Revision 6 (23 February 2026)
Means of escape
Means of escape from the main upstairs bar/lounge are twofold. Firstly through the door in the SW corner over the paved roof and down the external stair at the west end of the building, secondly down the main stair (which forms a fire compartment/protected route) and out of the door in the north (rear) side of the building. Exit via the main club room is also possible although this would not be the preferred route. Once outside the club is surrounded by open land.
Means of escape from the downstairs main room are via the front door in the SW corner and via the double doors in the SE corner. Escape can also be made via the back door.
All final exit doors open outwards and all are fitted with crash bars.
Escape from the changing rooms/toilets is via the main room. It is possible to exit the male changing room via a door in the SW corner but because this is via a roller shutter it is not designated or signed as an escape route.
Lighting and emergency lighting
Lighting maybe dimmed upstairs and reduced to wall lights downstairs. Exit routes are lit by emergency lights which are either permanently on or come on when the mains electrical supply fails.
Warning
The building is equipped with break glass alarm points and sounders as shown on the plans.
Signs and instruction notices
Call points are signed, as are fire doors.
Occupancy levels
Historically fire certificate occupancy figures were 100 upstairs and 150 downstairs. These figures are adhered to. Occupancy in normal club use is under 50 and never exceeds 100.
Occupancy of upstairs by tenants Jasmine Yoga is under 60.
If the club is hired the hirers are informed of the limitations and asked to issue specific rather than general invitations. External hires for weddings, birthday parties etc which were common in the 90s are not currently made. Occasional hires to club members or organisations they are associated with are made but only with the member present.
Fire loading (fuel)
The building is constructed of brick and blockwork with partial external plastic cladding. The first floor and roof membranes are supported by steel and timber joists and chipboard and plywood. Roof material is a heat welded polymer membrane. The top lounge has laminated flooring. There are suspended ceilings of non flammable material. The downstairs floor is of quarry tiles and concrete with a polymer membrane in the ladies changing room. There are no carpets and in the upstairs lounge no curtains. Soft furnishings are minimal; seat coverings and roman blinds which are fire resistant.
Petrol for outboard motors and solvent based paints are stored in a flammables cabinet in a specially constructed fire-resistant room. (compartment) and the quantity is limited to under 50lt.
Fire loading with the exception of this room is low.
sources of ignition
There is a gas range in the kitchen. It does not have any extraction ducting. There is a gas certral heating boiler in the kitchen. There are two gas fired direct water heaters in the ladies changing room. These appliances are serviced and gas safety certificates for them are issued annually.
The electrical installation is checked and certified 3 yearly and PAT testing is carried out.
Smoking and naked flames (e.g.candles) are prohibited.
Hot work is not carried out in the clubhouse or boathouse. Occasional grinding and welding of launching trolleys is carried out on the beach at least 10 meters away from the boathouse.
The flammables storage room has a single ceiling light with a switch outside the room. There are no electrical power points and power tools are not used.
The probability of ignition and risk of fire is low.
The club is required to equip it’s safety boats with emergency flares. These are kept in the boats at Royal Quays marina.
compartmentation
The club is split into five fire compartments which are separated from each other.
The upstairs lounge bar, toilets and bar.
The staircase, which is equipped with two automatic closing fire doors
The main downstairs room, galley and foyer.
The changing rooms. (These form a single fire compartment because the wall between them does not go up to the roof and a spread of fire via a roof space “flash over” is therefore possible.)
The Engine room.
Care should be taken that any alterations of the building do not breach the walls and ceiling between these compartments which are constructed to fire standards. This includes installation of any piping or cabling between them which should be smoke/fire sealed. (Fire resistant aerosol generated foam may be used.)
testing
The electrical installation is checked regularly by a qualified electrician. A new main distribution board and earth leakage protection was installed in 2007 and new lighting wiring was installed in 2015. It is a requirement of the club’s insurance policy that an electrical check is carried out every three years.
An annual gas check is carried out and certificated.
The function of the emergency lighting is checked regularly.
Fire extinguishers and the alarm system are maintained 6 monthly.
