There are about 3 million new fire doors bought and installed every year in the UK, the vast majority made from timber. Fire doors are often the first line of defence in a fire. Their correct specification, maintenance and management can be the difference between life and death for building occupants.
But how best could the industry get that message across to building owners, facilities managers, contractors and specifiers? The answer this year has been a rerun of the highly successful Fire Door Safety Week, the brainchild of the BWF-CERTIFIRE Scheme and the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS).
After the campaign’s inaugural year in 2013 when it reached in excess of six million people with information and advice about fire door safety, even more organisations were engaged this year. The final reach of this year’s campaign hasn’t been calculated yet, but we know it generated in excess of three million impressions via social media alone, more than 1,600 video views and 150 pieces of media and online coverage, over a dozen regional radio interviews, and high-profile appearances on the BBC and ITV. More than 120 organisations pledged their support this year, compared to about 50 last year.
Strongly supported by the fire minister, Penny Mordaunt MP, and the government’s Fire Kills campaign, Fire Door Safety Week 2014 certainly captured the imagination of charities, councils, consultants, companies and care homes across the country.
One of the most charming ideas was the competition run by Aberlour, the largest solely Scottish children’s charity, using the popular story of Frances the Firefly to help communicate the need for greater fire door safety awareness to more than 6,000 vulnerable children, young people and their families. The children were encouraged to complete a fire door safety quiz and to draw a picture of a ‘friendly’ fire door.
At the other end of the country, an all-day event at Lorient in Newton Abbot, Devon, brought together representatives from the leisure industry, tourism, private landlords, local councils and building control to see a live fire door test, demonstrations of firefighting equipment and presentations on fire door safety and the importance of fire door inspections.
A seminar at the Building Centre in London for more than 60 property surveyors, consultants, facilities managers and health and safety managers, and involving the London Fire Brigade and other fire safety specialists, launched the week’s activities.
The London Fire Brigade ran a major promotional campaign urging Londoners living in purpose-built blocks or houses converted into flats not to replace vital fire doors at the entrance to their properties with doors that don’t meet the required safety standards.
Joinery firm TMJ Contractors was among several who committed to getting their project managers qualified through the FDIS diploma in fire doors, and Howarth Timber provided discounts on all fire doors during the week.
Free BWF-CERTIFIRE gap testers and posters were handed out to customers by many companies in the construction industry, including supporters and BWF-CERTIFIRE members Buildbase, door company JB Kind, and timber merchant Arnold Laver.
Like some other social landlords, Southampton City Council’s housing services division promoted Fire Door Safety Week to its staff and residents by placing posters in some of its housing blocks.
Fundamentally, what we are trying to achieve with Fire Door Safety Week is greater awareness. We want to engage and educate people, helping the whole building industry and every property owner to understand the correct specification, supply, installation, operation, inspection and maintenance of fire doors.
Dodgy fire doors are usually just one of many signs of fire safety negligence, but actually they’re a relatively easy one to spot and do something about. We provide extensive support and guidance for any building owner or manager, including free seminars, training presentations, fire door fact cards and advice videos.
And we have been calling on everyone to look again at the buildings we live, stay and work in, and to report dodgy fire doors to the landlord, building manager or owner.
The level of support this year has been outstanding across a wide range of sectors, and I’m sure this will help to save lives and property as a direct result, as well as giving a boost to the industry.