16 | DECEMBER 2018
News
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
FIRECO COLUMN
SAFE AS HOUSES?
The ‘to-dos’ when moving house
may seem like a never-ending list,
but Derrick Purvis from Avocet
Hardware explains why making
sure the locks are up to the job
should always be a priority.
“When a family member
related to one of our locksmith
team moved into their new home
on the outskirts of Leeds, they
were faced with all the usual
snags expected with any new
development; from unfinished
external paving to internal cracks
and an uneven kitchen floor. The
builder scheduled the repairs, and,
after this, it was only natural to
think their worries were over.
“A couple of months went by
and a number of burglaries oc-
curred on the estate. What made
this even more concerning was
that it seemed this development
of new houses, many of which
featured lovely new furniture
and accessories, not to mention
expensive cars on the newly paved
driveways, was being specifically
targeted. Things escalated early
one evening, when a neighbour-
ing family was out. A gang of
youths gained access to the house
because the brand new locks,
which were fitted as standard had
been snapped, and in a matter of
minutes they had the keys to both
cars and driven them away.
“For a popular residential sub-
urb, with properties selling for
in-excess of £300,000, most people
would expect top spec security
products. In fact, the police were
quick to advise that the locks
installed in this particular devel-
opment simply weren’t suitable
and instead advised the family
to fit Avocet’s ABS Euro Cylinder
locks, which feature the Brighouse
company’s patented Active cam
technology that locks the cam if
forcefully twisted or snapped to
totally secure a door. In fact, once
installed, ABS locks have never
been bypassed by a lock snap-
ping attack, while in another area
of Leeds, their use by Leeds City
Council as part of a crime preven-
tion programme led to a 36 per
cent drop in burglary rates in just
one year.
ABS was the first lock of its kind
in the UK to have the Sold Secure
Diamond accreditation, and the
TS007 3-star rating combined. It is
approved by the British Standards
Institute and is stamped with the
Insurance recommended British
Kitemark.
WHAT MAKES
A FIRE DOOR?
Fire doors are designed to prevent
smoke and fire from spreading
through a building, which allows
the people inside to evacuate
safely. If the fire is delayed it also
allows time for the Fire Service
to arrive and put out the fire
before major is damage done.
Fire Doors
Fire doors are the inter-
nal doors that will com-
partmentalise a building.
They will block rooms off
and break up corridors.
The amount of fire doors
required will depend on the
type of building, but they
will all serve the same pur-
pose: trapping a fire in one
space so that it prevents
the smoke and fire from
taking over. They also help
to protect the route towards
the fire exits.
Fire exits
Fire exit doors are po-
sitioned on external walls,
that allow easy access to
the outside of the building.
There will be multiple fire
exits around a building so
that there is easy and quick
access to the outside if a
fire were to break out.
What makes a
fire door?
Typically a fire door can
prevent a fire from spreading
for around 30 minutes. This
is because they are made
from materials that are fire
resistant, making them heav-
ier than a standard door. Fire
doors are also sealed around
the edges. These seals will
swell up when heated and this
closes any gaps, therefore
trapping the fire. Fire doors
can only do their job if they
are closed, which means they
are fitted with automatic door
closers, keeping the building
under constant protection.
Fire doors do an important
role and wedging or obstruct-
ing them can put the building
at major risk of fire damage,
not only that it can risk lives.
For more fire safety information,
go to www.fireco.uk