Maintaining smoke control systems in multi-storey residential buildings

Posted by Tom Archer on 23/11/21 10:00

Testing and maintenance of life safety installations in multi-storey residential buildings is mandatory under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order and is one of the most important aspects of facilities management. Since Covid-19 has become a global concern and forcing people to spend more time at home, it has become more important than ever that people are kept safe in their apartments.

 

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Topics: service

Using SFG20 to maintain smoke control systems.

Posted by Tom Archer on 25/10/21 10:00

Recently, we have been getting a lot of questions from customers who are either thinking about or who are already using SFG20 to help maintain their smoke control systems. In this blog, we aim to answer some of the most common questions around what SFG20 is, how to use it and why it is beneficial.

 

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Topics: service

Why brise soleil maintenance is so important

Posted by Tom Archer on 28/09/21 11:00

Strong winds and storms are becoming a more frequent feature of the autumn and winter weather patterns in the UK. External building features are being exposed to these more unpredictable elements - it is your duty as a building owner or operator to ensure your systems are well maintained.

However, brise soleil systems and typical architectural shading products are generally overlooked when considering inspections for damage after storms. Under BS EN 1991-1-1-4 2005, it is a requirement to carry out inspection works to the fixings of external architecture to prevent wear and tear, check for vibration, divergence, and fluctuations to the system which could cause fatigue and cracking.

The potential for property damage, personal injury and even fatalities could easily become a reality if maintenance is neglected. You must ensure you have a maintenance engineer you can trust. One who will check for galvanic corrosion or wear and tear and who will ensure that the installation hasn’t become loose or damaged from high winds.

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Topics: service, Brise Soleil

Maintaining smoke control systems in car parks.

Posted by Tom Archer on 25/08/21 14:00

According to the *latest government statistics (published Feb 2021), there have been 790 car park fires between 2010 and 2020, with 90 of those attributed to the 2019/2020 period. The data also shows a concerning jump in fires from 2016 onwards, which has stayed consistent (fires in 2015: 77; fires from 2016 onwards, between 98 - 90 per year). It could be argued that the increase in electric charging points in car parks might be driving this increase, but there is currently no reliable data to support this theory. 
We might not be able to conclusively prove why car park fires appear to be on the up, but everyone can agree that if this is what the data seems to suggest then the best thing building managers can do to keep occupants and stock safe is to have fully functioning and compliant fire safety systems (including smoke control) in their car parks. Providing regular, expert maintenance is one of the best ways to achieve this. 

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Topics: Smoke ventilation, service, smoke control maintenance

Your smoke control maintenance FAQs: the 2023 update

Posted by Tom Archer on 23/06/21 10:00

When new customers contact us about setting up their contracts, we frequently get asked a few common questions. If you have just taken over management of a new building and are unsure about where to start with your fire safety systems maintenance schedule, this blog may have some of the answers you are looking for. For anything else you are still unsure of, contact one of our friendly and professional servicing specialists or use our ‘What’s on my roof’ uploader tool to identify what systems you have.

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Topics: Smoke ventilation, service, smoke control maintenance

Smoke control system servicing from Colt.

Posted by Tom Archer on 09/06/21 10:30

We frequently get asked by new customers what a maintenance visit from a Colt engineer will look like when we come to inspect and test your smoke control systems. We’ve written this blog to give you an overview of what you can expect from each of your Colt maintenance visits.

We truly understand how valuable your time is. That’s why our smoke ventilation servicing process has been designed to ensure that your buildings are safe and legal. Knowing exactly what to expect before, during and after a visit will put your mind at ease and help you to plan your time accordingly.

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Topics: Smoke ventilation, service, smoke control maintenance

Storm season approaching? Check your Brise Soleil.

Posted by Tom Archer on 08/12/20 11:00

Here in the UK, we get more storms than we used to and Met Office have been giving them nice names. You may remember in February this year we had Storm Ciara followed immediately by Storm Dennis.

Their impact, though, can be anything but nice. Ciara recorded 97mph on the coast, with widespread gusts of 70 – 80 mph even in less exposed inland areas, causing trees to be blown down. The destructive winds and heavy rainfall of Storm Dennis claimed at least five UK fatalities.

The Met Office tells us that our next visitors will be named Bella, Cristoph and Darcy. But beware, they are unlikely to be as nice as they sound.

