above ambient temperature, making accidental activation very
unlikely other than in a fire.
Communal doors have been either renewed or upgraded.
The doors in the communal corridors are now on a ‘hold
open’ device to allow people to walk around the building
more freely.
The doors will close upon activation of the fire alarm.
This is so that they contain the spread of fire and offer
protection in the event of an evacuation.
Other housing organisations from across the UK have visited Regent Court to see how the ground-breaking firesafety work was carried out.
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Electrical upgrade including
installation of a new communal fire
alarm system.
This covers the communal areas only
and the fire alarms will sound in the
event of a fire.
The fire alarms will be tested
periodically.
You will be advised in advance of
when this will be.
Lighting upgrade. Modern LED lighting
has been installed in the communal
areas.
The new lights come on when someone
walks towards them as they have built in
proximity sensors.
Some of the lights will stay on all the
time but will be dimmed.
This is to provide a constant light level
to offer security and comfort.
Compartmentalisation works have
been carried out to walls and floors
within the service ducts to prevent
the spread of fire from these areas.
What should you do if the fire
alarm goes off?
If the fire alarm goes off, you should
remain in your flat.
If there is a fire in the communal areas,
the sprinklers will activate and will
contain the fire until the Fire and Rescue
Services arrive.
If there is a fire in your flat, the sprinklers
will activate and the alarm will be raised.
If this happens, you should leave your
flat, closing the internal and flat doors
behind you.
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Some do’s and don’ts
The work that has been carried out has been done with one thing in mind –
your safety.
So that the improvements done help keep you safe in the event of a fire, there are
some things that you should and should not do.
The sprinklers in your flat will spray water in the room where it senses a high
temperature.
So that they can do this, the sprinkler heads must not be blocked in any way.
Please do not decorate over them with paint or wallpaper and do not position
furniture directly in front of them.
Other than the stairwell doors, the communal doors are all on a ‘hold open’ magnetic
device that is linked electronically to the fire alarm system.
In the event of a fire, the doors will be released and will close to stop fire spreading
from one area to another.
This has been agreed with the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Services as part of the
Fire Strategy for the block.
Please do not close these doors manually as this causes damage to the door
closers.
Thank you
All fire safety works to Regent Court are now complete and the sprinkler system is
now ‘live’.
Results of the satisfaction surveys that residents have been returned show that
98.20% of people who replied were happy with the work that had been done.
Thank you for your patience whilst contractors have been working in the block.
For more information contact your Investment Team
You can contact the team by calling 0191 433 5490. You can also:
•E-mail: [email protected]
•Text: ‘IW’ and your message to 0762 480 4167
•Fax: 0191 433 5354
Information is also available online at
www.gatesheadhousing.co.uk/in-your-home/investing
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Scan here to find
out more.
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