DORMA Door Controls reconcile fire safety with residents peace of mind in nursing homes

The recent Rosepark Care Home tragedy at Uddingston, near Glasgow, is the worst building fire accident in Scotland for more than 30 years. The fire, which started in a storage cupboard on the first floor and only spread three or four metres around the cupboard, was easily brought under control and left the investigators initially astonished that it should claim fourteen lives so quickly. Then came the speculation that many of the victims had been sleeping with their bedroom doors open and were likely to have been overcome by the smoke that filled a section of the first floor. Nursing home management do sometimes face a dilemma when it comes to decision making about door closing devices. Self-closing devices may not always be fitted because of residents concern about feeling permanently closed in and restricted in exiting their rooms – to use toilet facilities for example. Current fire regulations (Document B) state that “all fire doors should be fitted with an automatic self-closing device except for fire doors to cupboards and to service ducts which are normally kept locked shut” and it is this that has to be reconciled with peace of mind for both residents and staff. more…

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