With strong winds and storms becoming a more frequent feature of the autumn and winter weather patterns in the UK, external building features are being exposed to these more unpredictable elements.

However, Brise Soleil systems and typical architectural shading products are generally overlooked when considering inspections for damage. Under BS EN 1991-1-1-4 2005, it is a requirement to carry out inspection works to the fixings of external architecture to prevent wear and tear, check for vibration, divergence, and fluctuations to the system which could cause fatigue and cracking.

The potential for property damage, personal injury and even fatalities could easily become a reality. You must ensure you have a maintenance engineer you can trust. One who will check for galvanic corrosion or wear and tear and who will ensure that the installation hasn’t become loose or damaged from high winds.

An example of what can go wrong if you fail to maintain your Brise Soleil systems:

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Topics: service, Brise Soleil

What the Draft Building Safety Bill Will Mean for Service and Maintenance of High-risk Buildings

Posted by Conor Logan on 25/09/20 10:15

Last month I wrote a technical review of the latest Fire Safety Bill, where I outlined the specific details of how the Fire Safety Bill legislation will be implemented and enforced.

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Topics: Smoke Control, service, smoke control maintenance, Fire Safety

Smoke ventilation servicing: what to expect during a visit

Posted by Tom Archer on 02/07/20 10:00

In our last post, we outlined everything you need to know about smoke ventilation system maintenance. Now, we will explain what you can expect when you set up a service contract with Colt and call out our engineers for smoke ventilation servicing.

We truly understand how valuable your time is. That’s why our smoke ventilation servicing process has been designed to efficiently ensure that your buildings are safe and legal. Knowing exactly what to expect before, during and after a visit, will put your mind at ease and help you to plan your time accordingly.

Firstly, we will outline some of the types of buildings and smoke control systems we maintain, then we will explain what to expect from a visit, and list some common issues we find during visits. Finally, we will explain how to set up a servicing contract with us.

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Topics: Regulations, service, smoke control maintenance

Brise Soleil

Posted by Tom Archer on 27/09/19 12:00

Strong winds and storms are becoming a more frequent feature of the autumn and winter weather patterns in the UK and external building features are being exposed to these more unpredictable elements.

However, Brise Soleil systems and typical architectural shading products are generally overlooked when considering inspections for damage. Under BS EN 1991-1-1-4 2005, it is a requirement to carry out inspection works to the fixings of external architecture to prevent wear and tear, check for vibration, divergence, and fluctuations to the system which could cause fatigue and cracking.

The potential for property damage, personal injury and even fatalities could easily become a reality. You must ensure you have a maintenance engineer you can trust. One who will check for galvanic corrosion or wear and tear and who will ensure that the installation hasn’t become loose or damaged from high winds.

An example of what can go wrong if you fail to maintain your Brise Soleil systems:

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Topics: service, Brise Soleil

Maintaining smoke control systems in residential tower blocks

Posted by Conor Logan on 27/03/19 08:48

Between 2017 and 2018, there were 801 residential high-rise fires attended to across the UK, with 73 fatalities and many more casualties recorded as a result of smoke inhalation and other injury.

Properly functioning smoke control systems are integral in helping to keep terrible figures such as the above mentioned at a much lower rate.

How do properly functioning smoke control systems help reduce the effects of a fire in a residential tower block?

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Topics: service, smoke control maintenance

The Ocado warehouse fire, Andover.  Short term benefit outweighs long term resilience?

Posted by Conor Logan on 12/03/19 15:20

On February 8th, the catastrophic fire that engulfed Ocado’s Andover Customer Fulfillment Centre (CFC) finally came to an end, after four traumatic days.

As the fire raged on, 300 firefighters battled on at considerable personal risk, while over 100 residents in the area surrounding the 24,000 sq. metre warehouse were evacuated. 

Statistically, more than 40% of businesses do not survive the consequences of a major fire and Ocado has already started seeing the effects of this one on theirs. Since February 5th, Ocado shares have seen a 14% decrease and the company has started preparing for massive hits to sales as it struggles to fulfill orders. The Andover CFC processed around 30,000 orders for customers each week, which represents 10% of the entire business’ capacity.

Now the immediate danger is over, the question of why this happened must be investigated. Was the repeal of the Local Acts in 2012 a contributing factor?

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Topics: Smoke Control, Regulations, service