University of Sussex
DMS at the University of Sussex
A safe and open atmosphere for staff and children
Sector
Education
Customer requirements
Comply with building control and the local council
Product provided
Freedor SmartSound
"It’s nice to deal with a company where there is actually someone to talk to…the support at the other end has made the difference."
Vicky Wilson
Managing Director at The Home Nursery
THE PROBLEM
Struggling to meet everyone’s needs
They operate from a Grade 2 listed building, spread over multiple floors. After 3 years of the business running, they decided to expand into the neighbouring house. The new part of the building had two staircases but the old part of the building only had one staircase, which was a big concern.
Vicky Wilson, Managing Director, contacted a fire risk assessor during the expansion as the fire safety needed to be improved. “We had to come up with fire plans that would be suitable, and the local council and building control would be happy with”.
Their fire risk assessor knew about Fireco and recommended that Vicky should consider getting some Freedor installed.
the solution
An open door policy
After the building control team and her local council had agreed that Freedor was a suitable option, Vicky started doing some research. She contacted Fireco to arrange a site visit and had 9 doors fitted with Freedor.
Heavy fire doors across the nursery were seen as problematic for Vicky. She explained: “For us, it’s very much about having an open door policy, your system works well for us because it means we can keep those doors open”.
Having an open door policy creates a welcoming atmosphere for all children. It also acts as a safeguard for staff and children because no one will be left on their own at any one time – everyone is in sight because the doors are open. Having Freedor seemed like an especially safe option compared to others on the market, because its at the top of the doors and out of reach from children.
Find out more about Freedor SmartSound here
Since this Case Study, Freedor has been upgraded to Freedor SmartSound.
Freedor SmartSound is an overhead door closer which makes opening and closing a fire door effortless.
Freedor SmartSound is also available as part of our subscription service Compliance as a Service.
the outcome
Easy maintenance
All the staff at The Home Nursery understand how Freedor works and how to use and reset the device. Vicky loves how user-friendly the products are and explained: “I have confidence in managing them myself”. However, “it’s knowing there’s always someone on the end of the phone” that gives her peace of mind if she did need help.
“It’s nice to deal with a company where there is actually someone to talk to…the support at the other end has made the difference”.
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