Portland Youth Christian Outreach (PYCO), a small charitable organisation working with young people on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The centre is open Friday and Saturday evening from 7.30pm to 10.15pm for young people aged between 11 and 19. It offers a drop-in centre and a coffee bar.
The charity carried out a fire risk assessment through which they identified that they did not have sufficient measures in place to prevent the spread of fire through the building or protect the users and staff at the centre. Users at the centre and staff were wedging fire doors open to increase accessibility through the building and also to enable staff to monitor activities in other rooms. Zach Williams, Operations Manager said “Fire doors were often left wedged open as this was the only way that users could freely move around the centre and that staff could easily monitor what was happening in other rooms.”
It was identified that a cost effective solution was needed to allow the ease of movement and ensure that fire safety legislation was not breached. Zach became aware of the Dorgard, which is a wireless fire door retainer that holds the fire door permanently open but closes the door in case of fire. He said “we had seen the Dorgard product and were aware that this would be a good solution to the issues of wedging doors open in the centre as it enables better fire protection.” Fitted with a door closer on the fire door, Dorgard listens for the fire alarm. On hearing it the unit will lift its plunger and the door will close, preventing the spread of fire.
PYCO wanted to find a solution that would not reduce their accessibility but that made them compliant with fire safety regulations. After the easy installation process of fitting Dorgards at the centre in Portland, Zach commented that “Fire doors make a real difference in protecting property, so these devices have made a great improvement to the safety of our building and all users. It allows both staff and volunteers to move around the centre with ease, without placing anyone, or the property at risk.”
Now staff and users of PYCO can move about the building freely, staff are able to monitor all the rooms adequately and fire safety regulations are adhered to.
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