Police force team up with fire safety experts

In the wake of the Grenfell Tower high-rise inferno, which took the lives of 72, the company set up an arm of the business to fit and maintain the specialised doors, along with providing passive fire protections services and critical fire services to housing associations, businesses, and local authorities.

Legionella and Fire Safe Services – based in Lichfield – have an ongoing quantity of the old fire doors that are and have been replaced to meet the current regulations with regards to fire safety.

They are now in talks with three other police forces around the country about doing the same.

PC Ged Stacey-Midgley, the method of entry trainer at Leicestershire Police training unit, said: “It is a remarkable act of generosity and one that will save lives by allowing training police officers to learn how break through or break down fire doors, which are now a legal requirement in every housing block in the country.

“We cannot thank Legionella and Fire Safe enough.”

Operations director Danielle Bayliss from the safety compliance company, said: “It is great to be helping the local community and our emergency services to potentially save lives.

“Sustainability is very important to us. Doing business without negatively impacting the environment, community, or society as a whole is something we are passionate about.”

The idea to donate the used fire doors was that of the Legionella and Fire Safe surveyor Jamie Tooke, who first contacted PC Stacey-Midgley at Leicestershire Police.

Steve Morris, managing director of Legionella and Fire Safe Services, said “I am very impressed with Jamie’s initiative to drive this project, as a vompany, we encourage our employees to 'think outside the box' and Jamie has done a great job on securing this partnership and it pleases me to think we are helping others to protect and keep people safe, which is what we all strive to do.”

The force’s training centre – based in Enderby – runs various training for their police officers in relation to method of entry, allowing offers to enter secure premises to secure suspects, evidence or preserve life and help people in crisis. Officers use a variety of tools and techniques but need a supply of doors to use.

Officers must undertake regular refresher training. This uses a large number of doors as these are rendered useless after being cut open or smashed down.

Officers in real life situations come across a variety of doors, ranging from hollow internal doors to heavy duty reinforced doors.

These officers will find themselves coming across flat fire rated doors.