SECURITY AND SAFETY


Choose sector-specific solutions for best results


Phil Barsby, Business Development director at Intastop, which is well-known for its fire door safety and other ‘pioneering products’ within the mental healthcare sector, shares his thoughts on the key solutions to ensure that modern mental healthcare facilities are fit for purpose, safe, and aesthetically pleasing.


The safety and functionality of mental healthcare facilities is fundamental in the rehabilitation and wellbeing of service- users, and at Intastop we believe that selecting sector-specific solutions will support achieving superior levels of safety for service-users, staff, and visitors, while simultaneously protecting the integrity of the building’s interior. One key element of building infrastructure safety is fire doors; fire doors that that have been correctly specified, installed, and maintained, greatly assist safety procedures by dividing spaces and helping to effectively delay the spread of fire, giving time for occupants to evacuate the building. The importance of these doors can never be underestimated and yet, often, insufficient consideration is given when fire doors are installed within more ‘specific’ environments such as mental healthcare facilities.


Fire door specification Fire doors play a critical part when it comes to building safety, and their significance in delaying the spread of fire should not be underestimated. With most doors certified to FD30, and some FD60 (to resist fire for 30 or 60 minutes respectively), the impact they can have on the safe evacuation of people, and containment of the fire and smoke, is significant. How, however, do fire doors work optimally in mental healthcare facilities when service-user and staff safety are of paramount importance, and doors are often required to offer other safety features such as doortop alarms and vision panels?


Simply, it all comes down to the quality of the door, and the way in which it has been designed, so that all safety features – whether they are service-user, staff, or building-driven, are not compromised. In addition, it is essential that the fire door and all its added features – such as alarms, vision panels, and hinges, are correctly installed, as this is critical to ensuring the integrity of the door and its safety performance. In the event of fire, fire doors are


the first line of defence, and a physical barrier between fire, smoke, and harm,


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Intastop says its fire doors are ‘integral to building safety’.


coming to building occupants. Forming part of a building’s passive fire protection system, they are specifically designed to save lives and protect property. Yet, the challenges of this become more apparent when used in a secure mental healthcare facility. In such settings, it is imperative that the doorset, which – more often than not – includes a range of additional safety features, is compatible with, and adheres to, relevant safety standards, to form a door that is fit for purpose for the particular facility it is to be installed within. In the healthcare and mental health spheres, door integrity, and compliance with standards and guidelines, are of particular importance given the wellbeing of service-users and residents, and their probable lack of mobility or potential lack of perception in emergency situations.


How to specify a fire door in a mental healthcare facility Correctly specified fire doors for mental health facilities should always ensure


that every part of the door is fire safety- rated. This is not just about the door itself, but equally about the hinges, the protection sheet added to assist with building maintenance, the vision panel, the doortop or door bottom alarm, the ironmongery, the doorstops, and more – all of which need to have been performance tested and appropriately certified. By choosing doors and products that meet the necessary standards and compliance, building users and managers can be reassured that their safety, and the safety of those in their care, is protected as far as practicable.


Maintenance and inspection Fitting quality doors is, however, just the start of the process. Regular maintenance and inspection ensure that all elements of the door – from its fire safety credentials through to the mechanics of its vision panel, for example, will ensure that it will perform as required both day to day, and in times of emergency. According to


AUGUST 2023 | THE NETWORK


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