Dear fellow residents, see below an update from Berkeley Estate Management regarding a recent fire alarm activation within Felstead building.

Good Afternoon

We are writing to clarify the fire safety arrangements in the Pavilion that are detailed in your home user guide,  following the activation of the smoke detection system yesterday. We understand that dust from cleaning the floor of the cycle store triggered the smoke detectors and the associated fire safety systems in the building.

The fire strategy for The Pavilion like the majority of multi-occupancy buildings in the UK, is a stay put strategy. This means that in the event of a fire in the building, occupants are advised to stay in their homes unless directed otherwise by the Fire Brigade. If the fire is in your apartment, your individual smoke alarm will sound and you should leave the building and call the fire brigade. For this reason, alarms are not designed to be heard throughout the building, but only in the area to be evacuated.

We would like to reassure you that the building reacted as it should have done, ie on activation of the system, the lift grounded to the entrance level and entered fire mode, instructing any lift users to evacuate the building and the failsafe mechanism on the front door ensured free access for the brigade if there had been a fire.

The damaged smoke detectors are being replaced today and the system has been fully checked to ensure it has been reset correctly. The cleaning of the communal areas is the responsibility of Encores contractors and when undertaking any sweeping in the stores, they will employ temporary dust covers to ensure that the system is not inadvertently triggered.

Should you have any further queries regarding the fire safety arrangements in the building, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Regards,

Berkeley Homes Estate Management team