Clearview National December 2015 - Issue 169 | Page 30

INDUSTRYNEWS Students UnderThreat »»Earlier this month, it took more than 40 fire-fighters to tackle a blaze at student flats in Bristol.The building roof was completely destroyed and the students had to be rehoused. Fortunately, no one was harmed. Fire doors are safety devices and when a fire breaks out, they act as a barrier by holding the fire back so people can escape. There are legal ways to keep fire doors open with hold open devices such as Dorgard. Dorgard allows the user to hold fire doors open at any angle. These wire-free devices listen for the sound of the alarm and once heard, close the door, preventing the rapid spread of smoke and fire. David Leefe Kendon, Principal Technician at the University of Portsmouth has found Dorgard to be a convenient way to keep fire doors open safely. “We now comply with Health and Safety requirements while making life easier for everyone that needs to keep doors open. Keeping the doors open helps ventilate rooms and bring in fresh air.” Sources: www.bristolpost.co.uk, http://www.bristol247.com, www. zurich.co.uk, West Midlands Fire Service. www.fireco.co.uk PAS 24 Standard achieved on French Doors »»Tradesmith, a leading South East window, door and conservatory manufacturer and Halo Approved Fabricator has become one of the industry’s first companies to achieve the coveted PAS 24 security standard on a low-threshold French door. Tradesmith Managing Director, Mark Hutchinson explained: “We’re thrilled that Tradesmith has become the first fabricator to achieve PAS 24 on a low-threshold French door using VEKA Halo profile. “We presented the completed door for independent assessment ‘off our own bat’, without needing to piggyback on the test results of components that make up the design, and it’s great to be able to display the PAS 24 logo alongside our Secured by Design accreditation.” Tradesmith also collaborated with other highly respected suppliers, including Paddock / Yale and Winlock. “What Tradesmith has achieved is no mean feat,” commented Colin Torley, Sales and Marketing Director of The VEKA UK Group. “To achieve PAS 24 certification is a challenge in itself, let alone with a low-threshold French Door that must be able to offer unhindered mobility access as well as the required security credentials. www.tradesmith.co.uk www.vekauk.com Never too old to Change »»Loughborough-based installer Wilson Windows has recently switched supplier to The VEKA R