To mark the start of Fire Door Safety Week 2022, Abloy UK has highlighted alarming statistics in an infographic, showing an increase in the number of fires and fatalities and a significant number of failed fire door inspections.
Pat Jefferies, Commercial Director at Abloy UK, said: “Abloy is a big Fire Door Safety Week supporter, and we promote the crucial importance of fire doors in saving lives and protecting property – not just during the initiative but all year round.
“After a steady decline in previous years, the latest fire statistics showed an increase in fires in the UK, with 152,608 fires attended to in the year ending March 2022[1] – a one per cent increase compared with the previous year.
“Of these, 63,482 were primary fires – which are generally more serious and harm people or cause damage to property – a three per cent increase compared with the previous year.
“Sadly, fatalities increased by almost 15%, with 272 fire-related deaths compared with 237 in the previous year. These included 99 during the final three months of 2021, which was the highest quarterly figure recorded since spring 2017, and prior to that the largest since winter 2008.
“Fire Door Safety is the ideal time to highlight the importance of this pertinent topic. When it comes to access control in public and commercial buildings, there is no greater responsibility than specifying the correct locking solution on emergency escape and fire doors. As the figures above show, it can mean the difference between life and death for the occupants.
“Our infographic features some worrying figures, and here at Abloy we champion the crucial role of fire door standards. We truly believe education of life safety standards is vital for any business involved with access control specification, and with this in mind we offer a number of free courses at our Academy.”
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[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-and-rescue-incident-statistics-england-year-ending-march-2022/fire-and-rescue-incident-statistics-england-year-ending-march-2022