Wireless Swing Free

[Tom W]

Apologies if this seems like an ad, but I feel as its the only type of product on the market its worthwhile knowing about.

(I work for Fireco by the way)

http://www.firecoltd.com/Fire/freedor.aspx

Wireless Swing Free device

    * Adjustable closing speed
    * Wireless technology
    * Operates up to power size 4 (80kg fire door)
    * Allows a door to swing-free through whole range of movement
    * Operates as a normal door until activated
    * Suitable for right and left hand swing doors
    * Can be installed on the opening or closing side of the door
    * Night-time release facility
    * Fail-to-safe technology, with a minimum battery life of 12-18 months
    * Adjustable sensitivity
    * Designed to comply with BS EN 1154, BS EN 1155, BS 7273-4 category C
    * CE marked

http://www.firecoltd.com/Fire/freedor/how_it_works.aspx

Any questions or comments?

[kurnal]

Hi Piglet

No its not advertising we all need to be aware of new products on the market, provided we can discuss their design and advantages / disadvantages we will all benefit.

Are you proposing to produce a radio linked version?

Can it be adjusted for sensitivity 65db or higher may not be achieved in some care premises (by design) where occupants are dependent on the staff for evacuation.

In a care home, if I  silence the alarms as part of the evacuation strategy  during PHE (to aid communications and reduce distress)  will the freedors revert imediately to their swing free mode? or does it have a reset button once activated to restore its swing free performance?

[WG]

Hi

We have just instructed a contractor to fit two Freedors looks like a useful piece of kit.

Will let you know how things go fitting etc application

Regards

[kurnal]

Hi WG
Interested to know where these are to be fitted?

[Tom W]

Hi Piglet

No its not advertising we all need to be aware of new products on the market, provided we can discuss their design and advantages / disadvantages we will all benefit.

Are you proposing to produce a radio linked version?

Can it be adjusted for sensitivity 65db or higher may not be achieved in some care premises (by design) where occupants are dependent on the staff for evacuation.

In a care home, if I  silence the alarms as part of the evacuation strategy  during PHE (to aid communications and reduce distress)  will the freedors revert imediately to their swing free mode? or does it have a reset button once activated to restore its swing free performance?

Thanks, Im happy to get any constructive comments, I just want to be honest of where im coming from.

Im sure there will be a radio version at some point however we did some focus groups with a lot of specifiers and architects and they asked for acoustic. It is completely sound adjustable and can easily be tailored for each environment.

The freedor has a red reset button on the side of it so once activated it will not be able to go back to swing free state until this is pressed, it will just be a self closer.

[kurnal]

Thanks Piglet
Glad to hear it has a reset button. That puts my mind at rest.

The sensitivity question just means it needs testing in situ before installation I suppose. The Category C compliance means that it should not be fitted in the highest risk situations provided this message is expressed clearly in the sales literature. It is not uncommon to find dorgards in situations where a category A device is required.

[Tom W]

Required by the Fire Risk Assessment and not the guidance I hope you meant Kurnal! Its interesting to note if the Dorgards you have found in a likely cat A situation, are working, have worked and are maintained and tested? 

I forgot to point out that unlike Dorgard, Freedor is only available from Fireco to trade.

[kurnal]

Yes I quite often find them on doors enclosing staircases in care homes, though sometimes the risk is higher than others, as you say. Are they maintained and tested? Some are some aren't, and I much prefer a dorgard to a wedge in any situation. But some situations are crying out for a Category A device.

[ahmedh]

Hi Piglet,

Interesting product. I did have a couple of queries regarding the device. We have a number of dorgards and like this the blurb states the technology built inside will listen out for a continuous fire alarm of 65 decibels or higher for 14 secs.

However we have found that they do activate on an intermittent fire alarm signal will this be the case with the freedor? Which i would want them to do.

The other query was around spec. It states that it is suitable for doors up to 80kg. How would the weight of the door be determined without weighing it in existing builds.

[Tom W]

Hi

The Freedor utilises similar acoustic technologies as the Dorgard. It needs to hear a fire alarm for 14 secs (on average) in order to ensure that it is the fire alarm and nothing else. It is completely sound adjustable so the device can be tailored to the environment very easily.

With regards to the weight of the door, you will find that Freedor can handle very heavy doors, above and beyond the majority you will find within a workplace. If you are unsure of the weight of the door you can simply try it out as they are so simple to install and return if not suitable or speak with our tech department.

[Tom W]

http://www.info4fire.com/main-content/full/freedor-the-world-s-first-wireless-free-swing-door-closer?OmniTest_CampName=editorial-newsletter-18-03-12&OmniCamp_Name=editorial-newsletter-18-03-12&OmniWS_Name=info4fire.com&OmniWS_ID=265&OmniPR_Name=Newsletter_Info4Fire%20Weekly&OmniPR_ID=1506&OmniLink_Label=Freedor%3A%20The%20world%E2%80%99s%20first%20wireless%2C%20free%20swing%20door%20closer&OmniDBG_URN=&OmniDBG_File_ID=&OmniSeg_Code=&OmniCC_Code=&OmniComp_Name=&OmniJob_Title=&Omni_Source=CMPI_CTS_PRE_DAT_TWMA4_v01_20080701

[Tom W]

http://www.firecoltd.com/company/news/11-05-20/Freedor_wins_major_fire_safety_award.aspx

Freedor, the world’s first wireless, electrically powered free-swing door closer, has won the Best Passive Protection Product award at the 2011 Fire Excellence Awards