Fire & Hazard Protection
Fireco Urges Facilities Managers to help ‘Kick the Wedge’
Tom Welland, Conformance and Regulatory Affairs Manager, Fireco
incidents. 275 of these incidents resulted in a fatality. 47,500 of the recorded fires were in buildings and 31,200 in residential dwellings. Recommending adequate fire safety products and solutions
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should therefore be of paramount importance to facilities managers. Doors are one of the most important fire safety features in a building and also, sadly, the most commonly abused. Research carried out by Fireco showed that 64% of premises visited by the fire service found fire doors wedged open. As a facilities manager, being aware of this issue and offering a solution could help keep the building occupiers safe in the event of a fire.
High risk buildings
Studies suggest that the greatest fire risks are found in multi-occupied properties which have three or more storeys. This will include hostels, managed or sheltered accommodation, houses that are converted into flats, purpose built multi-storey buildings and flats above shops.
A high occupancy factor equates to a higher risk, this is due to multiple ignition sources (cookers, heaters, fires, smoking), potential for vulnerable occupants on site and lack of fire prevention measures. Although only about two-thirds of fires occur in dwellings, these account for over 80% of both fatal and non-fatal casualties.
Fire Safety Legislation & Repercussions
The Government standard Building Regulations 2010, Document B, describes the regulations for all buildings in England. The legal requirements for fire safety will depend on whether the building has been constructed in accordance with these standard regulations or to British Standard BS9999, which offers a ‘barter’ option, giving greater flexibility.
Once the building is occupied, The Building & Facilities Management – October 2014
he latest Government statistics show a worrying 10% increase in fires in England in 2013-14 with 170,000 recorded
Regulatory Reform (Fire
Safety) Order 2005 comes into effect, which was designed to put an end to prescriptive fire safety and to hand control over to the ‘Responsible Person’; deemed to be the owner, employer or occupier. The Fire Safety Order (FSO) applies to all non-domestic premises in England and Wales. The Responsible Person can nominate a ‘Competent Person’ who has ‘sufficient training and experience or knowledge to implement the requirements of the article’. The Responsible Person, either by utilising their Competent Person or using their own knowledge, has a legal duty to carry out a Fire Risk Assessment, implement fire safety measures to minimise the risk to life and property from fire and to keep the risk assessment under review. Therefore, if you spot a fire door wedged open and want to find the person to discuss possible solutions with, it’s best to ask for the person tasked with FSO responsibility.
Fire Doors
According to Government building regulations, all fire doors should be fitted with a self-closing device. Fire doors are installed to protect the safety of building occupants by preventing the dangerous spread of smoke and fire, provided they are closed. In this way they make sure people have a protected route to get out of the building, and they protect the building and its contents against the spread of damage. Wedging open a fire door can prove devastating, as the case of the Rosepark Nursing Home in South Lanarkshire showed. A fire broke out at Rosepark in a cupboard on 31 January 2004 and ripped through the building. The Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) conclusion
for this case listed a catalogue of precautions that could have helped prevent the fire becoming so destructive. One of these precautions was for all bedroom doors to have door closers and smoke seals fitted to them. The Fireco product ‘Dorgard’ was actually quoted in the trial of this case as it offers a solution, as does the award- winning ‘Freedor’. Installing a free-swing door closer such as Freedor on each fire door will allow the door to be safely kept open, but rest assured that the door will automatically shut when a fire alarm sounds, using Fireco’s patented acoustic technology. Freedor will be made even more affordable with an exclusive supply- only line for trade customers to install themselves, available later this year. Fire doors are an integral part of a building; they save lives and protect property. If you see a fire door being wedged open, I urge you to see this as an opportunity to discuss an easy-to- install, fully compliant solution such as a Freedor.
www.firecoltd.com
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