Checkmate gain BRE Accreditation

Checkmate purchase Hilti Firestop products with LPCB Certification

Checkmate Air Seal new Police Headquarters

All change at Checkmate

Checkmate Tests Powerhouse to the 8th Wonder of the World

Checkmate work in partnership with Warrington Fire to raise fire safety standards in Dubai

Checkmate gain BRE AccreditationCheckmate gain BRE Accreditation

Checkmate have become one of the founder members of the new BRE installer scheme LPS 1531, which gives third party approval of companies involved in the installation or application of passive fire protection products.

The accreditation process involves a series of rigorous checks which are ongoing, and it is because of this assessment process that the LPCB Approval Mark is recognised worldwide as a badge of quality for passive fire protection installation.

The benefits of using third party or independent certification schemes are recognised in Approved Document B (Fire Safety) Volume 2 and the CLG guides for the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO). The use of LPCB certified products and installers will help the Responsible Person to comply with the RRO.

BRE Fire Test RigPassive fire protection products, designed to protect life and property in the event of a fire, can be compromised by poor installation or application, which may result in premature failure in the event of a fire. This standard, explains LPCB, is designed to ensure that those who install or apply passive fire protection products are trained and have the necessary skills and technical ability to do this correctly. Assessment involves an office audit, site installation inspection and on-going site surveillance inspections.

The LPS 1531 approved installation contractor will then issue a Certificate of Conformity supplied by LPCB for each passive fire protection installation.

Click here for further information on the passive fire protection contractors scheme LPS 1531, or contact Ian Stewart at: stewarti@bre.co.uk.
Hilti Firestop products with LPCB CertificationCheckmate purchase Hilti Firestop products with LPCB Certification

Checkmate have recently reached an agreement with Hilti to purchase their complete range of firestopping products. Link to Hilti Firestopping Products >

Hilti Firestop Systems have been certified by the Loss Prevention Certification Board, and are monitored on an ongoing basis to provide absolute confidence in the quality and standards of the products being installed.

The specific aim of the LPCB is to improve the protection of people and property through the reduction of risk and as members of their 3rd party accredited installer scheme Checkmate recognise the value of 3rd party accredited products. As stated by Checkmate Quality Manager Pat Henerty "3rd party accredited installation of 3rd party accredited products ensures that fire protection and compartmentation is done correctly and overall risk is minimised. Main contractors recognise that as a result their clients receive a guaranteed product that will fulfil the requirements of the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order and will provide peace of mind for the lifetime of the building".

 

Checkmate air seal new Police HeadquartersCheckmate Air Seal new Police Headquarters

Checkmate have recently air sealed the new £30 million North Kent Police headquarters for Kier Construction, in conjuction with Wintech Engineering who were able to test and pass the building first time to meet the requirements of The Building Regulations part L2.

Checkmate have a national agreement with Wintech, who are UKAS Accredited. Wintech are also members of ATTMA, providing the confidence and assurance that testing will be to the highest standard.

All change at Checkmate - 01/10/2007

Following the retirement of Richard Bowden, Alan Oliver is now our Managing Director, Mark Williams and Patrick Murphy have become Northern and Southern Directors respectively. Sinead McCullagh has been promoted to Company Secretary and Jenny Wilson has taken up the new role of National Welfare Co-ordinator.
Palm JumeirahCheckmate Tests Powerhouse to The 8th Wonder of the World

Checkmate Fire Solutions, working through Dubai Agents Haven Fire & Safety, have successfully air leakage tested the substation providing power for the air conditioning and chilled water for the whole of Palm Jumeirah; referred to in Dubai as The 8th Wonder of the World.

The substation is protected by an FM200 fire extinguisher gas suppressant system, also installed by Haven. Air leakage testing is required to confirm that the gas will be retained within the building and will be able to extinguish the flames in a fire situation, thus ensuring that services for the project are adequately protected.

