Door Industry Journal - Summer 2016

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 98 THE door industry journal summer 2016 fire & security feature Keeping compliant To enforce compliance, there are a number of building regulation standards in place that relate to access control. It’s essential that these be adhered to, in order to ensure the safety of a building’s occupants while still maintaining a high level of security. These include EN179 Emergency Escape (for when the building occupants are aware of the building environment), and EN1125 Panic Escape (for environments used by the general public). More recently, the new standard EN13637 Electronically Controlled Escape Systems (for use on escape routes) has come into force this year, which covers electric locking solutions. These standards state that even if a door is electronically controlled for access there must be a compliant means of escape in an emergency. In the case of fire doors, this is essential to provide fire protection, to compartmentalise a building, and protect the escape routes. This is also a critical function in a terror situation - offering the ability to shut off certain areas to terrorists and allow egress or access to ensure the safety of the public. In the event of a terrorist threat, it is crucial to protect personnel from a fast-moving incident. Dynamic lockdown is the ability to quickly restrict access and egress to a site or building through physical measures in response to an external or internal threat. According to the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, the aim of a lockdown is to prevent people moving into dangerous areas, while preventing attackers from accessing a site, therefore specifiers need to carefully consider the range of containment, access and escape systems available. Access control options In the event of an emergency such as a fire or terror attack, there needs to be a reliable exit route that allows a quick and easy escape, so ensuring the correct locking solutions are installed at access points is key. There are safety advantages to be gained by opting for an electric locking system – such as a motorised or solenoid lock – rather than choosing door magnets. This is because there can be fire risks associated with installing a magnet on a door which is used as a fire escape, as they require special arrangements in order to guarantee they are fail-safe at all times in the event of an emergency. For example, some door magnets require an alarm or ‘request to exit’ mechanism to allow someone to exit, so there could be delays for people needing swift egress in an emergency situation. In addition to electric locks, there are also now a wide choice of fully compliant safety solutions on the market that have been designed to meet the current British Standards for emergency and panic escape scenarios and containment. These include options such as fire-proof and ballistic resistance security doors, available as pre-engineered security door sets specifically designed for either internal or external use. Ranges of doors have been designed to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of security requirements. This includes Secured by Design accreditation in accordance with British and European standards, including BS 476 Part 22: 1987 for fire protection and the UK Loss Prevention Certification Board LPS 1175 Standard for the ability to withstand sustained expert attack. If the door needs to be bulletproof to protect against a firearm attack, it needs to be tested to EN 1522 / 1523 standards and is required to withstand shot spacing and projectile calibre; critical testing for resistance against gunfire. Configurations can be range from FD30(S) – FD240(S) fire ratings in accordance with BS 476 Part 22 or EN 1634 to conform to the highest fire resistance standards. Manufacturers are regularly audited and approved by authorised testing companies to ensure continued conformity.