It’s Fire Door Safety Week 2023

09/25/2023 |

DON'T TURN A BLIND EYE TO FIREDOOR REGULATIONS.

25-29 September 2023

This week sees the 10th Annual Fire Door Safety Week, run by the British Woodworking Federation

“The British Woodworking Federation’s Fire Door Safety Week aims to raise the awareness of the critical role that fire doors play in saving lives and protecting property in the unfortunate event of a fire.”

“Everyone plays their part in ensuring a fire door performs as it should in the tragic event of a fire, from the manufacturer through to the building users, and knowing what to look out for and what to do if you spot a problem might just save a life.

FREE EVENTS AND TOOLKITS

Fire Door Safety Week 2023 Events

Monday 25th September 2023

10.00am – 11.00am

Kevin Underwood – BWF Technical Director

Title:  The review of BS 8214: 2016, Timber Based Fire Door Assemblies – Code of Practice

Tuesday 26th September 2023

10.30am – 11.30am

Ashley Mather – Senior Fire Engineer, National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC)

Title: Fire doors in Residential Buildings: regulation and compliance

Wednesday 27th September 2023

10.30am – 11.30am

Andrew Sayer – Lead Assessor Fire Door Inspection Service (FDIS)

Title: The top 5 things you need to know about fire door inspections.

Register Here 

Campaign Info Pages

FDSW23 Recognise it, Report it

The theme for this year’s campaign, which runs from 25 – 29 September, is ‘Recognise it, Report it’ and aims to help people spot problems with faulty doors so they can be reported, then repaired or replaced.

https://www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk/fdsw23-recognise-it-report-it/

Our Fire Door Services

Effective fire-resisting doors are vital to ensure occupants are able to evacuate to a safe place. Correctly specified and installed doors will hold back fire and smoke, preventing escape routes becoming unusable as well as preventing the spread of fire.

  • – Fire Door Installation
  • – Fire Door Inspections and Maintenance
  • – Fire Door Repairs

British Woodworking Federation Campaign Video

Premises Fire Safety Signage for Occupants

09/21/2023 |

Premises Fire Safety Signage for Occupants

Common Questions

Common questions often asked are ‘what fire signs does my premises require? and ‘why do we require so many signs?’

Fire safety signs are designed to warn building occupants of any fire hazards, provide information on fire safety equipment and procedures, and give concise instructions about the actions all occupants at anytime should take in the event of a fire. Installing and maintaining fire safety signs is not only essential to saving lives and protecting property, but is also a legal requirement.

Responsible Person

The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 outlines the types of fire signs, their placement, and the importance of maintenance, while the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 requires the Responsible Person to take responsibility for fire safety within commercial premises.

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 which came into effect in England from 23 January 2023 made it a legal requirement for way finding signs to be installed in all high-rise residential buildings in England, including clear markings identifying floor and individual flat numbers to assist the Fire and Rescue Service.

So which fire safety signs does your premises need ?

There are several types of fire safety signs. Carrying out a Fire Risk Assessment, as required by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, should ultimately determine which signs are essential for your premises.

  • – Fire exit signs highlight the safest evacuation route and nearest emergency exit of a building.
  • – Fire door signs provide mandatory instructions to ensure effectiveness.
  • – Fire alarm signs highlight the nearest fire alarm and provide information regarding its activation.
  • – Emergency door operation signs offer simple instructions on how to operate emergency exit doors.
  • – Stairway and floor level identification signs enable occupants of multi-storey high-rise buildings to accurately and quickly inform Fire and Rescue Services of the location of a fire and assist firefighters in navigating their way around the building.
  • – Fire assembly point signs show where a building’s assembly point is located to enable evacuees to report to their designated point and identify any missing persons quickly.
  • – Fire extinguisher signs indicate the position and type of extinguishers present in a premises, show the classes of fire they can be used on and how to operate them safely, and help identify any missing extinguishers that need replacing.
  • – Fire equipment signs ensure that equipment is present, and correctly and clearly identified (where provided) to enable firefighters to gain immediate access to facilities such as rising main outlets on arrival at the scene of a fire.
  • – Fire safety notices reinforce important messages of life safety arrangements to occupants.
  • – Fire action notice signs include step-by-step instructions for occupants to follow in the event of a fire.
  • – Hazard signs identify the location of potential hazardous materials or environments.

Further Details and Information

In the event of a fire, smoke and power outages can reduce sign visibility. Photoluminescent signs which function without the need for any additional illumination help maintain their visibility.

RES FIRE supplies high quality, affordable internal and external fire safety signage in a range of different formats and sizes to ensure your premises is compliant.

For further details on fire safety signage audits and maintenance or to ensure your premise emergency escape/exit lighting is fit for purpose please call RES FIRE on 0800 731 0727

For HM Government Wayfinding Regulations go to:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022/fact-sheet-wayfinding-signage-regulation-8

Article Originally Published by the FIA

Fire Plans

02/28/2020 |

Are you looking for fire plan services? Do you require a fire plan for your business that meets the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005? Or a fire risk assessment?At RES Fire Protection Engineers, we can create a variety of fire evacuation and procedure plans that suit the needs of your business while complying with current legislation.

