Fire Alarms Being Turned Off For Experiments

[Dino Girl]

Our School has to turn off the fire alarms whenever we use flames (bunsens etc).

I am assuming we have the wrong type of sensors? (building is aprox 10 years old).

We currently use a google sheet to do our reqs and it has a drop down menu per experiment for the alrms to be turned off.

The google sheet then populate a 'burn list' timetable for the site team to deactivate the alarms.

I HATE our google docs sheet and this burn list is the only reason we haven't made the jump to lablogger.

I have spoken to lablogger about this being a function and they have never heard of this problem (or even it being a thing) and he suggested there are specific covers that can be fitted to the existing detectors so they don't need to be turned off.

My last school were just heat sensors untill 6pm then both heat and smoke.

A teacher forgot to click burn list last week and the whole school was evacuated as well as the leisure centre next door.

Any advice or help would be appreciated.

It seems counter intuative to turn the alarms off when we are using fire? - I may speak to CLEAPSS for thier reccomendations.

HELP!

 

[ajmc98]

Big no no IMO,

What if there is a fire and the alarm doesn't go off to evacuate?

The school should have adequate detectors, not turn them off as and when to avoid setting them off falsely.

Raise it with the HoD or Health and safety officer.

 

[CraftyTech]

We had this with one of our labs in that the heat sensor was placed directly above a pupil work bench so when magnesium was burnt the smoke alarms would go off. Premises organised for a replacement after the fire brigade was called out twice in a sort space of time.

 

[Baldilocks]

What highly paid, well qualified, well versed in lab specifications idiot specced your building with the wrong kind of sensors in a labs only 10 years ago?

 

[Dino Girl]

Just spoken to the alarm company myself instead of asking site team (or heaven forbid the dreaded finance dragon) - he thinks they are both heat and smoke and can turn off the smoke in school hours - but he's never been asked by the school. FFS......

Head Bang Desk.........

I sneakily asked if I could call to lighten the load as a site team memeber is in hospital - so I missed out the middle man.

Hopefully this means I can actually get useable safe labs!

CLEAPSS says no regs but common sense to have heat only - and silly to turn them off (obv).

 

[Rock Chick]

We had the wrong sensors installed one summer and evacuated the whole school in the first, second and third lessons where bunsens were used! We kept telling "them" that we hadn't changed the way we were doing things and it must be the fire alarms. We asked about the sensors and told "them" we would be causing evacuations several times a day sometimes unless they were changed. It was sorted pdq!

 

[CovTech]

Glad you have a potential fix but in case it falls through

With regard to sensor covers - they would still need to be fitted and removed before/after each experiment so you have not fixed an issue but just shifted the bodge fix sideways

Not sure why Lablogger would even suggest it as a fix.......

 

[Nick Mitchener]

We use sensor covers. One of the first things I raised on joining the school was that all labs and preprooms should have heat sensors not smoke. My campaign was reinforced by unnecessary evacuations. We are an LEA school so had to apply to the LEA fire safety team who were resistant for Physics labs but relented as they were told they all did chemistry too. (Yes I know but it worked)

Sadly County is adamant that Physics preprooms are just storage rooms, so I have made sure my soldering bench is as far from the smoke detector as possible, and I always have the windows open and a Hepa filter running on high. If I need to go further I can use a lab.

Site Manage did tell me that the smoke sensors have 11 settings for sensitivity and he has set mine for least sensitive.

Smoke/heat sensors are fitted for unoccupied spaces, so having them off when occupied is not an issue. However the problem is ensuring they come back on. That's why combined units that can switch over out of school hours are a great idea.

 

[Dino Girl]

Glad you have a potential fix but in case it falls through

With regard to sensor covers - they would still need to be fitted and removed before/after each experiment so you have not fixed an issue but just shifted the bodge fix sideways

Not sure why Lablogger would even suggest it as a fix.......

I bet they suggest Lab techs standing on desks every time to take on & off.

 

[Dino Girl]

Not to mention the Lynx effect we currently have in the Science loo's at breaktime - a few evacuation last wewek due to that.

 

[Purple Cat]

Not to mention the Lynx effect we currently have in the Science loo's at breaktime - a few evacuation last wewek due to that.

Yuk.

 

[Paul]

the great smell of Lynx Africa,

 

[Dino Girl]

the great smell of Lynx Africa,

I have a 14 year old son who loves the Lynx "Cookies and Leather" - WTF....... Who wants to smell of used car salesman with bad aftershave.

Santa brought him some Lynx citrus burst instead - palatable at least.

 

[Baldilocks]

My wife (who works in primary) got given a Lynx gift set by one of her TAs for christmas. It's the gift that keeps on giving cos I'm still ribbing her about it 6 weeks later.

 

[Lisa J]

We have to cover our lab sensors to top the fire alarm going off. Absolute pain in the arse and H&S issue as only taller staff can reach them using our step ladders. Been complaining about it since forever, site manager agrees but no further on!!

 

[Paul]

We have to cover our lab sensors to top the fire alarm going off. Absolute pain in the arse and H&S issue as only taller staff can reach them using our step ladders. Been complaining about it since forever, site manager agrees but no further on!!

If it's over 6 feet then, you need a high level work RA, just set the alarms off, accommodating them does not help.

 

[Blackadder]

NO NO NO NO

Before covering them up or turning them off ask yourself this

Will any of the senior management be in the dock with you holding your hand as you face prosecution?

The excuse of i was only following orders rang hollow in 1945 at Nuremberg.

Get them to change them to heat detectors asap. After we didn't "follow orders" of covering them up the school soon got fed up of us all going outside as the alarms were triggered for us boiling water.