As part of Fire Door Safety Week, Alfie Hosker, the Technical Manager at Secured by Design discusses the enhanced security & fire performance of doorsets.
The tragic fire at the Grenfell Tower in June 2017 has led to much examination of the escape protocols for high rise buildings and the materials and products utilised with the build process.
Post Grenfell, the government quite rightly called for further investigations and Secured by Design (SBD) took an active part as a member of the Grenfell Technical Group, which was set up in March 2018 to provide technical advice specifically on entrance doorsets to individual flats – which includes the door, associated frame and all component parts, such as the glazing and door hardware.
The Group, which included other not-for-profit organisations including the Fire Industry Association (FIA) and the Door and Hardware Federation (DHF), met frequently throughout the rest of that year. Our comprehensive technical findings were duly reported to government via the Grenfell Independent Expert Panel.
Building on the collective expertise and experience within SBD, FIA and DHF the three organisations took the unprecedented step of collaborating on a document entitled ‘Guide For Selecting Flat Entrance Doorsets’ which was published in March 2019.
Aimed at housing associations, landlords, building owners, developers and local authorities in England (but much of the advice is equally applicable to other countries of the UK, even though Building Regulations may differ slightly), 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 such doorsets.
Importantly, the publication makes the point that there is no conflict between fire and security with Building Regulations Approved Document B (fire) and Approved Document Q (security) carrying equal weight with neither taking precedence over the other.
The publication also covers
- Why only factory produced doorsets can meet both Approved Document B and Q
- What to look for in terms of performance for fire
- What to look for with third-party certification for fire
- What to look for regarding security
- Other performance affecting flat entrance doorsets
- Glazing considerations
- Assessments – what to be aware of
- Installation
- Maintenance
- Multi-occupancy buildings
- Government advice to Building Control
To read more news and exclusive features see our latest issue here.
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