Police force team up with fire safety experts
Safety experts Legionella and Fire Safe Services have handed over Fire doors - worth around £1,000 each - to Leicestershire Police For their Method of Entry Training (MOE).
In the wake of the West London high-rise inferno, which took the lives of 72, the company set up an arm of the business to fit and maintain the specialised doors, along with providing Passive Fire Protections services and Critical Fire services to Housing associations, businesses, and local authorities.
Legionella and Fire Safe Services - based in Staffordshire and operate nationwide and sustainability champions - have an ongoing quantity of the old fire doors that are and have been replaced to meet the current regulations with regards to Fire Safety.
They are now in talks with three other police forces around the country about doing the same.
PC Ged Stacey-Midgley, the Method of Entry trainer at Leicestershire Police training unit, said: “It is a remarkable act of generosity and one that will save lives by allowing training police officers to learn how break through or break down fire doors, which are now a legal requirement in every housing block in the country.
“We cannot thank Legionella and Fire Safe enough. ”
Operations director Danielle Bayliss from safety compliance company, Legionella and Fire Safe Services, said: “It is great to be helping the local community and our emergency services to potentially save lives.
“Sustainability is very important to us. Doing business without negatively impacting the environment, community, or society as a whole is something we are passionate about. ”
The idea to donate the used fire doors was that of the Legionella and Fire Safe surveyor Jamie Tooke, who first contacted PC Stacey-Midgley at Leicestershire Police.
Steve Morris, managing director of Legionella and Fire Safe Services, said: “I am very impressed with Jamie 's initiative to drive this project, as a company, we encourage our employees to 'think outside the box ' and Jamie has done a great job on securing this partnership and it pleases me to think we are helping others to protect and keep people safe, which is what we all strive to do. ”
The force 's training centre - based in Enderby, Leicestershire - runs various training for their police officers in relation to Method of Entry, allowing officers to enter secure premises to secure suspects, evidence or preserve life and help people in crisis. Officers use a variety of tools and techniques but need a supply of doors to use.
Officers must undertake regular refresher training which uses a large number of doors, as they are rendered useless after being cut open or smashed down.
Sadly, Grenfell Tower residents were let down by inadequate fire doors, which lacked correct inspection and maintenance.
But in the wake of the disaster, new fire door regulations now state residential buildings above 11 metres in height, property owners and managers must undertake quarterly checks of all fire doors, including self-closing devices in the common areas of the building.
Regular checks are required to identify any apparent damage or issues to fire doors by a designated fire safety person so problems can be resolved to avoid fire disaster.
For further information about Legionella and Fire Safe Services ' Services visit: https://www.legionellaandfiresafe.co.uk/
Or, contact 0800 080 3045 or email [email protected]
Pictured (l-r): Jamie Tooke, fire door surveyor, Legionella and Fire Safe services and Ged Stacey-Midgley PC 1161, tactical support team, Leicestershire Police