Staying a step ahead of new fire safety regulations

Propeller’s fire door inspection software has enabled a housing association to proactively respond to new regulations and set higher standards of safety.

The Challenge

Enforced in January 2023, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require quarterly checks on communal doors that lead onto common areas like hallways, and annual inspections on flat entrance doors for buildings over 11m. Details of the steps taken to comply with the new rules must also be recorded.

Housing association LiveWest, which manages more than 39,000 homes across the South West, wanted to stay one step ahead of the new regulations. With just under 2,000 communal and flat entrance doors, the organisation wanted to quickly implement a new system for identifying and recording the actions needed under the new rules.

The aim was to launch the system by November 2022, ensuring everything was in place and running smoothly ahead of the regulations coming into force.

The Solution

LiveWest turned to Propeller to design and implement its Prop-FS software alongside the housing association’s existing repairs system.

An internal project team, comprising representatives from IT, development, building safety, property services and neighbourhoods, was set up by LiveWest to work in partnership with Propeller.

As Propeller’s solution is bespoke, the first step was to establish LiveWest’s specific needs, including customised questions for the inspections, what data the software would need to provide, and the level of reporting needed to satisfy the requirements of its Board. This information was then fed into the PROP-FS app and dashboard.

The app is used to carry out the fire door inspections, enabling time-stamped photographs to be recorded along with the attributes of each door such as type, material and fire rating. Any defects can be instantly captured and the information is logged on the dashboard in real time.

This data is analysed by the software enabling LiveWest to establish if any doors are non compliant or require remedial work. Actions for repairing or replacing doors can also be recorded and prioritised. This data can be exported by LiveWest using customised, easy to understand reports.

The dashboard is also used for scheduling, allowing the frequency of inspections to be set and adjusted. LiveWest decided to go beyond regulatory requirements, which saw servicing schedules developed for all buildings, including high rise properties, extra care, supported and sheltered schemes. This means all 20,000 communal fire and flat doors will be inspected using PROP-FS.

Propeller also set up a QR code system, giving every fire door a unique asset tag. Using a mobile device, each code can be scanned to identify the door in future inspections.

LiveWest’s internal team, including maintenance operatives and estate safety officers, were trained by Propeller, ensuring they knew how to use the app, the dashboard and the QR codes.

Once the internal team had been introduced to the software, opportunities to expand its use were also identified.  For example, the ability for the inspectors to send over door measurements along with repair details was added to the functionality to further enhance efficiency.

The Results

Thanks to a collaborative approach, the software was rolled out within just 10 weeks, hitting the November 2022 deadline. Since then, the Propeller team has been on hand to provide ongoing support when needed, ensuring the team is using the software correctly and sourcing the data required.  

Liane Sheppard, Director of Property Services at LiveWest, added: “The Propeller team had great values and behaviours from the word go. Working in partnership with our project team, they made sure the solution was flexible enough to meet our needs and could work on the ground without any constraints.

“The solution has provided a robust inspection system for our fire doors as well as an auditable register.”