COMMERCIAL SECURITY & SAFETY
ASSA ABLOY DOOR GROUP CALLS TO RAISE THE STANDARD OF FIRE SAFETY IN SCHOOLS
Door Group , a unit of ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland , is stressing the need for greater awareness of fire safety in education buildings , with a large percentage of fire doors in schools found to be non-compliant while undergoing inspections .
» THE REGULATORY REFORM ( FIRE Safety ) Order 2005 requires schools to undertake risk assessments to identify the general fire precautions needed to safeguard the safety of occupants in case of fire , including their safe means of escape .
Despite this , recent research 1 showed that schools have been hit by 2,300 fires in the last five years , destroying 47 primary and secondary school buildings alone .
Fire doors are one of the most important safety features in a building , and regular product specifications or dedicated fire door inspections are essential to fully ensure health and safety measures are met .
Education buildings can present highly specific requirements for fire doorsets , with particularly varied legislation and building regulations surrounding fire doors in schools .
These doors are subject to extremely high levels of traffic , and subsequently a higher level of misuse and abuse , which can then lead to functional problems resulting in non-compliance .
Brian Sofley , Managing Director of ASSA ABLOY Door Group , explains : “ Whilst statutory inspections are being completed for the entire building , the necessary attention to fire door compliance is being overlooked .
“ Our team of BRE qualified engineers have found a large percentage of fire doors to be non-compliant when completing a dedicated fire door inspection in schools over the past 3-4 years . For example , in one school , 163 of the 164 fire doors we inspected were not fire compliant .”
The economic and social impact of school fires on staff , pupils , and the local community can be significant , causing financial hardship , emotional trauma , and a delay in learning .
A study 2 found that 17 per cent of schools who had experienced a fire said that it had led to a drop in staff morale , six per cent to a drop in morale amongst pupils and seven per cent said that their fire had led to negative publicity about their school .
Door Group is committed to raising the standard of fire door safety in schools , providing a fully comprehensive inspection which can be carried out every three , four , six or 12 months to suit specific requirements .
Following inspections , Door Group then offer detailed reports containing advice and recommendations on necessary improvements , with the knowledge that identifying any potential issues that could impact safety and product performance can be lifesaving .
If any issues do occur , a tailored repair proposal is issued to include anything from replacement doors to a regular maintenance program . Door Group inspectors are BRE-certified and will ensure that all fire doors inspected meet all necessary standards and regulations .
Brian adds : “ An education building should be a safe and secure place for students and staff , to work and learn . Door Group is committed to making schools , colleges and universities across the UK fire protected .
“ With regular and thorough inspections , we can ensure the compliance and performance of fire doorsets in an effort to improve overall fire safety in the educational environment , while minimising the risk that learning could be negatively impacted by a fire .”
For more information on ASSA ABLOY Door Group , please visit https :// bit . ly / 3hVybbC
1 https :// www . zurich . co . uk / media-centre / more-than- 1100-classrooms-gutted-by-school-blazes
2
National Foundation for Educational Research - The impact of school fires : A study of the wider economic and social impacts on schools and the local community
36
MAR / APR 2022
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