The Importance of Fire Safety in Period Properties

When you’re renovating a period property there is a multitude of issues that you will need to consider. Often homeowners concentrate more on elements such as interior decor and improving the outside space. However, fire safety is also a critical factor, and looking at means of preventing damage from a fire is more efficient than having to deal with the aftermath.

It is particularly heartbreaking to see a fire take hold of a property that you’ve worked tirelessly to renovate. Amongst period properties it can result in the loss of a part of the country’s heritage. With over four million properties built during the Victorian and Edwardian periods in this country, it’s important that those living in them take measures to reduce the damage caused by fires. These buildings, though, can raise issues when it comes to installing fire prevention measures.

The risk of fire

You can never eliminate the risk of fire completely, but you can take steps to minimize the degree of damage. Modern building regulations are in place to reduce the problems of fire. However, in period homes construction methods and the design of layouts can help fires to spread or hide them until it’s too late. Being alerted to a fire is particularly important at night time when the majority of people are sleeping. In the UK, only 11% of the total fires in 2013/14 occurred from midnight to 5 am, but this time period accounted for 20% of the fatalities from fires.

Fitting fire prevention measures

Putting components in place to stop fires starting in the first place or spreading too far can help preserve a property. There are a number of ways you can do this, even in an older home.

Fire sprinkler systems are particularly effective at putting out fires, but they are often hard to fit whilst maintaining the character of a property. However, there is now the unique Automist system, which is available from Mainpoint. These systems offer an alternative to a normal sprinkler and are cost-effective to retrofit. They can suppress a fire quickly, but without damaging the structure of the property.

These systems, which can be fitted by Automist installers in Bristol, are compact, so they take up little space. They require less piping to be installed and disruption is minimal when compared with other sprinklers on the market.

It also pays to have an adequate number of working smoke detectors fitted throughout the property. They can quickly alert you to a fire in a specific part of the house. Ideally, these should be powered by the mains and linked together. This will ensure that you hear the warning about whichever part of the property you’re in. You can then take swift action to put out the fire or request assistance before it causes too much damage.

Investing in fire prevention measures could pay off if a fire takes hold of your property. Without these, in place, you could be facing a far bigger and more costly problem.