Keeping Pupils, Staff, and Buildings Safe at a Renowned UK School
- A 12-acre school site with scores of buildings and 220 separate fire door installations needed a fire door inspection carried out and reported in just three weeks
- The work had to take place over the summer break, whilst the school was empty
- CFP was commissioned to deliver the work, as it has a specialist team of qualified inspectors
- We completed the inspection, and a detailed compliance report, well within deadline
- The school cost-effectively ensured its fire doors were fully compliant, and its pupils, staff, and buildings protected from the spread of fire and smoke, before term started
THE END-CLIENT
Founded in 1624, the Latymer School is a State-funded, selective grammar school that has provided an excellent education to the young people of Edmonton and North London for almost 400 years. With over 1,350 pupils on a 12-acre site that includes classrooms, laboratories, gymnasia, studios, common rooms, multi-use suites, and many other facilities, it is a high-occupancy, busy environment where fire safety is paramount.
THE CHALLENGE
When a revered and high-profile school with scores of buildings both old and modern, on an extensive site, commissions an inspection of all its 220 fire door sets throughout that site, the work necessarily demands a high degree of organisation and coordination.
But when the inspection has to be carried out and fully reported not only within a tight time frame (just three weeks) but also with a completely immoveable finish date (the return of the pupils from the summer break), as it did at The Latymer School, many additional challenges can arise.
The combination of thoroughness (as required by law) and speed of execution over such a large site, in mixed-use buildings of different ages, required precise coordination and attention to detail.
It also called for a thorough knowledge of each building’s construction methods, as hidden vulnerabilities in areas near fire doors – walls, partitions, and ceiling cavities, for example – can potentially compromise their effectiveness and therefore impact compliance.
Importantly, however, this was no tick-box exercise simply to confirm or refuse compliance. The report produced also had to provide detailed information on each door set’s condition to identify potential compliance issues in the near future, and advise clearly on any preventive and remedial action to be taken.
THE SOLUTION
Legally compliant fire door inspections can only be carried out by qualified and competent specialists, otherwise even nominally compliant fire doors can potentially be rendered non-compliant. For this reason, the school turned to CFP to ensure the inspections carried out were fit for purpose.
The inspections were multi-stage and comprehensive across the entire site. We examined each and every door set and its constituent door leaves, fittings, and door furniture for issues with, amongst others:
- Door leaves and frames – Damage or major defects to leaves and frames, their alignment, fit, and gapping.
- Glazing – Cracked or broken glass vision panels that compromise the fire door’s ability to compartmentalise fire and toxic gases and stop them spreading.
- Closing and opening devices – We established whether fire doors could open and close correctly, focusing particularly on opening and closing devices, hinges, and latches.
We then compiled a full report, clearly documenting the compliance, condition, and risk associated with every fire door installation, with recommendations for any maintenance, repair, and remedial work required.
OUTCOMES & RESULTS
In a tight time scale, with a definitive hard stop, we enabled The Latymer School to cost-effectively satisfy its fire door inspection obligations, and help ensure a compliant fire safety environment for its returning staff and pupils, and its many precious buildings.
Thanks to our flexibility in delivering the work during the summer break, there was also zero risk to the school’s pupils and staff, and no disruption to its routine.
Critically, any ongoing damage to fire doors can render them non-compliant, even if they were signed off as compliant at the time of their last inspection.
A footnote on fire door inspection
Fire door inspection should be carried out every six months as a minimum, according to British Standard BS9999.
But more frequent inspections are recommended for doors that are still acclimatising to the environment in newly occupied buildings, and doors that are more susceptible to damage because they are in high-traffic zones.
For more information on how CFP can help the building, premises, or construction project for which you are responsible achieve the fire door and wider passive fire protection (PFP) compliance the law requires, get in touch:
T: 0800 059 0113 E: hello@commercialfireprotection.co.uk
