Jargon Buster

When applying defibrillator pads, one pad is placed on the right side of the patients chest (just below the clavicle), and the other pad is placed on the left side of the patients chest (just below the pectoral muscle).

Non-polarized pads can be used in either of these locations, which makes applying them quicker and easier.

Fire doors in public buildings often need to be accesed by the elderly, less able people, wheelchair users and people with pushchairs.

The delayed closing action allows the fire door to remain open for a preset period of time whilst the user passes through the door. After the period of time has elapsed the door will close as normal.

DIN, the German institute for standardisation, is a registered association, founded in 1917. With head office is in Berlin the organisation has been recognized by the German government since 1975 as the national standards body and represents German interests on International and European level.

DIN offers a forum in which representatives from the manufacturing industries, consumer organizations, commerce, the trades, service industries, science, technical inspectorates, government, in short anyone with an interest in standardisation, may meet in order to discuss and define their specific standardisation requirements and to record the results as German Standards.

Standardisation as undertaken by DIN is a service that aims to benefit the entire community.

DIN Standards promote rationalisation, quality assurance, safety, and environmental protection as well as improving communication between industry, technology, science, government and the public domain.

In DIN, standards work is carried out by some 26,000 external experts serving as voluntary delegates in more than 4,000 committees. Draft standards are published for public comment, and all comments are reviewed before final publication of the standard. Published standards are reviewed for continuing relevance at least every five years.

DIN 13157: Suitable for small companies (<20 workers or <50 office staff) and private households. Filings in accordance to DIN 13157 contain 72 items. Fillings can be stored for up to 20 years.

DIN 13169: Suitable for larger companies (>20 workers or >50 office staff). Filings in accordance to DIN 13169 contain 144 items. Fillings can be stored for up to 20 years.

Discharge range is the distance that the extinguisher media can travel from the hose when it is being discharged. A larger discharge range allows the user to extinguish the fire from a greater distance and reduces the danger the fire poses to them.

Discharge time is the amount of time a fire extinguisher takes to discharge its contents.

A door closer is a mechanical device that is used to close a door. The most common use for a door closer is to ensure that a fire door remains closed in case of a fire.

Door Closer Mounting Configurations

Door closers can be mounted in different ways depending upon the application for which they are being used. The three most common mounting types are detailed below.

Fig 1

Also known as regular or projecting arm, this is the standard fixing position for a universal door closer. This is where the door closer is fitted to the opening face of the door on the hinge side.

When a door closer is fitted in a "figure 1" configuration the arms of the closer will project outwards from the door at around 90°.

Please Note: Fig 1 is suitable for all fire doors.

Fig 61

The second fixing position for a universal door closer is commonly referred to as "figure 61" or transom. This is where the door closer is inverted and the body of it fitted to the head of the door frame opposite the hinge side of the door. This application allows a door closer to be fitted on external doors without the closer having to be exposed to the elements.

When a door closer is fitted in a "figure 61" configuration the arms of the closer will project outwards from the door at around 90°.

Please Note: The Certifire certificate must explicitly state approval for a door closer to be compliant in this configuration.

Fig 66

The third fixing position for a universal door closer is commonly referred to as "figure 66" or parallel arm. This is where the door closer is fitted to the closing face of the door opposite the hinge side of the door. The arm of the closer is then fitted to a bracket supplied with the door closer. This application allows a door closer to be fitted on external doors without the closer having to be exposed to the elements.

When a door closer is fitted in a "figure 66" configuration the arms of the closer will run parallel to the door and frame.

Please Note: The Certifire certificate must explicitly state approval for a door closer to be compliant in this configuration.

Dorgard is a wireless fire door retainer that offers a safe and legal solution to hold your fire doors open. The dorgard will allow the fire door to automatically close in the event of a fire providing that the door is fitted with a door closer.

See: ABC Dry Powder