Unity Doors attain certification for security, fire & smoke control

Secured by Design (SBD) has been a staunch campaigner for improved security in buildings for over 30 years. As a consequence of the tragic events of the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, SBD announced that as part of its membership it was requiring doors that are either described as fire doors, or where fire performance is declared or implied, to have third-party certification for both security and fire performance.

SBD have subsequently revisited the possible life-threatening characteristics of fire rated doorsets, as asphyxiation caused by smoke inhalation is the most common cause of deaths in flats when a fire occurs, and SBD now requires all member companies with doorsets listed on their SBD schedule that are fire rated and that are required by UK Building Regulations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) to have smoke control properties for the intended installation - e.g. flat entrance doorsets to be certificated for the following attributes – Security, Fire and Smoke Control.

SBD are adamant that any doorset that carries SBD accreditation should be fit for purpose in all declared characteristics, but especially those that are life critical such as fire, security and smoke control.

Doug Skins, Secured by Design, said: “I am delighted that Unity Doors have attained this certification, it is a testament to the company seeking to ensure that all of their doors and doorsets achieve the best performance for their chosen environment.  They have been valued members with SBD since 2012 and are focused on delivering excellence and making a real difference to peoples’ lives.”

Unity Doors, said: “We’re really proud to be one of the first composite doorset manufacturers to achieve the latest Secured by Design fire doorset requirements. The addition of smoke control as well as security and fire performance signals a major step forward and we’re certain it will result in improved levels of fire performance throughout the industry.”

Unity Doors is part of the Unity Group, which is made up of JCK Joinery – the bespoke timber door specialist, with a heritage spanning more than 150 years - and Unity Doors who have been serving the door industry for over 20 years.

As a group, they are specialists in the design, manufacture and installation of high performing British made doors, including; sheet moulding compound (SMC), thermoplastic composite, engineered solid timber core composites and high quality timber doors.

Since its inception they have sold over two million doors to trade, domestic and business customers throughout the UK.

Driven by strong principles and values they are committed to delivering excellence and leading the market with premium quality external doors.

You can find out more about Unity Doors and their range of Secured by Design accredited products here: https://www.securedbydesign.com/member-companies/sbd-members?view=companydetail&account=0011i00000JpvkkAAB