International Fire Buyer magazine had the pleasure of sitting down with door hardware manufacturer and expert Fireco. Speaking on behalf of the company, Senior Commercial Manager Alex Babbage talks about all things fire doors, where we are in the industry and where we are heading.
Hi Alex, it seems like a busy time for you. What changes have you overseen since Fireco introduced its Fire Door installation service?
Great question. Our fire door services have evolved from a conversation I had in the car with the Fireco CEO: “Can we get to a place where we supply and fit doors?” Fast forward 18 months and we now have dedicated warehouse space for fire doors and extensive in-house training for our Fireco engineers. They are certified with recognised bodies (including BM Trada, FDIS and BlueSky) for remedial works and installation services.
Our installation service has expanded dramatically over the last 12 months. We’re now working with some exciting clients on multi-year projects to support their building compliance.
It’s great now that we can offer our door installation service to both our existing client base and a host of new clients including local authorities, especially since the release of our exciting new door inspection app DorTrak.
We’re supporting a number of local housing providers and property management companies with comprehensive door inspections as a starting point to understand what changes need to be made to make the fire doors compliant.
Fireco are recognised as being manufacturers of very well-known door hardware, are you manufacturing doors as well?
Fireco has been making Dorgard and other fire safety products for over 20 years. For fire doors we have partnered with third party accredited door manufacturers such as Performance Doorset Solutions and supply only third party tested prehung doorsets.
This means we can offer the best quality doors, with primary tested hardware installed under the BM Trada Installation standard. We supply full certification for both the doors, and the installation process.
Now that the new fire safety regulations have come into effect, what advice would you give to the responsible person regarding fire door compliance?
The gov.uk website states: “In all multi-occupied residential buildings, the regulations require responsible persons to provide residents with fire safety instructions and information on the importance of fire doors.” It’s normal for a fire door to become damaged over time due to high use and general wear and tear. However, sometimes the deterioration is caused deliberately, e.g. breaking or disengaging door closers.
By sharing knowledge with residents on the importance of fire doors and why they need to be closed, it could prevent them from causing damage and also help them identify if something is wrong with a door. There are some great sources within the fire industry such as the FIA, FPA, IFSEC and the BWF. As we’re in the business of offering fire door services here at Fireco, we also create plenty of reliable fire door content. Fireco’s blog section and webinar archive are great places to find more information.
How can the responsible person keep up to date with all their sites effectively and make sure all doors remain compliant?
Having a competent person carry out regular door inspections is key, then keeping records of these inspections comprises an essential part of your golden thread of information. If any significant changes are noted, or failures with doors found, it’s worth speaking to or bringing in an expert that has certification with doors and can provide advice.
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