Stratus9 Consulting Limited was contracted to review Red Lane Primary Schools building estate. Following a comprehensive review of the properties, it became evident that urgent fire safety compliance upgrades were required within the Infants School Building, which, if left unchecked introduce unacceptable risks to life safety in the event of a fire.
The Infants School was constructed in the late 1960’s, with extensions added in subsequent years. The majority of fire doors within the main school block were original and as such well over 50 years old. In a very poor state of repair, these doors were well beyond their useable life, which was evident through the ongoing issues with non-functional and severely damaged/deteriorated door fabric.
There were numerous fire door sets that are old, worn, ineffective, damaged and non-compliant. The doors would provide little to no protection from the spread of fire, smoke and heat in the event of a fire. Breaches into protected areas and escape routes would have been inevitable putting staff and children at greater risk.
These material non-compliances were causing significant Health & Safety issues, along with providing inadequate protection to the building structure. With Stratus9’s help, Red lane Primary’s Infant Block was fully appointed with the latest fire door technology, with the doors and screens being installed within the summer period, minimising the impact on the school’s daily business.
Unfortunately, a few weeks later due to an arson incident, the unoccupied infants block lost an open teaching area. However, due to the fast response and brave efforts of the local fire service the fire was quickly brought under control before it could breach a single fire door, saving the majority of the block. The combination of the fire workers effort and the school’s foresight to appoint Stratus9 as their professional consultants, prevented further catastrophic damage to the building.
The two images of doors from the days following the blaze at Red Lane Primary shows the effectiveness of fire doors, highlighting the need for their installation. The fire doors did their job, holding the fire back until it could be brought under control. The school was able to stay within the affected building, minimising disruption to their staffs teaching and parents educational arrangements, as children were not displaced to other schools around the borough.
