Fire, Security and Safety

With 2019 alone seeing five serious incidents of fire in multiple occupancy residences, a leading supplier of polymer building services solutions is advising that contractors consider fire safety regulations more closely alongside acoustic performance when specifying soil and waste drainage solutions for high-rise developments.

Following incidents such as the Cube student accommodation fire in Bolton and the release of Phase I of the Grenfell Inquiry, there have been calls for more careful selection of materials and systems for high-rise developments, with an emphasis on adhering to fire regulations.

Boden Fire & Security has announced a new partnership with leading gate and barrier manufacturer Roger Technology. Italy based Roger Technology is one of the worldwide leaders in gate automation and priority vehicle automatic barrier systems with sales in over 100 countries. The new agreement allows Boden to offer a full supply and installation service for the entire Roger Technology range throughout South West and Southern England.

In my last editorial piece for Housing Association I wrote about the government’s proposed changes to the Building Regulations as they relate to fire and broadly welcomed them (the main concern is that the very sensible measures proposed for high-rise residential buildings should also be applied to their shorter cousins).

But principles are only as good as the way that they are applied, and in terms of fire protection, and of smoke protection in particular, the devil is certainly in the detail. If these systems are to work properly they have to be designed properly, installed properly and maintained properly. Sadly, this does not always happen.

Fire and CO safety in residential tower buildings is never out of the spotlight for long. It’s crucial to be in the know when it comes to the most effective CO, smoke and heat alarms, as well as best practice when it comes to siting them. Adrian Keats from Honeywell’s Home Safety business explains.

Following the tragic events at Grenfell Tower, the subsequent Hackitt Review into Building Regulations and the ongoing Public Inquiry, Colt are proud to establish their viewpoint on Compliance and Competence.
The word compliance appears in the Hackitt Review Final Report 46 times and competence appears 152 times - these are clearly important terms for the fire safety industry, yet a recent conference on competence from the Construction Industry Council (CIC) working groups representing specific sections of the construction industry struggled to provide a clear single interpretation of what competence really means.

British designed and manufactured, Powermatic controlled, concealed door closers designed for increased tenant safety are growing in popularity for use on fire doors in high-rise flats, apartments and HMOs.

After months of speculation, new testing and meetings between industry and MHCLG, leading social housing fenestration partner Nationwide Windows Ltd is delighted to be one of the first suppliers back to the market with their next generation, GRP fire door solution.  

John Whalley, MD of Nationwide comments: “It has been a difficult time for many involved in the fire door supply chain, not least because the country has witnessed what can happen when things go wrong.  So, it has taken time, clever product design and testing at levels never previously seen to get us to a position where we can announce that, in partnership with FDS (Fire Door Systems), we are introducing the next generation Nationwide GRP fire door.