Among the high-profile supporters were London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton, and Bill Grant, MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock who had 31 years’ service in the fire brigade.
Accepting the award on behalf of the British Woodworking Federation, Iain McIlwee, CEO said, “Thank you to The Safety and Health Excellence Awards for awarding Fire Door Safety Week with this prestigious industry award.
“The success of the campaign is down to the combined efforts of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF), BWF-Certifire scheme and the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) team, but more than anything it is testament to our members who have driven us to help raise awareness of concerns and help promote best practice, not just in the manufacture and supply, but also the installation and inspection/maintenance of fire doors.
“With fire safety high on the agenda, following the tragic events of the Grenfell Tower fire, the 2017 Fire Door Safety Week campaign set out to significantly increase awareness of the benefits of fire doors, a passive fire protection method, and how to ensure their ongoing maintenance.
“Attracting the highest number of supporters to date, the campaign did just that – but our work is not done. Fire doors remain a significant area of neglect, often the first thing to be downgraded on a specification and mismanaged throughout their service life, propped open, damaged and badly maintained. Fire Door Safety Week 2018 is set for 24th to the 30th September, and will continue to raise awareness of the critical role fire doors play and how everyone can play their part to ensure they remain effective and able to fulfil their life-saving ability in the unfortunate event of a fire.”
Publicity of the 2017 campaign resulted in more than 350 pieces of media coverage, including in the Daily Telegraph and the Mirror newspapers, and 16 broadcast items including on Radio 5 Live, LBC and talkRADIO.
The campaign, now in its 7th year, saw events running across the UK and online, and at its heart was the simple 5 Step Fire Door Check providing users with a simple guide to assessing the health of their fire doors.
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