We are in the middle of Fire Door Safety Week which highlights the importance of having fit for purpose fire doors in all buildings to keep occupants safe from fire.
Vimpex is happy to support Fire Door Safety Week as we provide fire door safety solutions for a range of applications.
Fire does not stop; we need to take action to prevent it!
Let’s start with our complete range of Wired and Wire-Free Door Holders. They are arguably the single most important fire safety mechanism as they guard against the lethal spread of toxic smoke and fumes which is by far the greatest cause of death in fire situations.
· Standard Door Holder: These door holders ensure retention of the fire door by means of a smart metallic keeper plate. This is interfaced with the fire alarm system and is de-energised as soon as a fire is detected thus releasing the door without the potentially harmful delay
· Wireless Acoustic Door Holder: No external wiring is required with this product as the innovative wireless battery-powered magnetic Door Holder is triggered acoustically when the fire alarm sounder is activated
· Universal Door Holder: Can be used for many different door holding applications and be ceiling or floor mounted. There are two standard lengths but these can be cut down to necessary requirement when on site
· Heavy Duty Door Holder: Heavy Duty Door Holders are designed for applications where accidental damage or vandalism is a problem such as schools, hospitals, warehouses and car parks
· Weatherproof Door Holder: This offers the installer an excellent solution for harsh environments and outdoor use
· Eco Door Holder: Hardwired and fitted with a manual release button allowing the door to be closed without operating the fire alarm
· Fire Door Coordinator: Ensures that a pair of self-closing fire doors will always shut in the correct sequence regardless of what door is opened first
· Acoustic Fire Door Closer: In place of a traditional door closer, the acoustic fire door closer is used to hold the fire door open in any position whilst also ensuring the door will close in the event of a fire – all wire free!
The challenges of Covid-19 have become apparent of late for many businesses with a number of occupants. Leaving doors open around the building to increase ventilation and avoid touching door handles is what many are doing to prevent the spread of infection throughout, however leaving fire doors open is illegal and could prove fatal if there was a fire emergency.
Vimpex’s range of wired and wire free door holders have been developed to provide a life saving solution to leaving fire doors open, by reacting to the warning of the fire alarm the door will automatically close allowing building occupant’s protection from smoke and heat.
Now let’s talk about the range of accessories that complement our Wired and Wire-Free Door Holder range. The products listed here are recommended as part of you fire door safety plan and will protect the building and its occupants from a fire emergency plus prevent against the misuse and accidental damage of fire doors and fire alarms.
· General Purpose Power Supplies: Switched mode and ideal for our wired door holders
· Smart+Shield: Offers a cost-effective solution to discourage the misuse of emergency exit doors. Can be used for all door types such push bars and panic bars for diverse applications
· Smart+Guard Call Point Covers: Can be installed over a range of call points, emergency switches and other devices to provide protection from vandalism, accidental damage or misuse.
· Identifire Auxiliary Relay: Used to provide an output to third-party components or system ancillaries, such as a door holder power supply, to ensure activation/deactivation during alarm situations
· Door Release Switch: Complements modern interiors as well as offering privacy to buildings that require this from time to time.
Fire Door Safety is often overlooked with British Woodworking Federation reporting that 60% of local authorities delayed fire door maintenance and inspection programmes in the first half of 2020. That’s a huge number and high scope for deadly consequences were a fire to occur. 53% of the local authorities cited that Covid-19 was the reason for the delays, that still leaves 7% of local authorities that are delaying this crucial maintenance for no reason whatsoever.
That report is only looking across local authority owned and managing housing in the UK, there are still many buildings around the UK which use fire doors. What percentage of those are overlooked?
As a manufacturer and supplier of fire evacuation and alarm system products, we want to highlight the importance of fire safety and by supporting Fire Door Safety Week we are helping to raise awareness of the critical role fire doors play, drawing attention to the issues that poor installation and maintenance raise.
Let’s act now before it’s too late.
British Woodworking Federation. "Fire Door Delays In Local Authority Properties". Published September 2020 on: https://www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk/app/uploads/2020/09/FDSW_INFOGRAPHIC_2020.pdf
