Fire and smoke alarms in Scottish homes: consultation

Consultation seeking views on possible changes to standards required for fire and smoke alarms in Scottish homes.


Footnotes

1 Building and fire safety working group, /groups/building-and-fire-safety-working-group/

2 Fire and Rescue Statistics, http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/about-us/fire-and-rescue-statistics.aspx

3 See the accompanying Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment for further detail.

4 There were 18 (40%) fatalities of people aged between 30 and 59, 3 (7%) aged between 17 and 29, and there were no deaths of people aged under 16 in fires in 2015/16.

5 Home Fire Safety Visit, http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/your-safety/for-householders/home-fire-safety-visit.aspx

6 Multi-Storey Flat Safety, http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/your-safety/for-householders/multi-storey-flats.aspx

7 Housing Statistics for Scotland - Key Information and Summary Tables, http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/KeyInfoTables, and Scottish House Condition Survey 2015: Key Findings, http://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-house-condition-survey-2015-key-findings/, para 46, table 8

8 Common Housing Quality Standard, /publications/common-housing-quality-standard-topic-papers/

9 Energy efficiency and condition standards in private rented housing: A Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme Consultation, http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00516474.pdf, para 157

10 Scottish Building Standards, Technical Handbook: Domestic – Fire, http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0052/00521750.pdf, para 2.11.1. Due to the period of time from a building warrant being issued to a dwelling being completed, it can take around three years before all new build is covered following a change in building regulations.

11 Ibid, paras 2.11.8-9

12 Fire detection in private rented properties: guidance, /publications/fire-safety-guidance-private-rented-properties/

13 Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, section 13(1)(f) and (5), http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2006/1/section/13

14 Scottish Government Guidance on Satisfactory Provision for Detecting and Warning of Fires, http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/privaterent/landlords/repairing-standard/fire-guidance

15 Improving housing standards, /policies/social-housing/improving-standards/

16 SHQS guidance: Appendix E, http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/16342/shqs/AppendixE

17 Scottish Government analysis of 2015 Scottish House Condition Survey data.

18 Scottish Government analysis of 2015 Scottish House Condition Survey data.

19 Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, section 125, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2006/1/section/125; Houses in Multiple Occupation, http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/privaterent/landlords/hmo

20 Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, section 124, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2006/1/section/124

21 Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, section 54, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2005/5/section/54

22 Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation Statutory Guidance for Scottish Local Authorities, http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/privaterent/government/laguidancepdf, para 3.6.5

23 See footnote 8, Topic Paper 3, paras 11-12 and 14

24 The statutory definition of “tenement” includes flats, but we have included both terms in the text to avoid ambiguity, see http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2004/11/section/26

25 See footnote 8, Topic Paper 6, para 39

26 An 18m storey height is used by Scottish Building Standards as a trigger for additional fire and rescue service facilities, see footnote 10, para 2.14.2

27 Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, section 86, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1987/26/section/86

28 Scottish Building Standards, Technical Handbook: Domestic – Fire, http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0052/00521750.pdf, para 2.11.1

29 By “sheltered housing” we mean a complex which provides accommodation for vulnerable occupants with a diverse range of support needs.

30 In 2015-16, of the 830 dwelling fires where the smoke alarm failed to operate, 50 (6%) were due to a defective alarm battery, and 61 due to a missing alarm battery (7%); see Table 19b at http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/media/1009447/2015_16_fire_and_rescue_statistics_corrected_tables.xlsx.

31 See footnote 39, para 13

32 See Table 19b at http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/media/1009447/2015_16_fire_and_rescue_statistics_corrected_tables.xlsx.

33 Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional Provision) Order 2015, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2015/272/introduction/made

34 See footnote 8, Topic Paper 7, para 12

35 See Table 3.4 of Scottish Household Survey Annual Report 2015. Length of time at current address is used as a proxy for length of tenure.

36 Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004, section 18, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2004/11/section/18

37 See footnote 8, Topic Paper 6, paras 33-35

38 See paragraph 13 above

39 Scottish Government Statutory Guidance for the Provision of Carbon Monoxide Alarms in Private Rented Housing, /publications/carbon-monoxide-alarms-in-private-rented-properties-guidance/

Contact

Email: Simon Roberts, simon.roberts@gov.scot

Phone: 0300 244 4000 – Central Enquiry Unit

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

Back to top