This week marks the launch of the Government’s ‘Back to School Safely’ campaign following the announcement that all educational facilities will reopen from the beginning of the autumn term.

Following the opening of nurseries, schools and colleges, the government has advised schools to implement a range of protective measures in order to mitigate the risk of the virus being spread. The six preventative actions which have been outlined by gov.uk and Public Health England are:

1) Minimise contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that those who have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, do not attend school

2) Clean hands thoroughly more often than usual

3) Ensure good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach

4) Introduce enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often, using standard products such as detergents and bleach

5) Minimise contact between individuals and maintain social distancing wherever possible

6) Where necessary, wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)

Source: Gov.uk

The Agrippa range of door holders and closers can directly support schools to meet the Government recommended preventative actions by:

Removing the need to touch door handles

Despite best hand washing and cleaning efforts, the frequent and inevitable use of door handles presents a potential hot spot for the transmission of infection. The Agrippa range allows any internal door to be safely and hygienically retained without compromising fire safety with the use of illegal wedges. The Agrippa devices record the specific sound of a fire alarm in order to release the door in the event of a fire. The devices can also be programmed to automatically close doors at the end of the school day, or manually closed by pressing the auto-release button. The position of the device at the top of the door ensures that it will remain open until manually closed by an adult, preventing the risk of younger children catching fingers in heavy doors!

Improving air ventilation

Ensuring good air circulation by opening windows and doors prevents the build-up of stagnant air and 1/2 reduces the risk of coronavirus spreading. While it can be tempting to prop open a fire door with a homemade wedge or heavy item, this puts lives at risk. It is critical that fire doors are held open by a device which will automatically release in the event of a fire and is approved to European standards. Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Services Group expressed concern about the increase of fire door wedging for infection control stating: “We are aware that there some businesses have been propping open fire doors... We know that this has been done with the best intentions, however fire doors should not be propped open. They are there to save lives and slow the spread of fire…Without them, the risk of fire death greatly increases.”

Improving visibility in corridors to help maintain social distancing

Holding open internal doors improves visibility and allows social distancing to be maintained when walking through corridors or entering and leaving a room. Retaining the fire doors tightly against corridor walls, the wire-free and battery powered Agrippa range is a perfect solution for schools as it maximises the space available and will not release if the door is knocked by passing students, helping to prevent wear and tear to expensive fire doors. Heavy fire doors can also be a barrier to access, particularly for wheelchair users and people with restricted mobility. The Agrippa fire door holder and closer allows ease of access in line with the disability provisions of the Equality Act 2010.

To learn more about how Agrippa can support your COVID prevention strategy, visit www.geofire.co.uk/agrippa-covid19-solution/

About Geofire

Geofire, home of Agrippa and Salamander, began life in 1972 and has, since then, been designing and manufacturing a wide range of electromagnetic activation devices, including fire door holders and closers. The Agrippa wire-free, fire door holders and closers offer an alternative, battery-powered solution. The devices ‘listen and learn’ the sound of the fire alarm, closing the door upon hearing the pre-recorded sound of the alarm.