fire doors

 

For a free survey please call Paul on 01455 557877

For a start fire doors will, of course, provide increased safety because they are designed to slow the spread of fire, allowing building occupants to escape safely via a protected route. For most of us, the image of a fire door conjures up heavy, unattractive doors - the kind you see in hospitals and other public buildings. The good news is that there are fire door designs on the market to suit any décor, from simple flush doors to moulded designs. And while they may be heavier than a standard door, they certainly won’t look out of place and they may provide far better sound insulation.

The most important consideration when you are buying or discussing the requirement for fire doors with a building contractor is to insist that doors have been tested to perform in the event of a fire. Fire doors should be correctly designed, manufactured, fitted and maintained. And it’s important that all the elements of the door assembly - frame, hinge, seals and the ironmongery are compatible. The British Woodworking Federation, which runs the BWF-CERTIFIRE Fire Door and Doorset Scheme, recommends the purchase of complete doorsets which include all the compatible elements. It is very important to remember that the existing frame and ironmongery are probably not fire rated so must be replaced as required by the installation instructions attached to the new fire door. Also intumescent seals must be added.

Once a fire door has been installed with all the compatible components, you do need to think about proper maintenance. If a fire does break out, the door needs to perform its vital role of preventing the spread of a fire. Wear and tear and lack of maintenance may mean that it will not do its job. Fire doors produced by members of the BWF-CERTIFIRE Fire Door and Doorset Scheme are supplied with detailed installation, care and maintenance advice.

extinguisher service

 

PSC offer a service for servicing extinguishers on a fully comprehensive basis for £6.00 per extinguisher. To book a service reply to this email or pick up the phone 01455 557877 and we will be happy to deal with your service.

 

British Standard BS5306 Part 3 2000, recommends that all portable fire extinguishers are subjected to an annual maintenance inspection and service, by a competenent person. It also recommends a monthly and six-monthly visual inspection that can be done locally on-site by a non-competent person. The qualification for compency in this instance is that the person (engineer) shall have attained a prescribed certificate of competency following a recognized training course run by an accredited British fire extinguisher training establishment, under a quality assurance criteria. The certificate is awarded under the title of QAS 3169 part 3 and 4. On the annual service visit each extinguisher is stripped down and the contents emptied into a bucket for re-use or disposal, depending upon condition. The exterior/interior of the extinguisher is checked for signs of corrosion and interior for signs of split/lifted linings, the CO2 cartridge is weighed and discharge hose and valve assembly checked for correctness of actions etc. The whole lot reassembled using new washers and seals where required, and the label signed off stating the date of that service visit.

This action varies slightly depending upon type but applies generally to all gas cartridge and stored pressure type extinguishers. However it does not apply to CO2 extinguishers, which are sealed under high pressure. These are weighed accurately against their known full weight criteria, which is stamped upon the neckband.

Once every five years each extinguisher (except CO2) is subjected to a discharge test, wherein the contents are expelled under the normal operating pressure and technique of the extinguisher, and then refilled as per a service visit.

When an extinguisher has been discharged it has to be refilled or replaced as soon as possible, (bearing it mind that its purpose cannot be fulfilled while it is empty). Most larger type premises carry a small stock of spares so as to be able to replace the odd one or two during the year if necessary, thereby avoiding the costly call-out charge for an engineer to come on site to refill one extinguisher outside the normal annual service visit.

Note: You cannot use the part contents of any extinguisher once it has been partly discharged.

 

Paul Coughlan

 

Arsonists target bins

 

A SPATE of arson attacks on bins has prompted firefighters to warn of the dangers of playing with fire.

Fire raisers were taking huge risks with other people's lives and property, as well as risking a criminal conviction for arson.

 "What people need to realise is that although it's only a bin it is still somebody's property, and setting fire to it is a criminal offence.

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"Every week in the UK there are more than 2,000 arson attacks, which result in two people being killed and 53 people being injured. Very often bins and other rubbish storage areas are attached to buildings - in particular industrial premises, schools and colleges, and every week in the UK 20 schools and colleges are damaged or destroyed by arson and many of these are caused by bin fires."

In certain cases, arsonists who set fire to bins progress on to cars and then to homes and businesses, so the fire service is very keen to work with young arsonists to impress on them the possible consequences of their actions.

By starting a small blaze, firefighters are taken away from other work, which could be fire prevention or in more serious cases attending a large blaze.

Most small-scale arson attacks, like those on bins, happen in the evenings or at night when young people may be out on the streets and people are leaving pubs and clubs. Some are accidental, when people drop a lighted cigarette into a bin, but the vast majority are not.

Arson reduction ideas

 

• Keep leaves, firewood, overgrown brush and shrubbery and other combustibles away from buildings.

• Keep doors and windows locked when a building is unoccupied. Board up abandoned buildings. Do not use double cylinder deadbolt locks without keeping a key nearby, bars without quick release mechanisms, or other security provisions that could trap a person in a building with a deadly fire.
• Store all flammable liquids such as; paints, gasoline, and mowers in an approved storage location: locked cabinets, locked storage units, and locked garages (prevent access to kids). Also, keep away from heat sources such as furnaces and any type of heaters.
• Report suspicious activity near houses or other buildings to the local police and support Neighborhood Watch programs.
• If you suspect a child is setting fires, notify the proper authorities. It may not be "just a phase" they are going through. Keep matches and lighters out of reach and out of sight of young children. See Matchguard arson reduction match box on our web site www.pscfiresafety.com
• If you know or suspect that an arson crime has been committed, contact your local fire or police department.

 

If you have been affected by arson what steps have you taken to reduce the attack happening again?

For free home fire safety advice please click on our web site www.pscfiresafety.com scroll down to the bottom of the home page and leave your details you can then download a 68 page guide to fire safety at home.