Health, Safety & Emergencies

In the event of a fire in your apartment

• In the event of a fire within your apartment, you should evacuate immediately, making sure you close the door behind you to prevent the spread of fire.
• As soon as you are out of your apartment, evacuate via the nearest fire exit route as indicated by the ‘green running person’ signs.
• Contact the emergency services on 999 and the Estate Management Company Security Control Room on 020 3376 3085 as soon as possible once you are safe.
• Please familiarise yourself with the nearest fire exit point to your apartment.

In the event, you see a fire or hear a fire alarm in the common areas

• If you witness a fire or hear a fire alarm in a common area you should evacuate the building immediately.
• You should not attempt to evacuate any other residents from their apartments.

Evacuation

• Evacuation of an entire building will be under the strict instruction of the fire service.
• If you have mobility problems, please contact your Management Lettings Operations to discuss having a personal evacuation plan developed specific to your evacuation needs.

Smoke Detectors

• The smoke detectors fitted inside your apartment are mains powered with a battery backup to ensure continued use in the event of a power failure. You should check this on a regular basis and ensure that the backup batteries are changed regularly. Full details for testing and maintenance of your smoke detector can be found within your resident’s handbook.
• Do not tamper with or disconnect smoke alarms, they are fitted for the safety of you and your neighbours.

Fire Doors

• The front door to your apartment is a fire door, depending on the layout of your apartment, some of the internal doors will also be fire-rated, as required by building regulations.
• Doors fitted with automatic closers provide protection in the event of a fire and are fitted for the protection of residents and the buildings. Please do not remove the automatic door closers or keep doors wedged open.

Fire Protection

• Make sure the smoke alarm in your home is working and is regularly tested. All alarms in common areas are tested by the estate management company weekly.

• Use the heating system installed in your home. Do not use heaters in your home with a flame or heaters which are fuelled by gas, paraffin or electric bars.
• Do not obstruct consumer units, controls or isolating switches inside electrical cupboards.
• Do not prop open doors within your apartment or remove self-closing devices.
• Do not use barbeques or any flame heaters on your balcony. Balconies should be kept free of any combustible materials, including paper, cardboard, or dry wood.

Spinklers

• Do not block or paint any sprinklers within your home.

Calling the Fire Brigade

• To prevent the spread of fire and to save life, upon identifying a fire and once you are in a place of safety, you should call the fire brigade on 999 and the Estate Management Company Security Control Room on 020 3376 3085 to report the fire.

Detectors

The Home has an independent fire detection system that is NOT linked to the building alarm system.

The fire detection system comprises:

• Heat detector located in the kitchen area ceiling
• Smoke detector located in the hall, bedrooms and landing areas ceiling (where applicable)

The detector units:

• Are powered from the home electricity supply
• Have a rechargeable 10-year life lithium back-up cell
• Constantly monitor the immediate areas
• Incorporate an alarm sounder

System Testing

Residents, NOT the Landlord, are responsible for carrying out regular testing and maintenance of the detector units in accordance with the manufacturer’s user instructions, see also ‘Care and maintenance’ section overleaf.

For ease of testing the detectors and silencing sounders, residents may wish to consider acquiring a suitable pole to be able to reach the detector face plate ‘Test & Hush’ button.

When a fire risk condition occurs:

• All detector units within the apartment will sound and the activated detector will be identifiable by a flashing light.
• To silence the alarm, push the ‘Test/ Hush’ button on the activated unit for a few seconds.
• This action will silence the alarm for approximately 10 minutes after which time the unit will automatically re-set. However, if the smoke density increases when in silenced mode the alarm will automatically restart.

It is the resident’s responsibility to:

• Evacuate the Home
• Call the fire emergency services
• Notify the Landlord

In event of a false alarm

Before the activated detector will automatically reset it may be necessary to thoroughly clear the air around the detector by:

• Opening the windows and balcony or external doors to allow fresh air into the Home
• Applying a vacuum nozzle immediately around the affected smoke detector to remove the activating air particles (e.g., smoke from burnt toast)

Care and Maintenance

The manufacturer recommends:

• Regularly checking to see that the green mains power light is on
• Pressing the test button weekly to check all alarms in the system
• Regularly checking that the red light under the ceiling unit test button or on the cover flashes approx. every 40 seconds
• Cleaning the cover of the alarm regularly using a barely damp lint free cloth
• On a monthly basis (at least) checking the alarm for signs of contamination from dust, cobwebs or insects. Use a vacuum cleaner around the cover of the alarm to remove contamination
• Check (at least annually) that the alarm will operate on back-up battery power only by switching off the mains supply and pressing the test button

Any problems with the system should be promptly reported to your landlord who will also replace the detector units every 10 years, since this is the lifespan of the lithium backup cell that is not replaceable.

Balconies

To alert any residents who may be using a balcony with the connecting door from the apartment closed, there is a fire alarm sounder.

