Clearview National September 2019 - Issue 214 | Page 62

FIRESAFETY& SECURITY
FEDERATION PREPARES FOR FRESH CABINET
» » WITH ALL THE WESTMINSTER
political activity ongoing, the GGF Political
Strategy Committee met on 1st July to
discuss the status, progress and future plans
for the GGF’s campaigns on fire safety, skills
and training, energy efficiency.
Kevin Buckley, GGF Chief Executive
commented, “Now that the new Prime
Minister has been elected, we are
anticipating changes to the Cabinet. When
the new appointments are finalised, we can
start to approach the relevant ministers
and key decision makers with fresh
communications on our campaigns. In the
meantime, we will continue to cascade any
relevant information on the campaigns,
Brexit and glazing in conservation areas as
and when we have it.”
Meanwhile, as part of the GGF’s Fire Safety
campaign, Adrian Blaydon, GGF Technical
Officer presented on “The Importance of
Fire Resistant Glazing” at the All Party
Parliamentary Group for Fire Safety in the
House of Commons on 9th July, the GGF
has attended meetings with political partners
Construction Products Association (CPA) and
the National Home Improvement Council
(NHIC), and the Window and Door Group
and Conservatory Association meeting took
place in Solihull on the 8th August.
www.ggf.org.uk
NEW BUILDING SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT
UPHOLDS DHF’S FIRE SAFETY CRUSADE
Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) has welcomed the Ministerial Statement to
the House, given by the then Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local
Government, James Brokenshire, in which he updated members on building safety.
» » IN PARTICULAR, HE
informed those present that
following an independent
investigation into timber fire
doors, no issues had been found
with the consistency of the
fire-resistance performance of
the doors tested. This is good
news for the industry and
adds further weight to DHF’s
continuing campaign for all fire
doorsets to be factory-prepared
(as opposed to prepared on-site),
and furthermore, certified by a
third-party.
In reporting his findings
on 18th July, Mr Brokenshire
explained that all tests were
undertaken to British Standard
BS-476:223 in a UKAS
accredited test house on
complete door sets facing into
and away from the furnace. 25
timber fire doors from different
manufacturers (and including a
range of glazed and un-glazed fire
doors with a variety of hardware)
were furnace tested, all of which
A GUIDE FOR
SELECTING FLAT
ENTRANCE DOORSETS
A publication for housing associations,
landlords, building owners and local
authorities in England
www.dfhonline.org.uk
www.securedbydesign.com
www.fi a.uk.com
passed the 30-minute standard on
both sides. As a result, the Expert
Panel concluded that timber fire
doors perform consistently in
fire resistance when tested and
pass the 30-minute required
standard across the market when
manufactured to specification.
He did however, make clear
that complete assurance can only
be achieved if building owners
insist that installed fire doors
are fit for purpose and have the
62 » SE P 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
required documentation and
certification in place.
Commenting on the findings,
DHF’s CEO, Bob Perry, said:
“We are delighted with the
outcome of this investigation,
which is very positive for the
industry,” he said. “As an
organisation, DHF has lobbied
assiduously for third-party
certification of manufacture,
installation, maintenance and
inspection of fire, smoke and
security doors, all of which form
a vital part of fire safety. It is
imperative that those responsible
for installing and maintaining
flat entrance doorsets, such as
building owners, ensure that these
are purchased directly from the
manufacturer and produced to
specification. They have a legal
and moral obligation to uphold
these practices.”
Earlier this year, DHF
joined forces with Secured by
Design (SBD) and the Fire
Industry Association (FIA) to
publish a guidance 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, highlights the
fundamental issues of fire safety for
those selecting fire doorsets. The
federation has, since 2014, also
partnered with BRE Academy to
offer fire door training courses,
together, developing three all-
inclusive one-day training courses
on fire door safety to offer greater
clarity on the regulations and
standards applying to fire doors.
www.dhfonline.org.uk