news from the BRE Group
published: 9/10/2013
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Concern over fire door defects prompts new inspection training course
A recent report by BRE for a local authority said that, "It was not possible to conclude that the fire doors would meet the required 30-minute fire resistance, due to a high level of defects". Concerns about such defects have led BRE to develop a fire door inspection training course.
The course was recently piloted by Local Authority Building Control (LABC) members, under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by BRE and LABC last year. It includes an exam that will enable building control surveyors who pass to be registered as Accredited Fire Door Assessors.
Correctly specifying and installing passive fire protection is critical to the safety of building occupants, and the role of the inspecting authorities is vital to ensuring that the appropriate products are installed to the proper standard.
“The recent coroner’s enquiry into the Lakanal House fires in 2009 raised some significant issues both for local authorities and fire risk assessors,” says LABC Consult Managing Director Lorna Stimpson. “This training course in fire door safety helps us to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to ensure the safety of building users.”
Commenting of the training, Adam Heeley, Building Control Manager at Aylesbury Vale District Council and member of LABC says, “Whilst I know quite a bit about fire doors, this training brought all that information together and added the complexity of CE marking. The 40 minute test at the end of the course ensured we correctly understood it all. I’d recommend it to all involved with fire door inspection.”
For more information contact Linda Mckeown - E:mckeownl@bre.co.uk T:01923 664569.
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