fire doors

The latest generation of fire resistant glazing is expanding the potential to increase daylighting within the communal areas of social housing, as well as other forms of shared accommodation, without compromising the safety of residents.

This light transmission and fire safety balance can be achieved using the range of certified fire resistant glazing and door systems from Promat. In the past 12 months, the company has seen a noticeable increase in the number of enquiries it has received relating to residential projects, which reflects a growing awareness of the benefits of designing spaces with maximum natural light in mind, coupled with the need to meet strict fire safety obligations following the implementation of the Building Safety Act.

Fire doorset legislation has changed significantly in the recent years, with changes made at every stage in the lifecycle of a fire doorset, from design & testing to inspection & maintenance. For social housing fire doorset specifications, this means that all the stages in the lifecycle of a fire doorset, need to not just be included in the specification, but reviewed to ensure compliance with the new legislation.

Fire doors are an integral part of your building’s fire safety. They can stop the spread of smoke and fire, but they can only do this if they are compliant and inspected regularly. Now that the new fire safety regulations have come into effect, it’s more important than ever to keep up to date with fire door inspections, with quarterly and yearly checks.

Fire door inspections involve checking every element of the doorset, from the door itself to the hardware. Every part of your fire door could have an impact on effectiveness and compliance, meaning inspection reports need to be thorough and comprehensive.

In the Autumn of 2023, door and window hardware manufacturer and fire door solutions systems house Winkhaus UK, are launching a range of timber and composite UKCA 3rd Party certified external fire doorset solutions. The launch follows an 18-month development, test and accreditation program, with the new range significantly increasing the scope of compliant fire doorset solutions for specifiers in social housing and residential new build.

FireDNA is cloud-based Software and a Mobile App that has been developed for everyone involved in Passive Fire Product Manufacture, Installation, Inspection, Management and Maintenance. As well as for those that live and work within environments where passive fire products are installed, and have a crucial role to play in fire safety and prevention.

FireDNA software catalogues Manufacturers
product data, digitally shares it with Contractors and Installers, who in turn add their installation data, passing that onto Building Owners, Facilities Management Teams and Tenant Management Organisations.

That data can then be used by Building Control, Maintenance Teams, Fire Inspectors and viewed by Tenants and Residents alike, with a simple swipe of a smartphone or mobile device.

Asset management firm, BAML has signed-up to use FireDNA’s Fire Door and Doorset Monitoring Software and Mobile App.

A survey of architects supported by fire resistant doors and glazing specialist Promat UK has revealed some of the biggest challenges that the profession sees on the road to achieving  improved fire safety in buildings.

According to the “Accountability for fire safety post-Building Safety Act” study by Architects Datafile, almost two-thirds (59%) of respondents said ‘the lack of accountability on fire safety’ was ‘the major issue preventing a robust safety regime in higher risk residential projects.’ The findings also showed that 70% of the architects surveyed believed the goal of delivering a safer future would not be achieved until there was a ‘full overhaul’ of Part B of the Building Regulations to resolve its ambiguities.