A sensible fire door access and safety solution

UNION, part of ASSA ABLOY Security Solutions, a UK division of ASSA ABLOY, the global leader in door opening solutions, has introduced DoorSense, a legal way for fire doors to be kept open for access and be able to close automatically in the event of an alarm.

DoorSense is CE marked to EN 1155 standards, meeting legal requirements to allow fire doors to be kept open, assisting access and providing greater movement in a building when needed, while reacting fast should a fire occur.

DoorSense is a battery operated standalone system, activated by simply opening a fire door pushing the system’s foot plunger down into the floorplate, holding the door open to ease access into the building. When a fire alarm sounds, DoorSense uses sophisticated acoustic technology to identify the alarm and automatically release the foot plunger, allowing the fire door to firmly close via a separate door closer.

Offering simple installation with no wiring required, DoorSense can be easily retrofitted to doors using older holding mechanisms, will work at any angle, and can be released manually or automatically via the alarm or by using a built-in night closing timer.

Alison Aston, Product Manager for Door Closers at ASSA ABLOY Security Solutions, said: “We designed DoorSense to be really versatile so it can be used anywhere, such as care homes, schools and public facilities. The acoustic technology within DoorSense has also been tested over 50,000 cycles to make sure we can guarantee it will work – that’s in addition to EN1155 and way beyond any tests other similar door release mechanisms are subjected to.

"Our reputation is built on products made to the highest standards that are easy to install. All our products undergo rigorous testing to ensure they perform as expected, and DoorSense is no exception.”

DoorSense can be specified in three colours – black, white or red – and is powered by two Alkaline C batteries, which are included as part of the overall package.