Smoke control service and maintenance: your legal obligations
No matter how well equipment has been designed, manufactured, installed and commissioned, the possibility for failure cannot be ignored.
For life safety equipment such as Smoke Control Systems, the building operator or owner is responsible, by law, to provide a suitable system of maintenance to maintain the system in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.
This is a requirement of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (“RRO)”. Furthermore, the DCLG Guides to the regulations suggest that "The smoke control system should be maintained by a competent person who is familiar with the fire engineering performance specifications of that specific system." Colt can advise you on the scope of these regulations.
The best way to guarantee that your systems will pass an investigative inspection is to hire a service provider that is third-party certified to SDI 19 and SDI 05 as a competent installer and servicer of active fire and smoke control systems. Colt was the UK’s first company to receive both of these accreditations.
Keep up with the changing regulatory landscape
As part of the Grenfell enquiry and Dame Judith Hackitt’s report, these regulations are in the process of changing, with Colt being right at the forefront of understanding what the implications are for building owners and managers. In the proposed changes to the building regulations, there are two new roles connected with building safety. One is of the duty holder, who takes responsibility for the design and construction of the systems that will make the building safe. The other is the accountable person, who is responsible for ensuring that systems are maintained properly.
Fully competent servicing
Colt was the first UK company to be certified to both IFC SDI 19 and SDI 05, demonstrating not only our competency in fire strategy, scheme design and installation but also our high standards of servicing.
Planned and regular maintenance can extend the life of an item,and reduce the likelihood of downtime. Such a program also may permit the equipment to be updated in line with the latest technological advances and standards.
Ensure your systems are following the latest maintenance regulations.
Are your systems safe?
Under the RRO, building operators and owners are required by law to provide suitable maintenance to ensure proper smoke control system functionality in an emergency.
The UK’s most competent smoke control servicer
Colt was the UK's first smoke business to be certified to both IFCC SDI 19 and SDI 05 as a competent installer and servicer.
Maintaining smoke control systems and the RRO
This whitepaper summarises those provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005: SSI No.1541 (“RRO”) that relate to smoke control systems.
Government advice for owners of buildings with smoke control systems
What are the responsibilities of the ‘responsible person’ when it comes to smoke control maintenance? The Government has produced an important piece of advice to help.
Our Accreditations
Colt is the UK’s most highly accredited provider of smoke control service and maintenance. We were also the first UK company to be certified to both IFC SDI 19 and SDI 05, as a competent installer and servicer of smoke control systems.
Helping our customers save £millions
We have seen many cases of poorly trained or untrustworthy smoke vent servicing providers taking advantage of their customers over the years. Seek a second opinion from us to avoid the possibility of being significantly misquoted.
Want to know more about how we can help your building stay safe and legal?
Common mistakes we see on site visits
All too frequently when our service engineers are visiting new sites, they find dangerous, irresponsible installations and systems that have been neglected, causing them to under-perform. If these systems were expected to perform at full capacity when a fire broke out, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Therefore, we’ve put together a list of the most common mistakes we see on our daily visits. If your systems have similar symptoms, do not waste time in repairing or re-installing them straight away.
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Items for fire and smoke release not being wired in fire rated cable, FP for example, which could cause the unit to fail closed in a fire.
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Magnets used instead of motors on smoke shafts, magnets lose power and fail open causing smoke in shafts to open on wrong floors with disastrous consequence of smoke in the wrong place.
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Fusible Links with screws and bolts fitted to join them together as the service provider don’t have spares, these units will then never part company in a fire.
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Air leaks not fixed properly, insulation tape wrapped around leaking joints to prevent air escaping instead of a proper repair, this causes the compressor to over-run and burn out.
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Service provider closing vents down with concrete blocks as a temp measure blocks instead of proper brackets, the vents are snow loaded and will open with this weight and if they open it will cause the concrete block to fall inside the building.
If your systems have been neglected, we can help.