Fire hazard within your own four walls
Advent, Advent, a little light is burning - this Sunday marks the start of the Advent season, when numerous candles are lit. During the dark season, we spend more time at home and cosy up with lights. This also increases the risk of house fires.
On average, there is a fire every two to three minutes in Germany these days. Individual rooms or objects are most frequently affected. But even such small fires are dangerous due to the smoke they produce, as the smoke is full of toxic substances. So it is often not fire that is the cause of death, but in 80 per cent of cases the victims suffocate from the toxic smoke. This smoke is the biggest problem in a house fire, as it spreads within a few minutes to such an extent that the people affected lose their orientation. In addition, the concentration of carbon monoxide in the air, which is toxic to humans, increases rapidly.
According to nationwide fire statistics from February 2020, there were 280 fire deaths in Germany within one year - most of them over 65 years old.
Fire hazard: the kitchen
Why do fires start?
The most common causes of house fires are open flames, human error and electrical appliances. These can catch fire due to thunderstorms or a cable spontaneously burning through. The lithium-ion batteries used in many appliances also pose a fire risk if a short circuit occurs within them.
Kitchens contain many electrical appliances. As a result, fires occur more frequently here than in other rooms. Statistics show that almost 50 per cent of all fires in residential buildings start there. A common cause is electrical appliances on a hob that is accidentally switched on.
Stay safe with fire protection doors from GARANT
Doors play a vital role in preventing the spread of fire and smoke. When closed, they act as a barrier to the rest of the building. Special fire and smoke protection doors offer enhanced protection in the event of a fire thanks to their design.
GARANT offers a wide range of fire protection doors with test certificates. Depending on the application, they can be fitted with additional functions and extras, such as burglary protection or climate class 3. All GARANT fire protection doors with smoke protection also have at least sound insulation class SK1.
As a producer, we have an obligation to supply a fully functional fire protection element. In concrete terms, this means: Our fully functional fire protection elements consist of a door leaf and door frame, including all fittings such as hinges, lock, lock cover plate, door closer and door handle. In addition, approval documents and installation instructions are included in the scope of delivery.
Qualitatively tested: our doors are this secure
Architects or fire safety officers normally fix where in the building a fire protection door should be installed. These special doors must have a valid ‘General Building Approval’ and be fitted with a self-closing door closer.
The “General Building Approval” is issued by the DIBt in Berlin on the basis of fire safety tests carried out in cooperation with testing institutes. External monitoring during operation ensures the consistent quality of the fire protection doors throughout the production process for the duration of the approval. In addition, door closers, where applicable with hold-open systems, and smoke detectors are used in the building.
- Z-6.20-2095 – GARANT types FS-30-1/FS-30-1-RD and FS-30-2/FS-30-2-RD
At GARANT, we test fire doors in accordance with the stricter requirements of the European standard DIN EN 1634-1.
This means our fire protection doors are designed with even greater attention to detail than before to ensure your security.
Quick tips: How do I react to a fire?
Although it is not a mandatory requirement, a smoke protection function is also available as an option for GARANT fire doors. For the majority of fire doors, such a smoke protection function is advisable, as it helps to prevent the spread of smoke.
The smoke protection test is carried out on a complete door-set, which must meet the relevant criteria in accordance with DIN 18095 (in future EN 1634-3). You can find further information on this here.
- Keep calm
- Report the fire
- Warn others
- Leave the danger zone
- Walk in a crouched or bent position