It is the duty of a school to provide suitable protection for its occupants in regards to fire safety. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, educational premises must demonstrate the efforts they put into their fire safety. This not only incorporates regular fire drills and staff training but also any improvements made to academic buildings and any fire safety apparatus installed.
An effective way of preventing spread of fire and damage to property and people is by having fire doors and shutters installed. Fire doors should be installed throughout your premises, with shutters and curtains being installed in high-risk areas, such as kitchens and science labs.
Shutters, like the Fireguard Compact FT Range, provide an effective barrier against fire for 1-4 hours and can be integrated with your building’s fire alarm system to allow for automatic closure when an alarm is triggered. When not being used in an emergency situation, the shutters provide a security barrier that prevent access to unauthorised individuals, such as students, protecting valuable machinery and securing chemicals.
Fire curtains offer discreet fire safety as they are only visible when in use. The HF240 Fireguard curtains provide 4 hours of fire protection and can be used to cover doorways, servery hatches, block off offices and classrooms where necessary. They are best used in areas that do not require security protection as they are designed to only be used during emergency situations and during tests.
Fire doors should be installed internally and externally to help prevent further spread of an outbreak. The Fireguard FD01 can be installed throughout an academic building, but is commonly used to protect boiler rooms, generator rooms and server rooms. These doors can be regularly used and have the dual benefit of offering a high level of security.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires all fire shutters to have regular maintenance carried out to ensure that they are working correctly. Failure to carry out maintenance could potentially invalidate a school’s insurance and building fire certification. Confirmation that maintenance has been carried out and that all fire doors, shutters, and curtains are free of faults should be stored with the premises fire safety risk assessment documents.
HAG can install and provide maintenance of fire shutters and curtains so that you’re educational premises complies with the law. For more information, please call us on 0800 072 3444.
HAG offers a wide range of products and services, if you would like further information call 0800 072 3444 now to speak to a member of our team.
