Building owners and landlords are being encouraged to make their properties safer and more secure in advance of changes to fire safety legislation.
Proposals in the draft Fire Safety Bill seek to amend the Fire Safety Order 2005 to clarify the role of the responsible person or duty holder for multi-occupancy residential buildings. If approved, the changes will make it clear that building owners and landlords must manage and reduce the risk of fire in relation to entrance doors for individual flats that open into common areas.
The new Door-Stop International fire and security doorset range, aims to be the product of choice for those reviewing their fire safety strategies and who want to improve their existing buildings or specify new developments. Designed by Door-Stop, a subsidiary of Premdor Crosby, the timber core product with GRP facings is third-party certificated and a robust base of primary test evidence has been used as the foundation for certification.
Hannah Mansell, Technical Director at Premdor Crosby said:
“We want residents and stakeholders in the fire door safety chain to have complete confidence in the performance of our Door-Stop doorsets, knowing that they have been tested and certificated by reputable, independent third-party certification bodies.
“It’s not just about confidence in our Door-Stop doorsets, but also in us as one of the largest timber prime fire door manufacturers in the UK, and in our independently audited factory production control system which is designed to ensure each and every single doorset is fully traceable back to the certification, specification and manufacturing processes.”
The Door-Stop Fire and Security Dual-Certificated Doorset including the glazed toplight is Certifire-accredited by Warringtonfire. Even though it is not a requirement for timber fire doors, it has been furnace tested from both directions in order to provide additional assurances to the building owners and occupants. Certisecure, a scheme recognised by Secured by Design, has been used to demonstrate its security credentials.
Hannah added: “We have a vast library of primary test evidence and certification for our range of Door-Stop products. This is underpinned by the strict, digital, factory production control system that we operate which is designed to provide complete control and traceability of our raw materials and components.
“Those same factory control processes are regularly audited by independent, UKAS accredited auditors. Our system is designed to ensure the doorset specification, manufacturing controls and therefore its performance, is consistent and robust.
“The factory production control system also provides a digital golden thread of traceability for each and every single component or raw material that goes into each doorset that leaves our factory gates, adding further reassurance for purchasers and occupiers.”
Warringtonfire has said that Door-Stop International’s doorset range is among the first to have achieved dual certification for both security and fire through Warringtonfire’s Certisecure and Certifire schemes.
Mark West, Technical Development Engineer at Warringtonfire, said:
“Dual certification for both security and fire with the same certification body is now advocated by Secured by Design. Warringtonfire and BM TRADA, which are both part of the Element Group, are among the only certification bodies in the UK with the technical competency to offer this dual certification through their Certisecure, Certifire and Q-Mark certification schemes at laboratories in Wednesbury, Warrington and High Wycombe.
“Dual certification gives the end user confidence that the product supplied under the scope of certification has been assessed for both security and fire performance with equal weight, and any future product enhancements will be rigorously assessed by our engaged experts in both areas. This ensures that neither performance is compromised at any point, a position that cannot necessarily be achieved when the certification is not linked in this way.”
Every doorset is shipped with detailed installation instructions and a Resident Guide. The Resident’s Guide includes an easy to follow check list that will help residents avoid the common pitfalls that prevent fire doors performing in the event of an emergency, as well as the methods to report concerns and find out further information.
For further information about the Door-Stop fire doorset range and associated certification, visit the Door-Stop website.
