In the circumstance of a fire, to help contain it, it’s vital
that fire doors are correctly installed and maintained. This
involves making sure that the door hardware (including
hinges, handles, door closers, locks and signage) is certified,
functional, regularly serviced and maintained.
Educating staff and students on what to look out for when
checking fire doors and how to spot any potential damage
is also important. Simply putting up fire safety posters and
guides can go a long way in helping students avoid easy
mistakes (such as propping open fire doors) that could
otherwise have detrimental consequences.
"Two years after the Grenfell tragedy, this
shocking case has once again brought to light
the serious issue of fire safety standards in
high-rise and low-rise residential buildings,
but most recently in our universities. "
INTEGRATED SECURITY
From fire detection to cloud-based security systems, there’s
a range of innovative technologies that can be integrated
into a university campus. Advanced security systems have
a huge number of benefits that universities simply can’t
ignore. With most universities being designed as ‘open
environments’, where people can freely move about, the
implementation of an integrated security system is key,
especially when aiming to streamline the flow of movement
without substituting security.
Today, with cloud-based access control, facility managers
can simply issue and retract access credentials meaning
entry can be allowed or denied based on person, access
point or even time of day. In the event that someone has
wrongly gained access to a facility, to preserve student, staff
and even equipment safety it’s essential to have an effective
lockdown procedure in place.
To avoid any security risks, a lockdown strategy should be
based on two critical factors, these being security layers and
people and protocols. Regarding layers, every campus is
made of the exterior (such as the parking area) and interior
(like lecture theatres), therefore the plan must cover this.
There must also be trained people on site to make sure
protocols are followed in the event of an emergency.
Although facility managers may not have full control over
the physical building itself, they do usually have jurisdiction
for the interior. With this in mind, it’s crucial for facility
managers and security teams to invest in technology and
infrastructure, such as door hardware and access control
solutions, to maximise security and guarantee student safety
and wellbeing.
FIRST STEPS TO FIRE SAFETY
To guarantee the safety of our students, it’s critical for facility
managers to ensure that all buildings are well maintained
by conducting basic risk assessments. This will involve
completing a full evaluation of existing systems, such as
fire doors and escape routes - reviewing what could be
implemented to enhance facility and occupant safety.
Having a well-fitted fire door is a fundamental element of
this. Under the Fire Safety Order, universities and colleges
must demonstrate, that in the event of danger, it’s possible
for people to evacuate a building as quickly and safely as
possible – and the state of fire doors falls within this.
Furthermore, in the possibility of a safe escape, appropriate
digital signage, which can switch between a number of
escape routes and guide people towards the safest exist
must be clearly seen and understood. Not only this, there
must be a designated meeting place for students and staff
to meet in the event of a fire.
ACTION IS KEY
As facility managers continue to see the importance of
both fire and security elements, it appears more and more
educational establishements are now integrating fire and
lockdown into one critical incident plan. It’s no doubt that
the safety of students should be a constant goal for facility
managers and security teams.
Through education, we can improve our investments
into fire safety hardware, our understanding of effective
lockdown procedures and our integration of increasingly
holistic procedures and infrastructures. Only then can we be
confident in our efforts to protect students.
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