David, the point you make is valid. You have correctly identified the stumbling block and it could be seen as part of your responsibility, if anyone was being pedantic. Top marks for being aware of it.
I think that you would be quite right to expect for someone to confirm that these sllding doors are installed in accordance with BS7036-2 otherwise you could argue that your 7273-4 certification would be worthless.
However, I remember nothing from your previous posts stating that these sliding doors are powered. I would say that the BS7273-4 clause you highlight specifically relates to powered sliding doors and no others. I now presume that the doors are powered.
I too know nothing about BS7036-2 but one thing we can tell from the BS7273-4 clause is that these doors need to automatically open on failure of their power supply. From this I presume that the doors must have some sort of spring arrangement that is trying to pull them open except where their power source and controls are telling them to close. Are the doors like this?
If they are then the fire alarm interface input/emergency door release surely just needs to interupt the power supply to the doors. I'm still worried about your initial description that the 'emergency' control of the door was expected to be a 'make' contact. I can't see how that ties in with the 'fail-safe' nature of BS7273-4. I would definitely rather interupt the door 'hold-close' power source by a NC contact of an energised interface relay.
If the doors do not automatically open on power failure then I can't see how they can comply with clause 9.5 of BS7273-4 and I suspect they probably don't comply with BS7036-2 for this same reason.
At the end of the day you also need to establish if these doors are meant to comply with BS7273-4 anyway. You might like them to, I might like them to but unless your customer has specifically requested that you certificate them to this standard, is it your responsibility?
As Prof. K and others often argue on these pages, the requirements for equipment and systems in a building are actually based on a risk assessment rather than a prescriptive set of rules and if that assessment doesn't call for sliding doors complying with BS7036-2 and also interfaced to the fire alarm system to BS7273-4, then it is surely not the fire alarm engineer's problem.
When being asked to commission equipment or a system you should ask to which set of standards they are trying to meet. They probably won't know. But why should you know everything and those people earning more than you get away with knowing nothing?
I know nothing, Mr Fawlty.
p.s. Watch out when having the non-PC chat with Prof. K. His views on the new world order are very radical, as I found out when he lectured me on the 'Role of the Fire Risk Assessor in the Post-Apocalyptic Europe. There was much talk of uniforms, jack-boots and matrons with food whisks!
