In an unprecedented collaboration within the fire and security industry, three 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 collaborative advice 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. It explains why only factory produced doorsets can meet both ADB and ADQ.
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, which launched in March of this year, recommends that all fire doorsets are factory-prepared (as opposed to prepared on-site), and furthermore, audited by a third-party.
DHF’s CEO, Bob Perry said: “We are delighted to have collaborated with SBD and FIA, in sharing our joint expertise on doorsets and fire safety.
“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.”
Chief operating officer of Secured by Design, Jon Cole added: “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 .”
The document is available on the SBD link here.
