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Inspection & maintenance o f fire doors – a credible action plan . Presented by Clive Reilly Checkmate Fire Solutions Ltd. Fire Doors.
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Inspection & maintenance of fire doors – a credible action plan Presented by Clive Reilly Checkmate Fire Solutions Ltd
Fire Doors “The installation of a fire door is a complex procedure requiring a detailed understanding of the important role played by each component & therefore needs to be undertaken by someone with the correct training”.(BWF-CERTIFIRE) Norman Macdonald, BRE Principal Consultant, checking upgraded fire doors at Ormskirk Hospital It is estimated by BWF Certifire that more than 80% of installed one hour fire doors will in reality not provide one hour fire rating
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 Maintenance17.—(1) Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons the responsible person must ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices provided in respect of the premises under this Order or, subject to paragraph (6), under any other enactment,including any enactment repealed or revoked by this Order, are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.
Prosecutions Retail giant, the Co-operative Group (CWS) Limited, was found guilty at Hove Crown Court of endangering the lives of its customers and staff at six of its East Sussex stores. The group was fined a total of £250,000 on 14 September 2007 for six breaches of fire safety at its stores The case arose following an inspection of a Co-op store in London Road, St Leonards, on 17 July 2006 by a fire officer from East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service after an environmental officer raised concerns about unsatisfactory storage of rubbish at the premises. The fire officer identified numerous serious fire safety management deficiencies at the store, including an inoperative fire alarm, inadequate fire separation between the basement and upper floors, fire doors wedged open, obstructed escape routes and an inadequately maintained escape ladder serving the upper floors. A landlord in northwest London was fined after pleading guilty to breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. In London, a landlord in Harrow was ordered to pay more than £10,000 in fines and costs. VispaspSakari was prosecuted following a fire at a house of multiple occupation on 22 November 2007. Fire safety inspectors from London Fire Brigade found that the fire alarm was not functioning and the main exit was obstructed. Fire doors were unserviceable due to missing or broken parts and the fire extinguishers were past their testing dates. In addition, the cupboard of the main electrical supply unit was full of combustible material and wires had been left exposed.
Prosecutions • A landlord has been sent to prison in the first custodial sentence to be given in London under the new fire safety regulations. MrMehmatParlak was sentenced to four monthsimprisonment and his company, Watchacre Properties Limited, were fined £21,000 following conviction for serious breaches of the regulatory reform order (RRO). – October 2008 • Fire risk assessor and hotel manager jailed for fire safety offences - 08 July 2011A failure to ensure effective means of escape with doors leading onto corridors not being fire resisting or having self-closers fitted. • A failure to ensure that equipment and devices provided were subject to a suitable system of maintenance…. a locked fire exit door, and exit routes obstructed by combustible materials. • The other offence at the Market Inn related to a missing fire door and a window not being fire resisting. • The Chumleigh Lodge Hotel in Finchley, North London, has been ordered to pay more than £260,000 in fines and costsafter committing a number of offences under the Fire Safety Order. • Two counts of failure toensure premises, facilities, equipment or devices are maintained in an efficient state, in working order and in good repair,
Fire Doors • FUNDAMENTALS OF THE RRO • Applies to all non-domestic premises. • Responsibility for compliance rests with the ‘responsible person’. • Responsible person must carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment which focuses on the safety of all ‘relevant persons’. • May appoint a ‘competent person’.
Inspecting Fire Doors • Europe's only fire door inspection scheme • Provides evidence of competence.
Inspecting Fire Doors • What needs to be inspected? • Door leaf and frame • Glazed apertures • Intumescent fire and smoke seals • Closing and opening devices • Ironmongery • Mandatory safety signs
Maintenance of “nominal” fire doors Pictures courtesy of Intastop Ltd
Preventative maintenance Pictures courtesy of Intastop Ltd
St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of WightCase Study • Before the Audit • Existing drawings were found to be not fit for purpose. • Doors were not numbered. • No door schedule. • No differentiation existed between main compartmentation(1 hour) and sub compartmentation (1/2 hour). • Number of fire doors and condition of fire doors and compartment walls not known. • No system to organise and prioritiserequired remedial work.
St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of WightCase Study The Island’s Fire Enforcement Officer & Building Control were involved in the work as it progressed
St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of WightCase Study • Following the Audit • Differentiation now exists between main compartmentationand sub compartmentation. • Approximately 500 fire doors were found not to form part of the hospital’s fire compartmentation-saving future inspection and remedial costs. • The condition of each door set now known, enabling remedial work to be phased and prioritisedwithin budgetary constraints. • The hospital now has a system for managing the fire compartmentationfor the life of the building.
Fire Door Inspection and maintenance - an action plan • Take control – do not leave it to chance • Promote throughout the organisation • Select a competent fire door inspector. Undertake a • survey of existing fire door inventory and act on the findings • Select a “competent person” to carry out the installation • and maintenance of fire doors. • Introduce a permit to work system • Specify what is required and check what is installed • Demand test evidence • Carry out on-going inspection and re-certification
The finished product Pictures courtesy of Intastop Ltd
