Beeches Nursing Home
Opening the door to safety at Beeches Nursing Home
Supporting independence at Ivy Cottage
Sector
Care
Customer requirements
Improve access and prevent door wedging
Product provided
Dorgard SmartSound
"I’ve worked at places before with other hold-open devices, but the noise of the vacuum cleaner kept setting them off and the doors would close. We don’t have that problem with Dorgard SmartSound. Whenever we test the alarm, the doors close automatically. Everyone is loving the SmartSounds!"
Sarah Akehurst
Assistant Manager at Ivy Cottage
THE PROBLEM
Self-closing fire doors causing frustration
Sarah Akehurst, Assistant Manager, said: “Our fire doors are really heavy, and because they had to remain closed all the time, our clients struggled to move around. It was a real source of frustration, particularly if they were carrying anything. I’d often hear swearing as the residents struggled to get through the fire doors!”
“To make life easier, staff would sometimes prop the doors open. Unfortunately, this defeats the whole object of having fire doors in the first place.”
Supporting Independence allows residents to live independently in their own home, making their own choices and leading their lives the way they want. It’s important for residents to maintain a balance between good eating and a clean living environment while having sufficient leisure time.
As part of this ethos, clients have a weekly plan, including cooking for a healthy diet and household duties. With heavy fire doors getting in the way, doing the cleaning was difficult, and the kitchen door had to remain closed, making it very dark. A solution was needed.
the solution
An improved atmosphere
Staff decided to install Dorgard SmartSound on the lounge and kitchen doors. Dorgard SmartSound is a wireless device that is easily attached to the bottom of the fire door. It holds the door open, and if the fire alarm sounds, it releases the door automatically. This means the fire door is closed in the event of a fire and able to do its job.
Sarah said, “The SmartSounds have made life so much easier. Now people can get in and out, and there’s no swearing from people being clouted on the back by a heavy fire door!”
“It’s ideal for the kitchen, as it means we can air the room out. The best part is the amount of natural light brought in by having the doors open. Before, it was very dark, and we had to have the lights on all the time, but we don’t need to anymore. This really helps with the electricity bill!”
“Having the doors open helps with the cleaning too. Residents can just walk through easily with the vacuum cleaner.”
Find out more about Dorgard SmartSound here
Dorgard SmartSound is a wireless solution for legally holding open fire doors, automatically releasing them to close when a fire alarm sounds.
Dorgard SmartSound is also available as part of our subscription service, Compliance as a Service.
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