HARDWARE & SECURITY
Campus Fire Safety and
Security – Making the Grade
» AFTER THE RECENT EVENTS AT
Bolton University, where a student
accommodation tower went up in flames,
Karen Trigg of Allegion UK looks into how
campus management must improve their
fire safety and security strategies to keep
students safe.
Universities are more aware than ever
of their responsibility to keep students
safe and secure from all potential fire
and security threats. However, after the
recent events at Bolton University, where
a fire ripped through the Cube building
(an accommodation block that is home
to more than 200 students) in a matter of
minutes, there’s an apparent issue.
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. Now, there is mounting
pressure on facility managers, security
teams and the government to not only
reevaluate building design, but also fire
safety and security protocols.
Whilst the government is banning
combustible materials on new high-
rise homes and has committed to
replace aluminium composite material
(ACM) panels on public sector high-
32
rise residential buildings above 18m in
height, there’s still thousands of existing
buildings that fall outside the scope of the
ban.
Alarmingly, the ban also fails to
include 966 existing university and
school building projects. What’s more,
other areas such as fire door hardware,
evacuation and lockdown procedures
and also campus security are all crying
out for re-evaluation too. So where
should facility managers begin?
A worrying situation
A university campus is a complex
environment. The size and complexity
of the buildings involved presents a
challenge in itself. Adding to that, with
student numbers rising, it would appear
that facility managers have an increasing
number of occupants to consider, and for
that safety protocols need to improve.
In the last five years, more than one in
four universities have received complaints
from students, staff or the public regarding
fire safety or building evacuation
procedures. Pair this with the state of
student buildings, which in many cases are
years old and not regularly maintained, it’s
not surprising that safety standards need
improving across the board.
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.
In the circumstance of a fire, to help
contain it, it’s vital that fire doors are
correctly installed and maintained.
MAR/APR 2020
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