FIRESAFETY& SECURITY
DHF, Secured by Design
and the Fire Industry
Association release joint
publication on fire safety
In an unprecedented collaboration within
the fire and security industry, three not-for-
profit organisations with expertise in fire
and security doorsets have combined their
knowledge to offer guidance on a newly-
published document on flat entrance doorsets.
» » THE JOINT PUBLICATION: A GUIDE
for Selecting Flat Entrance Doorsets; A
publication for housing associations, landlords,
building owners and local authorities in
England, relates to new doorsets and is
the product of DHF (Door & Hardware
Federation), Secured by Design (SBD) and the
Fire Industry Association (FIA).
The publication brings together the best
collaborative advice available from the
industry in one straightforward document to
highlight the fundamental issues of fire safety
and security for those selecting fire doorsets.
Importantly, the publication makes the
point that there is no conflict between fire and
security with Building Regulations ADB (fire)
and ADQ (security) carrying equal weight
with neither taking precedence over the other.
It explains why only factory produced doorsets
can meet both ADB and ADQ.
Specifiers can have confidence in using
the publication as an authoritative source of
information as they are guided through the
complexities of an extremely important area
of Building Regulations to help them make
informed choices.
The publication, which can be downloaded
from any of the co-operating organisations
websites, comes in the wake of the 2017
Grenfell Tower tragedy and in response to the
Ministry of Housing Communities and Local
Governments’ (MHCLG) Implementation
Plan – ‘Building a Safer Future’, released at the
end of December 2018.
This new guidance document recommends
that all fire doorsets are factory-prepared
(as opposed to prepared on-site), and
furthermore, audited by a third-party. It
is suggested these recommendations will
92 » M AY 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
offer greater assurance on
door performance and protect
occupants, control the spread of
fire and enable safer, easier escape
in the event of an incident.
“We are delighted to have
collaborated with SBD and FIA,
in sharing our joint expertise on doorsets and
fire safety,” explains DHF’s CEO, Bob Perry.
“It seemed a natural partnership to come
together and offer guidance on what to look
for in a flat entrance doorset, how this relates
to the latest advice supplied by Government
(MHCLG) and why third-party certification
of fire and security doorset manufacture,
installation and maintenance is a critical
part of the protection against fire ingress and
unlawful entry.
“Third party certification of manufacture,
installation, maintenance and inspection of
fire, smoke and security doors is something
DHF has lobbied for tirelessly, as well as issues
surrounding poorly or ill-fitting door closers,”
he continues. “These form a vital part of fire
safety.”
FIA’s CEO, Ian Moore, says: “We are very
pleased to work with DHF and Secured by
Design in producing a guidance document
to assist housing associations, landlords,
building owners and local authorities on what
to look for in a new flat entrance doorset and
why third-party certification of fire doorset
manufacture, installation and maintenance is a
critical part of fire protection. This underlines
the Fire Industry Association’s objective to
improve and perfect fire protection work
and builds on MHCLG guidance within the
Government’s building safety programme. It
is worth noting that although this document
is specific to England and Wales, it is also
useful information for Northern Ireland and
Scotland.”
Chief Operating Officer of Secured by
Design, Jon Cole, emphasised how important
it is for the three organisations to work
together to provide a holistic overview.
He said: “For many years, we have worked
closely with national and local government,
manufacturers, trade associations and
standards authorities at home and abroad to
establish effective security standards in the
building and construction industry. We insist
on United Kingdom Accreditation Service
(UKAS) accredited independent, third-party
certification to provide product control and
to ensure that specification and quality is
maintained over time.”
“Third party certification, by suitably
qualified bodies, has certainly delivered
consistency and quality within the security
sector. This is why we have campaigned
for flat entrance doorsets to have dual
certification, meeting all the relevant
requirements for security and fire resistance
in a single combined design specification.
We believe that certification remains the best
and only way to assure that effective quality
products are delivered to market, providing
additional assurance of performance.”
www.dhfonline.org.uk