Fire plan services we offer include:

  • Fire Escape Plans
  • Fire Equipment Plans
  • Fire Alarm Zone Plans
  • Fire Compartmentation Plans
  • Occupancy Assessment Plans

We can provide you with a diagram of the fire equipment and firefighting devices in your premises. This diagram is a map that highlights locations of fire alarms, fire detectors, call points, fire extinguishers, fire blankets, emergency lighting and test switches. This map is essential information for use in an emergency, as well as in the case of servicing fire equipment.

The importance of a fire plan

A fire is a great risk for businesses and people, and can start from anything such as a discarded cigarette, faulty electrical equipment or negligence when cooking in a kitchen. A fire safety plan can help you to keep your employees and equipment within your business premises safe. A fire safety plan is a detailed document that covers all aspects of fire safety for your premises. An effective fire plan will state specific maintenance that needs to be carried out to prevent fires, methods to minimise fire damage, details of emergency and evacuation procedures, how fire drills are conducted and their frequency, and maintenance procedures for fire protection systems.

A fire plan will also detail the layout of a premises, points of entry and exit, escape routes, fire doors, fire alarm system, emergency lights, portable fire equipment, and sprinkler systems plus any equipment provided for fire fighters. There are various types of fire plan, which are listed below:

Fire evacuation and procedure plans

This type of fire plan is produced in an A3 format and is specifically made to suit the safety strategy of your building. It typically covers the building’s fire procedure on one side, and supporting information on the other. Points of evacuation are detailed, as well as a plan of the assembly point.

Fire escape plans

Fire escape plans play a vital role in keeping occupants in your building safe. Installing a fire escape plan gives occupants essential information that they need prior to an emergency, so that they know what to do and how to safely leave the building should an emergency happen.

Fire alarm zone plans

This type of fire plan is split into different zones to help locate the source of a fire, or to identify where it is currently located and spreading to. This resource is helpful in noting false alarms and any fire alarm system faults.

Fire compartmentation plans

This type of plan is essential for maintaining and preserving a building’s fire protection measures such as solid compartment walls, fire-related walls and fire doors.

In order to keep the occupants of a building safe, it is important that a building has the proper fire stopping methods installed to prevent fire from spreading and causing damage to life and property. Every building layout is different, therefore every fire plan will be different. At RES Fire Protection Engineers, we can create a fire plan that is completely bespoke to your premises and that meets current fire safety legislation.

Fire-Rated Doors

02/20/2020 |

The law states that buildings and premises must be compartmentalised to prevent the spread of fire from one area to another. Such compartmentalisation is achieved through the use of fire-rated doors, which help to contain a fire while enabling occupants to safely evacuate a building. Effective fire-rated doors are essential to keep the occupants of a building safe. Correctly made and installed doors will hold back fire and smoke, preventing the spread of fire while helping escape routes to remain accessible. Fire-rated doors have two important functions in the case of a fire emergency – they hold back smoke and flames to stop them from spreading (when closed), and provide an effective means of escape (when opened). Every fire-rated door acts as a barrier to the passage of fire and smoke. There are two main categories of fire-rated doors – FD30 and FD60, offering 30 and 60 minutes of protection against fire. Fire doors must always be kept shut and not left open. If you leave a fire door open, you are breaking UK fire safety regulations.

At RES Fire Protection Engineers, we have everything you need to carry out timber fire-rated door inspections, maintenance, repairs, and we can also offer guidance and advice on the types of fire-rated doors you require for your premises.

What is a fire-rated door made of?

Most fire-rated doors are made from timber and are tested to see if they meet current legislation requirements and to ensure that they resist a fire for a specified period of time. Only a fire-rated door that has been properly constructed, certified and correctly installed will be able to contain the spread of smoke and eventually a fire. Metal fire-rated doors are also available in the UK. The level of protection provided by a fire-rated door is determined by the length of time that a door can hold back flames. Once a door’s integrity has been breached, it is no longer effective. Some doors hold back flames for 30 minutes, while others can hold flames back for one or two hours. It is possible to upgrade the fire resistance of the current timber fire-rated doors in your premises. Speak to our team to see how we can help you achieve this.

Fire-rated door inspections

Fire-rated doors should be inspected on a six-month basis to ensure that their integrity is intact. Our fire-rated door inspections at RES Fire Protection Engineers are designed to identify issues or problems with fire-rated doors such as:

  • Self-closing devices that are not working correctly, or are missing
  • Damage to fire-rated doors
  • Removal of locks without suitable repairs
  • Poorly fitting doors that have been caused by shrinkage or distortion
  • Damage to doors from wear and tear
  • Inappropriate door furniture
  • Missing or incorrect mandatory door signage

 

We can also install timber fire-rated door sets in places where they should be positioned in a building. Speak to us today about the requirements of your premises, or we can carry out an inspection for you and advise on where you should position fire-rated doors. We also provide fire door reports and surveys, which are usually costed per door. You will receive a report with photos, containing advice and details relating to your premises.

Fire-rated doors can save lives if implemented correctly. Every building layout is different, therefore different premises will require different fire-rated door plans. We can advise on the correct fire-rated door solutions for your premises. We cover the South of England including London, Berkshire, Bracknell, Windsor, Middlesex & Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex & Kent, West & East Sussex, Reading, Maidenhead, Slough, Newbury and the surrounding areas.