The functioning of all break glass points and sounders is checked in rotation with a weekly test.
fuel storage
The club has a need to store fuel for beach launched safety boats. Construction of an external store as advised by various codes of practice has been considered, however because the buildings on the Haven have historically suffered forcible break in every two years or so and such a break in could give vandals access to petrol it is considered more prudent to continue to store fuel in the secure engine room within the clubhouse.
The engine room constitutes a fire compartment with 9 inch brick walls up to the underside of the roof and a double thickness plasterboard ceiling to give the required 1 hour fire resistance. The doors of the engine room and the adjoining lobby are both fitted with intumescent fire strips.
The engine room has a single ceiling light with an external switch to minimise potential ignition sources.
The outer wall is fitted with low and high level ventilation bricks and the door is bunded.
The club’s boats which are kept at Royal Quays Marina are now fuelled there and only sufficient fuel for the beach boats is kept in the engine room. This is kept in the boat’s fuel tank and is limited to a maximum of 25 lt. These are kept with other flammable materials (Oil, solvent based paint) in a steel “flametainer.” Total flammables quantity is limited to 50lt.
The club has a gas BBQ. This is stored externally in a locked area and is only used externally away from the building.
fire fighting
Extinguishers,water, powder and CO2 are sited at the upstairs SW exit door, at the head of the stairs, and at the main downstairs room exit door. An AFFF foam extinguisher suitable for flammable liquids is sited outside the engine room door where they are stored.
boathouse
The boathouse is exited through the main door. It is equipped with emergency lighting and fIre extinguishers.
control of premises: TSC and jasmine yoga
Management of the club is vested in the General Committee chaired by the Commodore. The committee has nominated one member to be the day to day liaison with the principal of Jasmine Yoga. (Jo) Significant changes in the arrangements for hire are co-ordinated with the Honorary Secretary. For fire matters contact is between Jasmine Yoga’s principal and the responsible person currently appointed by the General Committee. All these persons are in e mail contact and the responsible person is frequently in contact with jasmine Yoga. (He also handles maintenance issues.)
The clubhouse building comprises two parts. A) The upstairs lounge and the back door and staircase leading up to it and B) the main downstairs room, changing rooms and kitchen. The two parts are separated by a corridor leading from the main room to the back door / foot of the stairs. The corridor is entered from the main room through a door which is kept locked at all times except very briefly when Jasmin Yoga instructors enter the building to hold classes. (The back door has to be unlocked from the inside.) The two parts have separate fire escape routes (two exits in each case) alarm points, sounders and extinguishers. TSC is responsible for testing and maintenance of the fire alarm, extinguishers and means of escape and cleaning and waste disposal throughout the building. Jasmine Yoga is responsible for evacuation, accounting for personal, calling of the fire brigade and fire fighting (if undertaken) from the part of the premises they occupy.
emergency procedure: evacuation, accounting for personnel, calling the fire brigade, fighting the fire (if undertaken)
Note that Yoga classes take place throughout the week at various times. Sailing Club activities take place on Monday mornings, Wednesday evenings, Friday evenings (May, June, July only) occasional Saturdays and all day Sunday. It is therefore normal for Jasmine Yoga to often be in sole occupancy of the building. Dual occupation is comparatively rare and is segregated as described above.
The person in charge in the event of discovery of a fire, a fire alarm or other emergency is:
When the upstairs lounge is occupied by Jasmine Yoga with no occupation by the sailing club; the instructor leading the class is fully responsible. In the event of dual occupation they are responsible for evacuation and accounting of class personnel from their area of occupancy. TSC will assume responsibility for evacuation and accounting of personnel from their area of occupation and for calling the fire brigade and any further action.
During TSC activities:
When the bar is open, the person in charge of the bar.
When training is taking place, the instructor in charge.
At other times in the following order; the senior club officer present, a committee member present, a Rear-Commodore, a past committee member.
The person in charge will supervise the evacuation, check that everyone who can be recalled as being in the building is present and call the fire brigade by mobile phone. At their discretion volunteer personnel may re-enter the building to fight the fire.
The club and is surrounded by open land and the beach providing a place of safety and giving easy access for fire fighting.
training
Persons who may be in charge in an emergency (Yoga instructors, bar supervisors, club officers and general committee members and sailing / powerboat senior/chief instructors will be trained / refresher trained annually.