See more like this online at: COVER STORY 25
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shoplifting. Those attempting to flee the
toxic smoke were unable to escape
through the very doors that were there
to save them. People died within
touching distance of the emergency
exits.
To comply with current regulations
and maintain adequate means of escape
door alarms, such as the Exit Stopper®,
may be fitted to vulnerable emergency
exit doors. The alarmed device is a
highly effective way in which to alert to
any unauthorised exits or entries
through emergency exit doors.
Text and symbols act as an additional
deterrent to misuse, with the unit
serving as an inexpensive security device
helping to guard against theft,
safeguarding escape routes for real
emergencies and eliminating the
temptation to lock emergency exits to
discourage would-be thieves.
Fire Doors
Fire doors need to be closed in order to
stop the spread of smoke and fire,
however, it is worryingly common for
fire doors to be dangerously held ajar
with 64% of premises visited by the Fire
Service having their fire doors wedged
open – universities halls of
residence, hotels and residential
homes are among the worst offenders.
If you prop open a fire door and it is
seen to put lives at risk you could suffer
large fines, have your insurance void, or
even face a prison sentence. In 2010, a
landlord was fined and jailed after a
tenant almost died in a blaze, it was the
third time Mike Billings had been
prosecuted for breaching fire and health
and safety laws – which included
wedging open fire doors.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire
Safety) Order 2005 the responsibility for
fire risk assessment in all non-domestic
buildings is the duty of a “Responsible
Person”, it is within this persons remit to
ensure regular checks and maintenance
of fire doors.
The RRFSO outlines the necessity of
effective security to prevent the misuse
of fire doors maintaining successful
operation in a real emergency:
“Enforcing authorities may wish to
advise landlords of the need to maintain
adequate security relating to fire doors.”
Alerting you to any misuse of fire
doors, the Exit Stopper® will emit a
powerful 95/105 dB warning alarm and
visual flashing beacon if the protected
door is opened. A 15-second trip delay
allows the unit to be fixed to a door in
regular use, allowing the door to be used
as required but preventing it from being
dangerously wedged open.
Once the door fitted with the Exit
Stopper® is closed several reset options
are available including an automatic
silence function, a feature that is
particularly useful for fire doors that are
in regular use but still at risk of misuse.
A key for authorised personnel can be
used to override the alarm.
Fire Extinguishers
Required by the Regulatory Reform (Fire
Safety) Order 2005, appropriate fire-fighting
equipment must be provided
where there is any risk of fire, should you
fail to meet extinguisher regulations you
could find that your insurance will not
payout in the event of an incident.
Fire extinguisher regulations state that
fire extinguishers should be either
mounted to a wall or placed in a
stand in order to discourage people
from moving them around. However,
this advice is regularly ignored with
extinguishers commonly used to prop
open doors.
Fire extinguishers are also prone to
theft and when discharged unnecessarily
pose a risk, both to the environment,
and nearby persons: ‘fumes from CO2
extinguishers can asphyxiate’, and
powder extinguishers have the potential
‘to impair vision’.
The Health and Safety at Work etc.
Act 1974 makes the misuse of an
extinguisher in the workplace an offence
for which someone can be criminally
prosecuted, stating in Section 8: “No
person shall intentionally or recklessly
interfere with or misuse anything
provided in the interests of health, safety
or welfare in pursuance of any of the
relevant statutory provisions.”
In 2017, a teenager was handed a
suspended jail sentence for stealing a fire
extinguisher, with the Judge
commenting: “The theft of a fire
extinguisher is in my mind the
equivalent to the theft of a lifebuoy in
that it put life at risk.” The Theft
Stopper® can be used alongside the Exit
Stopper to put a stop to this potentially
lethal misuse of life safety equipment.
The Theft Stopper® is a sturdy,
tamperproof, self-contained device
which prevents the misuse, theft and
vandalism of fire extinguishers. Strong
PVC coated metal rope wraps around
the neck of the extinguisher and when
removed from the unit will activate a
piercing 95/105 dB alarm to alert you to
any misuse or removal.
The unit will leave the extinguisher
accessible for emergencies and will not
interfere in the event of a real fire – the
alarm is also convenient in the case of
an actual emergency acting as a pre-alarm,
helping to alert people in the
surrounding areas to the fire before an
official alarm has sounded.
The industry must continue a
transition from a reactive mindset to a
proactive one – fire safety should not be
an afterthought but instead a
fundamental action. Don’t play
compliance catch-up and allow STI to
protect the things that protect you.
For more information
info@sti-emea.com
+44 (0)1527 520 999
www.sti-emea.com
Fire safety
should not
be an
afterthought
but instead a
fundamental
action.
Don’t play
compliance
catch-up and
allow STI to
protect the
things that
protect you.
/www.fsmatters.com
/www.sti-emea.com
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