Fire Safety
» THE SITUATION IS
changing day by day, and we’re
all trying to adapt as quickly
as we can. But if installers stop
selling completely, the industry
will grind to a halt very quickly.
Many small firms and companies
who supply them will go out of
business.
However, not being able
to physically visit a customer
at home doesn’t mean they
can’t sell, and it doesn’t mean
business has to stop. Modern
presentation technology
allows installers to continue to
contact and sell to homeowners
remotely, and those that do so
now will set their companies up
to succeed when the lockdown
is over.
Homeowners (or installers)
can take photos of the house
and – remote from each other
- design the windows and
doors together, discussing the
details via email, over the phone
or even video calls, screen-
sharing photorealistic images
and quotes. Most industry
visualisers fall well short of this
capability, but most of us carry
an intuitive, very smart phone in
our pockets and take that level
of sophistication for granted.
Software shouldn’t dictate how
you sell or inhibit you because
it’s slow or clunky – it should
enhance the way you want to
sell.
I loved selling in the home
for our family business,
and selling quality windows
and doors to homeowners
underpinned the success we
had at TimberWindows.com
and at Jack Brunsdon Ltd. But I
also love tech and being able to
inspire homeowners with visions
of how their property could
look, wherever they are.
I believe remotely-enabled
installers will soon take it
for granted that they can
also sell without leaving their
showrooms, and homeowners
will take that benefit for granted
too.
For more on remote selling
– and my experience in adapting
my own business to sell this way
– visit www.tommytrinder.com/
remote-selling.
Chris Brunsdon,
CEO of TommyTrinder.com Ltd
» DOOR GROUP, A UNIT OF
ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions
UK & Ireland, is calling for
higher standards of fire door
inspections, after concerns
surrounding fire safety in
education buildings.
Shockingly, there are over
1,000 school fires a year in the
UK, costing an average of £2.8m
in larger incidents, with one
education insurer reporting that
the large majority of UK schools
are found to have ‘poor’ fire
protection systems 1 .
The Regulatory Reform
(Fire Safety) Order 2005
requires schools to undertake
risk assessments to identify the
general fire precautions needed to
safeguard the safety of occupants
in case of fire, including their safe
means of escape. But with fire
protection systems failing time
and time again, it is clear that
more needs to be done.
Fire doors are one of the most
important safety features in a
building, and regular inspections
are essential to fully ensure health
and safety measures are met.
Education buildings can present
highly specific requirements for
fire doorsets, with particularly
varied legislation and building
regulations surrounding fire doors
in schools.
As part of its commitment
to fire door safety, Door Group
provide a fully comprehensive
inspection which can be carried
out every three, four, six or
12 months to suit specific
requirements.
Following inspections, Door
Group then offer detailed
reports containing advice and
recommendations on necessary
improvements, with the
knowledge that identifying any
potential issues that could impact
safety and product performance
can be lifesaving.
If any issues do occur, a
tailored repair proposal is
issued to include anything from
replacement doors to a regular
maintenance program. Door
Group inspectors are BRE-
certified and will ensure that
all fire doors inspected meet
all necessary standards and
regulations.
Brian Sofley, Managing
Director for Door Group,
explains: “The figures we’re seeing
regarding fires in the education
sector are terrifying. An education
building should be a safe and
secure place for students and staff,
to work and learn.
“Door Group is committed
to making schools, colleges
and universities across the UK
fire protected. With regular
and thorough inspections, we
can ensure the compliance and
performance of fire doorsets
in an effort to improve overall
fire safety in the educational
environment.”
For more information on ASSA
ABLOY Door Group, please
visit https://bit.ly/2YnuyTt
C L E A RV I E W-U K . C O M » M AY 2020 » 19
https://www.elas.uk.com/thousands-of-schools-in-the-uk-have-poor-fire-protection/?cn-reloaded=1
As an industry that relies on selling
to people in their homes, Covid-19
and a nationwide lockdown threatens
installers everywhere. And because
it threatens installers, it threatens
the industry that supplies them.
A LESSON ON THE
IMPORTANCE OF FIRE
DOOR INSPECTIONS
IN THE CLASSROOM
LETTER TO THE EDITOR