Over
three million fire doors are installed every year in the UK, yet incorrect
specification, poor installation and a lack of maintenance is still a common
occurrence.
In light
of this, and to coincide with Fire Door Safety Week, ASSA ABLOY UK is holding a
dedicated event at West Midlands Fire Service’s headquarters in Birmingham to
help raise the bar on standards of quality for fire door safety.
The
event will take place on Thursday 27th September and is aimed towards building
owners, facility managers and persons responsible for fire door safety. Key
topics on the day will cover the importance and future of fire door
certification, common issues of fire door installation, inspection and
maintenance, and the importance of compartmentalisation within high rise
residential buildings.
On the
day, attendees can expect a discussion panel, speaker presentations and a
series of case studies from representatives from British Woodworking Federation
(BWF), BRE Global, Exova Warringtonfire, West Midlands Fire Service, the NHS,
and ASSA ABLOY UK.
David
Hindle, Head of Door Controls for ASSA ABLOY UK, said: “The draft report
produced by BRE Global on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, highlighted that
only 17% of door closers at Grenfell were present and working.
“Door
closers and other door hardware that impacts on the performance of a fire door
or doorset are a critical part of fire safety and should be subject to
performance standards and regular maintenance and testing.
“After
the success of our Fire Door Safety Week 2017 event, we wanted to continue to
help educate professionals on raising the standards of fire door safety. We
urge building owners, facility managers and persons responsible for fire door
safety to attend this year’s event to learn more as we all have to start
treating and recognising ‘passive fire protection’ as critical, at all times.”
ASSA
ABLOY UK is leading the way when it comes to campaigning for increased fire
safety awareness. An insightful and educational whitepaper was recently issued
in response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations
and Fire Safety. The whitepaper will also be showcased and discussed in-depth
at the event during Fire Door Safety Week.
