58 • HARDWARE&SECURITY
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OF THIS PAGE
DHF, SECURED BY DESIGN
AND THE FIRE INDUSTRY
ASSOCIATION RELEASE JOINT
PUBLICATION ON FIRE SAFETY
In an unprecedented collaboration within the fire and
security industry, three not-for-profit organisations
with expertise in fire and security doorsets have
combined their knowledge to offer guidance on a
newly-published document on flat entrance doorsets.
» » THE JOINT PUBLICATION: A GUIDE
for Selecting Flat Entrance Doorsets; A
publication for housing associations,
landlords, building owners and local
authorities in England, relates to new
doorsets and is the product of DHF
(Door & Hardware Federation), Secured
by Design (SBD) and the Fire Industry
Association (FIA).
The publication brings together the best
collaborative advice available from the
industry in one straightforward document
to highlight the fundamental issues of fire
safety and security for those selecting fire
doorsets.
Importantly, the publication makes the
point that there is no conflict between fire
and security with Building Regulations
ADB (fire) and ADQ (security) carrying
equal weight with neither taking
precedence over the other. It explains why
only factory produced doorsets can meet
both ADB and ADQ.
Specifiers can have confidence in
using the publication as an authoritative
source of information as they are guided
through the complexities of an extremely
important area of Building Regulations to
help them make informed choices.
The publication, which can be
downloaded from any of the co-operating
organisations websites, comes in the wake
of the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy and
in response to the Ministry of Housing
Communities and Local Governments’
(MHCLG) Implementation Plan –
‘Building a Safer Future’, released at the
end of December 2018.
This new guidance document
recommends that all fire doorsets are
factory-prepared (as opposed to prepared
on-site), and furthermore, audited
by a third-party. It is suggested these
recommendations will offer greater
assurance on door performance and
protect occupants, control the spread of
fire and enable safer, easier escape in the
event of an incident.
“We are delighted to have collaborated
with SBD and FIA, in sharing our joint
expertise on doorsets and fire safety,”
explains DHF’s CEO, Bob Perry. “It
seemed a natural partnership to come
together and offer guidance on what
to look for in a flat entrance doorset,
how this relates to the latest advice
supplied by Government (MHCLG) and
why third-party certification of fire and
security doorset manufacture, installation
and maintenance is a critical part of
the protection against fire ingress and
unlawful entry.
“Third party certification of
manufacture, installation, maintenance
and inspection of fire, smoke and security
doors is something DHF has lobbied for
tirelessly, as well as issues surrounding
poorly or ill-fitting door closers,” he
continues. “These form a vital part of fire
safety.”
FIA’s CEO, Ian Moore, says: “We are very
pleased to work with DHF and Secured
by Design in producing a guidance
document to assist housing associations,
landlords, building owners and local
authorities on what to look for in a new
flat entrance doorset and why third-party
certification of fire doorset manufacture,
installation and maintenance is a critical
part of fire protection. This underlines
the Fire Industry Association’s objective
to improve and perfect fire protection
work and builds on MHCLG guidance
within the Government’s building
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safety programme. It is worth noting
that although this document is specific
to England and Wales, it is also useful
information for Northern Ireland and
Scotland.”
Chief Operating Officer of Secured
by Design, Jon Cole, emphasised how
important it is for the three organisations
to work together to provide a holistic
overview:
He said: “For many years, we have
worked closely with national and local
government, manufacturers, trade
associations and standards authorities at
home and abroad to establish effective
security standards in the building and
construction industry. We insist on United
Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)
accredited independent, third-party
certification to provide product control
and to ensure that specification and
quality is maintained over time.”
“Third party certification, by suitably
qualified bodies, has certainly delivered
consistency and quality within the
security sector. This is why we have
campaigned for flat entrance doorsets to
have dual certification, meeting all the
relevant requirements for security and fire
resistance in a single combined design
specification. We believe that certification
remains the best and only way to assure
that effective quality products are
delivered to market, providing additional
assurance of performance .”
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