Haven Fire & Safety Brochure Download >
Burj DubaiCheckmate work in partnership with Warrington Fire to raise fire safety standards in Dubai

Fire Protection in Buildings (Download article as PDF file)
The recent surge of fires, coupled with the decision by the director of Civil Defence to update and raise fire safety standards, has elevated the profile of fire protection in Dubai and investors are looking more closely at the quality of the installation and property in Dubai.

Dubai Civil Defence are currently introducing measures to ensure that properly qualified and trained fire safety officers are located on each construction site, and that only fully compliant, fire-tested, and certified products are used on Dubai projects, and, no-less-important, those installing the products short of being certified as specialist fire protection contractors must be qualified, trained and regularly inspected to ensure work is to specification and is underwritten by a Certificate of Conformity. Dubai Civil Deffence in fact already maintains registers of approved testing and certification like Bodycote Warringtonfire who offer accredited testing and certification of fire protection products. On projects such as Burj Dubai and Dubai World Central, some of the world’s leading fire safety engineering consultants are employed to provide innovative fire safety designs and life saving solutions that often far exceed minimum existing standards.

So far so good, but design specification is only the first stage of the overall fire safety supply package; not only the proper building materials and fire protection products must be specified and selected, the building’s various fire protection components also have to be correctly installed and adequately maintained in order to deliver and sustain the necessary level of fire protection. In addition, because the designed fire safety will often only apply to a ‘shell and core’ building in terms of means of escape and life safety, the various clients who eventually occupy these buildings need to put specific additional measures into place to ensure the adequate fire protection for their business.

The correct installation of fire protection components in new buildings is seen as key to ‘raising the bar’ in Dubai’s overall fire safety. The components can be broadly defined as either ‘active’ or ‘passive’. Both systems are currently required to demonstrate compliance with regulations by material suppliers and distributors submitting evidence of accredited testing and certification to and getting approval from Dubai Civil Defence.

Active systems are more commonly known; they are the ones that activate in the event of fire and/or smoke and include sprinkler and fire detection and alarm systems. By contrast, passive systems, otherwise known as structural fire protection, remain passive in the event of smoke and fire, protecting the structure of the building and minimizing its effects by containment and thus reducing risk of fire on people and property. Some of the passsive systems are fire resistive coatings used to protect structural steel, fire doors, and firestopping systems which seal the service penetrations, gaps and other imperfections in fire compartment walls and floors to ensure that smoke and fire do not spread throughout a building unchecked.

In a ‘worst scenario’ situation, where for a variety of reasons the sprinkler system does not activate, passive fire protection will be the key component of life safety. Properly installed and maintained passive fire protection is essential to the overall fire safety of a building, ensuring steel structures retain their strength and stability in the event of fire and minimizing the spread of fire and smoke to allow safe evacuation of occupants. Well-maintained fire compartments also minimize the activation and subsequent damage of water from sprinkler systems, and damage, particularly to computers and other electrical components, caused by smoke.

Once a building, or various areas of a building, has been ‘handed over’ to a client, fully compliant, it is imperative that the fire protection is adequately maintained. During the fit out period the fire compartmentation will often be damaged by the fitting of cabling and other services. Such breaches will often be hidden away in riser cupboards or in ceiling or floor voids, and they are often left unsealed or will be ‘made good’ using products that do not have a fire test or are inadequate for the required fire integrity.

Facilities managers, local insurance companies and other Health and Safety personnel responsible for a building’s life safety are becoming increasingly aware that they have a both a duty of care and a legal responsibility to deal with these issues holistically. Buildings should be regularly surveyed. These same people will often also have a responsibility for Business Continuity. It is esssential for everyone to safely evacuate a building during a fire incident, but it is even better if everyone can quickly re-enter the building with the minimum of business disruption.

Whilst Dubai is now giving more attention to the fire protection problem, developers, project managers and facilities managers will be looking for qualified and professional fire protection specialist companies that can provide total fire safety solutions to help them ensuring fire safety during construction and operation of their building.
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