50 • FIRESAFETY
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Students Under Threat
Earlier this month, it took more than 40 fire-fighters to tackle
a blaze at student flats in Bristol. The building roof was
completely destroyed and the students had to be re-housed.
»»Fortunately, no one was
harmed. The fire is believed to have
ignited in the kitchen from an unattended
pan of oil.
Students are a high-risk group when
it comes to fire safety. They are seven
times more likely to have a fire, with
81% undertaking risky activities.
The appeal of late night
food is understandably
common in student
flats.
Fire doors are
safety devices and
when a fire breaks
out, they act as a
barrier by holding
the fire back so
people can escape.
There are legal ways
to keep fire doors open
with hold open devices such as Dorgard.
Dorgard allows the user to hold fire doors
open at any angle. These wire-free devices
listen for the sound of the alarm and once
heard, close the door, preventing the rapid
spread of smoke and fire.
David Leefe Kendon, Principal
Technician at the University of
Portsmouth has found Dorgard to be a
convenient way to keep fire doors open
safely. “We now comply with Health and
Safety requirements while making life
easier for everyone that needs to keep
doors open. Keeping the doors open
helps ventilate rooms and bring in fresh
air.”
Sources: www.bristolpost.co.uk, www.
bristol247.com, www.zurich.co.uk, West
Midlands Fire Service.
www.fireco.co.uk
Digital technology solves fire
door safety at Science College
»»Agrippa fire door
holders have been successfully
installed at Surrey’s leading
specialist Science College to
improve access for staff and
students, reduce the effects
of door wear and tear, whilst
protecting occupants in a fire
emergency.
In high-use environments,
such as at Blenheim High
School, fire doors can suffer
wear and tear from forceful
opening and back-checking of
the doors, and damage from
kicks, bags and equipment
such as wheel chairs.
The installation of twenty
Agrippa wire-free fire
door holders has provided
Blenheim School with the
perfect solution to this
problem ’Like any busy
institution, our fire doors are
subject to high levels of use,
which makes them prone to
excessive wear and damage,
either accidental or deliberate.
The Agrippa holders retain
the fire doors tightly against
corridor walls which
maximises the door opening
and means they do not release
even when students bang
into them. The pre-set closing
flexibility suits the school
day as we can set the doors
to automatically close after
school hours’.
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Nov/Dec 2015 issue
locksmithjournal.co.uk | NOV/DEC 2015
Sponsored by ABUS