16 | JANUARY 2018
News
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
TRAGEDIES PROMPT
FIRE DOORSETS CALL
Following the Grenfell
Tower tragedy, dhf (Door
& Hardware Federation) is
stressing the vital importance
of compartmentation and the
terrible risks of getting it wrong.
In a bid to prevent the
spread of fires in mul-
ti-occupancy buildings
such as tower blocks and
office buildings, the Tam-
worth-based trade associa-
tion is calling for a change
in Building Regulations,
and for the UK govern-
ment to enforce the use of
complete doorsets in fire
compartmentation.
Fire compartmentation
is the term used for the
sub-division of a building
into manageable areas of
risk, to prevent the spread
of fire and smoke, and pro-
vide adequate means of es-
cape. This involves the use
of fire doors on individual
flat entrance doors as well
as those used in escape cor-
ridors and stairways. Fire
doors are one of the most
important and effective
elements of a building’s
passive fire protection, with
more than three million
being installed in the UK
each year. Correctly man-
ufactured, installed and
maintained, they can save
lives by protecting the route
of evacuation and provide
emergency services with
safe access to the building.
However, if fire doors
are not compliant, the
compartmentation of the
building in the event of
a fire is compromised
and can result in serious
consequences. That is why
dhf is calling for complete
doorsets to be used that are
manufactured and certified
by a 3rd party accreditation
scheme, installed by a 3rd
party accredited installer
and maintained by a 3rd
party accredited company.
And the organisation is urg-
ing the UK government to
adopt and enforce a man-
datory requirement for all
fire doors to be complete
doorsets.
dhf’s CEO, Bob Perry,
explains:
“There are many crucial
components of fire doors
that distinguish them from
conventional doors, ranging
from specialised smoke
seals around the frame to
fire-resistant glazing, but
if just one of these com-
ponents fails due to poor
maintenance or damage,
the effectiveness of the
door can be severely re-
duced. Problems also arise
in ensuring the various
components of a fire-re-
sisting door assembly are
compatible with each other
and that they are correctly
assembled. The benefit of
using complete doorsets is
that they are manufactured
and supplied as a complete
unit with the frame, the
leaf and all the associated
hardware having been test-
ed and certified together.
This eliminates the risk of
non-compatibility between
the various components.”
dhf’s recommendations
come in the wake of a num-
ber of recent tragedies in-
volving fire, particularly the
Grenfell disaster which re-
sulted in the loss of 71 lives.
Failure to adhere to proper
safety regulations can not
only result in loss of life,
but in legal implications.
Earlier this year, Southwark
Council was fined £570,000
following a fire at a 14-sto-
rey block of flats in South
London in 2009 where six
people died, including three
children. Following the
tragedy, inspectors visiting
the premises discovered
several structural and safety
flaws, including breaches
of fire-resistant structures
between each maisonette
staircase and the common
internal doors, a lack of
compartmentation in the
false ceiling structures of
common corridors, and a
failure to provide fitted intu-
mescent strips (which swell
when heated) and smoke
seals on fire doors.
“Fire doors are an integral
part of the fire strategy for
any building, designed to
protect the occupants by
maintaining compartmenta-
tion, essential to those who
require speedy evacuation
in the event of a fire,”
continues Bob. “Properly
installed and maintained, a
fire door will hold back fire
and smoke from 30 minutes
to more than four hours. As
demonstrated in these tragic
cases, these extra minutes
can be lifesaving.”
Nor is this a new problem.
In 2013, BRE undertook an
investigation into fire/smoke
doors recently installed in
eleven residential tower
blocks owned by Stoke on
Trent City Council. 66 doors
(a random sample of 10% of
the total) were subjected to
very detailed examination,
which included removal of
architraves, hinges, locks
and other components. This
revealed that not one of the
sampled doors had been
adequately installed, to the
extent that they would, in
all probability, have failed to
perform in a fire.
“Fire doors can be sub-
ject to much wear and tear
during their lifetime,” con-
cludes Bob. “For this rea-
son, it is essential that they
are properly and regularly
inspected and maintained
by qualified professionals,
with any necessary repairs
carried out immediately.
We would also urge land-
lords and large housing
providers such as local
authorities and housing as-
sociations to be fully aware
of their responsibilities:
that their premises meet all
fire safety requirements, are
professionally maintained
to provide protection in the
event of a fire, and most
importantly, keep their
residents safe.”
www.dhfonline.org.uk