COMMERCIAL SECURITY
Extinguishing Fire Safety Myths with Allegion UK
Fire Safety has and always will be a welldocumented subject , with various experts and regulatory bodies sharing key insights that save lives . Despite this , practical knowledge can sometimes be overshadowed by false information and myth . Karen Trigg of Allegion UK investigates some common fire safety myths and uncovers the correct way to handle fire safety .
» SAFETY AS A WIDER AREA HAS always been one that has courted myth and rumour . Most will be aware of the more amusing health and safety myths , such as the HSE example of children being banned from playing conkers unless they wore safety goggles .
Some of the more classic myths may seem light-hearted and relatively harmless but they are indicative of a much more serious issue that exists , whereby real and practical safety knowledge is replaced with unreliable information . This information is passed from person to person and may not actually be grounded in fact at all . And in a more serious context , such as fire safety , that presents a danger .
Fire safety itself has more than its share of myths and misconceptions too , all proving to be more dangerous than safety goggles and conkers . Treating fire safety knowledge as something that can be shared nonchalantly between one unreliable source to another , rather than learned from credible sources , could put facility managers , businesses and building occupants alike at risk in the event of a fire .
No Smoke Without Fire
With the stakes naturally being so high , fire safety is often shrouded in controversy . Official guidelines and resources are sometimes sidelined and not followed as they should be . But with us all living in a time where information is so easy to obtain , why are those responsible for fire safety decisions still getting it wrong ?
Simply put , misinformation is a prominent issue . In fact , the spread of inconsistent and incorrect information mimics fire itself . Commonly , fiction has always surrounded that of fire safety equipment to some extent , and it only takes one to pass that material on for it to result in an unfortunate fire emergency . Some of the more common fire safety myths include :
• Once fire safety equipment ( such as fire alarms , smoke detectors and even door hardware ) is fitted , it no longer requires maintenance .
• In the event of a fire , flames cause more casualties than smoke .
• The older a building is , the more prone to fire it is .
• The gap between the fire door and its surrounding frame isn ’ t important .
All of these statements are in fact false and dangerous , yet are believed by pockets of individuals that are subsequently putting their buildings and people ’ s lives at risk .
One of the more prevalent ( and most perilous ) fire safety innaccuracies surrounds the use of fire doors and their operation . Under UK law , fire doors can ’ t be propped or wedged open . Yet , we ’ ve all seen instances of fire doors being used incorrectly . In the event of a fire , a propped open fire door is useless and will fail to compartmentalise the fire and
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NOV / DEC 2020
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