This sounder is only activated by the apartment fire alarm system and is not linked to the building fire alarm system.

The sounder will automatically be silenced once the activated smoke or heat detector has been silenced.

Sprinklers

Your apartment is protected by a sprinkler system, which is an integrated system of piping connected to the cold-water supply and sprinkler heads that automatically initiate water discharge over a fire area.

The sprinkler piping system includes plastic pipes running throughout the ceiling and these pipes should be protected from any damages. Please contact building management if you wish to attach any items to the ceiling.

Sprinkler heads are a concealed residential type and you will only be able to see the cover plate in the ceiling. The sprinkler heads MUST NOT be painted over, nor should the cover plates be removed. Please report to your landlord if the cover plate is damaged.

The sprinklers will be activated only by heat from a fire and are not linked to the smoke and heat detectors. Each sprinkler head has a heat sensitive element which operates when it reaches its activation temperature. This is typically a “fusible link” which is held together with solder that melts at the appropriate temperature allowing the sprinkler to open. Once opened, water will spray from the sprinkler on the fire and surrounding area extinguishing the fire or controlling the fire size and preventing fire spread.

The system requires no cyclical maintenance, but the Landlord may periodically require access for a contractor to inspect the condition of the sprinklers.

Caution: Mechanical impact could damage the sprinkler system and cause accidental activation.

Apartment Evacuation

In the event of a fire within an apartment, the fire alarm will only sound in the apartment of fire origin. Other occupants within the building may remain in place within the building and are considered to be in a place of relative safety due to the fire resisting construction provided between each of the apartments. Occupants within the non-fire affected apartments will NOT be alerted to evacuate by the fire alarm system (although they are able to evacuate at any point if they consider it appropriate).

Overview

The Common Areas (e.g., lobbies, stairwells, corridors and lift shafts) are constantly monitored by detection units that are linked to a fire panel monitored at the East Village Management Office.

When a potential fire risk condition occurs within a Building Common Area:

The fire system will automatically:

• Alert the East Village Management Office and indicate the location of the fire
• Open automatic opening ventilators to enable smoke to clear from escape routes
• Make Building Common Area entrance door locks “fail safe” open
• Send the lift cars to the ground floor level, where they will remain for use by the Fire Officers

If the fire is on the ground floor the lifts will automatically travel to the first-floor level instead.

The East Village Management Office will call the Emergency Services

There are no fire alarm sounders within the Common Areas. Fire Officers will organise the evacuation of residents from Homes and the Building as necessary.

On discovering smoke or a fire:

• Exit the Building via the stairwell closing doors as you go
• Do NOT use a lift
• Press the face on any of the red “Fire Alarm” boxes to activate the fire alarm system
• Do NOT touch any of the yellow “Fire Fighting Lobby Smoke Extractor” panels.
• Do NOT re-enter the building until it is declared safe by the attending Fire Officers

Electricity Supply Failure

In the event that the electricity supply to the home fails, and cannot be restored from the consumer unit by resetting any miniature or residual current circuit breakers up to 3 times (if the device does not operate successfully after three attempts and the resident continues to try, they risk damaging it. See following sections for further information), residents should:

• Disconnect all appliances currently plugged at the socket outlets.
• Attempt to reset the miniature or residual current circuit breaker one more time.
• If not successful, please call Get Living for assistance.
• If successful, one of the appliances you recently attempted to use or just plugged in one of the socket outlets is defective and not safe for use.

In the Event of a Power Supply Failure

All lighting, power, heating and water supplies to the apartment will fail. There is no East Village backup power system to the Homes.

Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCB)

In the event that one or more MCB switches on the consumer unit is in the ‘off’ position you should push the switch upwards to the ‘ON’ position and power should be restored.

Residual Current Circuit Breakers (RCCB)

The electricity supply is also protected with two RCCB that will quickly cut off the supply if an ‘earth’ fault occurs from a lighting or power outlet socket.

The RCCB that are also known as a residual current device (RCD) should be tested quarterly.

To test the RCCBs:

• Press the black test button

To reconnect the power after testing, or in the event that the supply has been automatically cut off:

• Push the black switch, adjacent to the test button, fully upwards

For further information about the MCB and RCCB refer to the labelling on the consumer unit.

Separate ON/OFF and Isolator Switches

In the event of a problem with an appliance or other equipment, residents are reminded that each item has its own ON/OFF or separate isolation switch that should be checked to ensure that it has not been switched off by mistake.

Kitchen Worktop Downlights

ON/OFF switches on wall adjacent to the door

Kitchen Hob and Oven

ON/OFF switch is on wall above worktop – located in one of the Cupboards above the kitchen worktop

Other Systems

Individually labelled isolator switches (e.g., within the utility cupboard):

• Washing machine
• Heating
• Media distribution system equipment
• Towel Rail Booster
• Ventilation System Booster