Digital solutions for fire door compliance

Jacobs was recently honored in the UK Management Consultancies Association (MCA) Awards receiving a 'High Commendation' in the 'Best New Consultancy' category, which recognizes client focus, delivery excellence, commitment to our people and operational excellence for a first time awards entrant. The MCA is the representative body for management consultancy firms in the UK with the mission to promote the value of management consultancy for the economy and society as a whole.

Jacobs was also a finalist in the 'Performance Improvement in the Private Sector' category for our work on a digital fire door compliance solution. Fire doors are a crucial part of the passive fire protection of commercial, public and multiple occupancy buildings. A 2015 review undertaken in the U.K. by FDIS (Fire Door Inspection Scheme) certified inspectors, showed that over 61 percent of fire doors inspected had problems with fire or smoke seals.

In 2015–2017, Jacobs worked with a private sector facility manager to improve existing fire door compliance processes. Together, we set out to develop a fully electronic reporting framework, easily accessible online; improve asset data quality; create transparency within compliance reporting across estates; and develop data analysis to find trends, that may lead to actionable insights.

To help manage bi-annual fire door surveys, we combined two proprietary compliance tools. TrackRecord (a web-based property compliance management tool owned and developed by Jacobs), and a companion app, TrackRecord Report Generator. Using these tools, over 45,000 fire door inspections were carried out, reported and findings reviewed to determine and drive change management within the facilities. 

The tools provided improved understanding of facility operations and the root cause of defects, and full transparency of information with a complete audit trail accessible at the click of a button. Trend analysis showed where improvements in the survey process could be made, for example with greater education and awareness. Compliance administration activities were reduced by some 10,000 hours, allowing staff to focus on the critical outcome of the process. The digitization of the full audit and compliance process also reduced risk of human error.

Jacobs' Stewart Anandappa and Linda Ivarsson receive the Commendation

UK Management Consultancies Association