Fire Safety & Security
FIRE DOOR EXPERT ON HAND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS
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HURST PLASTICS IS GETTING behind this year ’ s Fire Door Safety week and encouraging the industry to spread the message about the vital role of correctly specified and installed fire doors in saving lives and protecting property .
In the run-up to this year ’ s Fire Door Safety Week , which takes place between 25 September and 1 October , Hurst Plastics is inviting customers , specifiers and building owners to contact its resident fire door expert Howard Wilson to field any questions they may have surrounding fire doors .
Composite fire doors are subject to more complex legal requirements than standard pedestrian doors and specifiers are responsible for ensuring that their specification is correct .
Hurst Plastics has a team of fire door specialists to help specifiers choose the most appropriate products to suit individual applications and meet industry standards .
Hurst has campaigned to educate specifiers about the importance of using the correct closing devices for composite fire doors . Concealed closers are widely specified ; however , some are not compliant to BS EN 1154 and as such are not suitable for all applications . It ’ s important to be aware of the requirements of Part B of Building Regulations to ensure that the correct closing device is specified .
‘ the doors guarantee the highest levels of security ’
The range of Hurst composite fire doors includes FD30 , FD30S and FDSBD . Each door has been audited and certified by Warrington Exova BM Trada - an independent third party which assures the quality , performance and traceability of every component of the fire door . The fire door range has been fire and smoke tested for up to 30 minutes by Warrington Exova and each door conforms to BS476 : Part 22 : 1987 . An FD60 door is also available for more demanding applications .
The doors guarantee the highest levels of security and satisfy the requirements of the Q-Mark enhanced security scheme . The doors also comply with PAS023 / PAS024 security accreditation and the requirements of Secured by Design .
The 44mm thick Hurst composite fire door leaf consists of a robust , high performance core , which incorporates fire retardant phenolic foam and a high-density hardwood perimeter to provide a full half hour fire rating . The core is faced in a GRP colour finished skin , which is outwardly indistinguishable from Hurst ’ s standard composite doors .
Howard Wilson can be contacted at Hurst Plastics by calling 01482 790790 or emailing howard . wilson @ hurst-plastics . co . uk .
www . hurst-plastics . co . uk
BE CLEAR ON THE FIRE SAFETY ORDER
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SUPPORT HAS BEEN FLOODING IN for the Fire Door Safety Week campaign , including its calls for a publicly available register of Responsible Persons and third party certificated fire doors to increase transparency and accountability in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire .
Hannah Mansell - BWF
The register would require the name of the individual who has legal responsibility for fire safety in a building to be registered on a national database . Their name and contact details would be prominently displayed in the building to help tenants report any concerns .
For all apartments and high-rise blocks fire doors are vital in passive fire protection . A fire door is designed to hold back fire , cold smoke and toxic gases , delaying the spread around a building and keeping the evacuation and access routes clear for the emergency services .
Under the Fire Safety Order , Responsible Persons have to ensure that a regular fire risk assessment ( FRA ) is carried out by a competent person and is documented . In all apartments and high-rises , the person or people in control of the premises will be responsible .
The FRA should look at all aspects of fire safety management , including active and passive fire protection measures , signage , means of escape and the specific fire plan procedures . Their responsibilities also include acting on improvement advice and creating the emergency fire plan for the building . Hannah Mansell , spokesperson for Fire Door Safety Week , technical manager at the British Woodworking Federation technical manager and chair of the Passive Fire Protection Forum , says :
“ Although the Fire Safety Order took effect over 10 years ago , our research shows that tenants don ’ t know who to report fire safety concerns to . Even worse , when we surveyed those who are responsible for fire safety , half of them didn ’ t even know or were unclear about their role . That ’ s why the BWF is renewing its call for a publicly available national register of Responsible Persons .
“ By identifying the Responsible Person and providing their contact details , occupants become empowered to report any concerns they have about the fire doors in their buildings . This would also ensure that those responsible for keeping tenants safe from fire know their duty and are made aware of issues directly .”
www . firedoorsafetyweek . co . uk
130 » SEP 2017 » CLEARVIEW-UK . COM