P28-29 Fire & Safety Geofire:Layout 1 28/01/2021 14:51 Page 29 Fire& Safety


should a fire occur. A fire door allows the fire to be compartmentalised, delaying the time it takes to spread from one area to another. A standard fire door should meet the FD30s standard, which provides up to 30 minutes of protection and should be fitted with a self- closing device. This not only protects the other areas within the building or block, but provides essential time for evacuation.


How can a radio controlled fire door system help?


Building regulations dictate that fire doors must be fitted with a BS EN 1154: 1997 standard self- closing device in order to ensure fire doors ‘swing-shut’ after use. These devices can make heavy fire doors cumbersome, presenting significant obstacles to the young, elderly or disabled. In residential settings, such as student accommodation or care homes where isolation, access or ventilation can be a problem, residents often risk fire door integrity by using wedges to prop open bedroom and flat entrance doors. Wedging open of a fire door prevents it from functioning effectively; risking lives, prosecutions, significant fines and voided insurance policies.


A standard fire door should meet the FD30s standard, which provides up to 30 minutes of


protection and should be fitted with a self-closing device. This not only protects the other areas


within the building or block, but provides essential time for evacuation.


A BS EN1155 standard hold-open, free-swing door closer removes many of the risks associated with standard self-closing devices ensuring that heavy fire doors feel lightweight, easy to move and can be held open at any angle whilst closing in the event of a fire.


The BS 7273-4:2015 code of practice specifically relates to the operation of fire protection measures and the actuation of release mechanisms for doors. There are three actuation types for door devices in different settings; critical, standard and indirect. Critical actuation (Category A) is the highest level of protection available, ensuring that self-closing devices are


fail-safe to any potential fault and can actuate within two minutes of power failure. Category A devices are required when holding open any fire door which forms part of the stair enclosure in a residential building. From November 2020, flat entrance fire doors will also be required to use Category A devices.


Which radio-controlled systems comply with Category A of BS7273-4? Salamander offers the only wire-free system of radio controlled fire door holders and closers which complies with Category A of BS7273-4. Each Salamander device connects wirelessly to a mains-powered controller unit, which is connected to the building’s existing fire alarm system. One controller unit can manage up to 99 fire door closers or fire door holders. All products in the Salamander range are battery-powered, wire-free and offer two-way communication between controller and device, allowing the ‘accountable person’ to easily manage and oversee any faults within the building. The Salamander door closer is suitable for most fire doors, holding them open at any desired position, while the Salamander door holder is designed for doors where standard closers are already in place. The system uses innovative, wire-free, magnetic technology to safely hold open fire doors and release them upon activation of the fire alarm. Currently, there is nothing to protect leaseholders and building owners from the cost of bringing existing buildings up to standard when the Fire Safety Bill 2020 is passed. As the wireless Salamander system can be retrofitted to existing buildings, it offers the same benefits as a hard-wired system whilst saving time, installation costs and disruption to a building’s fabric or occupants.


Geofire Geofire, home of Agrippa and


Salamander, began life in 1972 and has, since then, been designing and manufacturing a wide range of electromagnetic activation devices, including fire door holders and closers. The Agrippa wire-free, fire door holders and closers offer an alternative, battery- powered solution. The devices ‘listen and learn’ the sound of the fire alarm, closing the door upon hearing the pre- recorded sound of the alarm.


ewnews.co.uk February 2021 electrical wholesaler | 29


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