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.
Door closers are important part of fire safety
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.
Educating professionals about fire door safety
“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.
