FIRE SAFETY
The fire doorset’s vital role as a first line of defence
Poor specification, installation, and maintenance of fire doorsets can have devastating consequences in the event of a fire – but especially so in very highly trafficked and occupied facilities such as hospitals. Here, David Hindle, head of Door Closer Sales at Assa Abloy Opening Solutions UK & Ireland, outlines the key considerations for healthcare estates personnel when choosing fire doorsets.
The correct specification, installation, and management of fire doorsets in hospitals and other healthcare facilities is vital in ensuring a safe and useable environment for staff, patients, and visitors, not to mention the additional disruption to patient care and risk to occupiers in the event of fire that inadequately maintained such doorsets could cause. Some of the statistics around fire safety in the UK are staggering. Last year, a Freedom of Information request answered by 147 local authorities discovered that 63 per cent of fire door maintenance and replacement did not progress as planned. Bearing this in mind, it is clear that there’s still plenty of work to be done to help ensure that fire doorsets are always viewed as a top priority.
Role of the Responsible Person In line with the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (RRO) 2005 and various HTMs, a healthcare estate’s Responsible Person must take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire, and make sure people can escape properly if an incident arises. For a healthcare site, this will include staff, patients, and anyone visiting the estate. These key decision-makers will be expected to: identify fire hazards; consider who may be at risk; eliminate or reduce risk where reasonably possible; provide fire precautions to deal with any remaining risks; take special precautions where there are flammable or explosive materials; record major findings from risk assessments and the resulting action taken, and review the findings regularly and when necessary. The Grenfell Tower tragedy, and Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety report, have driven the tightening up of the RRO, introducing the Building Safety Bill and Fire Safety Act in April 2021. The former states that care homes and hospitals, as well as residential dwellings, are now considered higher-risk buildings too if they are taller than 18 metres. It is hoped that this will ensure that the duties on all persons involved in developing,
A fire door is the first line of defence in case of a fire.
designing, constructing, and managing buildings will be more prescriptive than ever before, with those involved being held to greater account.
Ensuring proper specification, installation, and maintenance One key measure that those responsible for fire safety at healthcare sites can undertake is to ensure that fire doorsets are properly specified, installed, and managed.
Fire doors vs. fire doorsets A fire door is the first line of defence in case of a fire. Should a fire break out, then a fire door helps make sure that it is contained within a ‘compartment’.
This keeps the fire and smoke trapped for a defined period, allowing time for people to escape or be rescued, while making the fire easier to tackle. However, a fire door will not fulfil this function if it is damaged or left propped open. One means of ensuring performance is to specify and install a fire doorset in the first instance. A doorset is the entire system – typically including, but not limited to, the door leaf and its frame, intumescent and smoke seals, hinges, hardware, signage, the glazing and glazing system, the door closer, and any fanlights or sidelights. Fire doorsets are factory prepared, which means that they are machined, assembled, and ‘prepared’ for any hardware – tolerances included – prior to
May 2022 Health Estate Journal 63
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