Feature
Facilitating Fire Safety
The poor specification, installation and maintenance of fire doorsets can have devastating consequences in the event of a fire. Here, David Hindle, Head of Door Closer Sales at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland, advises on the key considerations facilities managers need to bear in mind when choosing fire doorsets for a site.
The correct specification, installation and management of fire doorsets is vital in ensuring a safe and useable environment for people, not to mention the damage fires can cause to property and valuables. Some of the statistics around fire safety in the UK are staggering. There are 20,000 commercial fires in the UK every year1
lost £1 billion in GDP and 5,000 jobs from preventable fires in commercial properties2
, with research suggesting that the economy has .
Facilities managers have a duty to help ensure fire doorsets are properly specified, managed and installed, and can meet the day- to-day demands that they’re subjected to. As the first line of defence in the event of a fire, a fire door 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.
Rather than sourcing a fire door and the associated hardware separately, a best practice approach would be to specify a fire doorset, which covers the entire system. This typically includes – but is not limited to – the door leaf and its frame, intumescent and smoke seals, hinges, hardware, signage, glazing and the glazing system, door closer, and any fanlights or sidelights.
Fire doorsets are factory prepared, which means they are machined, assembled and prepped for any hardware – tolerances included – prior to arriving on-site. Plus, all components come from one source of supply and sit under one fire test certificate,
36 fmuk
field of application or assessment. All work is completed under factory production control and ideally audited by a third-party, thereby ensuring the complete compliance of the doorset at the point of production. The doorset is manufactured to either stock or tailored sizes and can be made to suit new or existing buildings. Critically, it is produced within the test data remit of the manufacturer.
In contrast, a fire door assembly is reliant on components and materials being obtained from several sources, and then being manufactured correctly on-site. This means the onus is then on those sourcing the door assembly to provide an end product that meets all the correct standards and demands, as well as detailing evidence of performance and certification.
Up To Standard?
Testing and certification of all products that can impact on fire safety is mandatory and through impartial, third-party accreditation. To meet the necessary standards, a fire doorset must pass one or a series of rigorous tests, as well as be properly certified and rated to withstand fire for a set period of time. This testing shold be conducted by an independent testing body, in accordance with the relevant British or European standards.
With the Fire Door Inspection Scheme finding 76 per cent of fire doorsets inspected in 2019 as not fit for purpose, ensuring these systems are up to standard cannot be underestimated.
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