Australian company Kilargo has been providing consultation and solutions
for building safety, comfort and efficiency for more than 30 years.
According to Kilargo, many homeowners in Australia seek to protect their
home using some of the most secure lock systems. However, Australia also has some
of the strictest fire regulations in the world, and these hi-tech locks
contravene these regulations even if they do lower the risk of break and entry
incidents.
Kilargo advises homeowners not to compromise fire safety for home security.
There are advanced front door locks being marketed by US manufacturers,
featuring Bluetooth to allow the lock to be unlocked using a smartphone app. These
hi-tech security locks also maintain a log of people entering and exiting the property,
and can grant access permissions to tradespeople or other visitors by emailing
them an ‘eKey’, which allows access at specific times or on specific days.
But Bluetooth-enabled locks don’t come cheap and can typically cost a
few hundred dollars. These locks are expected to be introduced in the Australian
market towards the end of 2014.
Among the regulations specified by Building Code of Australia (BCA) to keep
buildings structurally safe and fire safe, is a requirement for most apartment
front doors, based on their Class classification within the BCA, to be
fire doors. BCA specifies similar regulations for all commercial or
multi-occupancy premises in Australia.
Australian fire standards stipulate that locks on fire doors and items
of hardware must be rigorously tested by private and public certifying
authorities before being fitted to designated doors. A permit is required in
some states before these locks can even be changed.
Fire inspectors may even ask homeowners to remove these hi-tech locks if
they don’t meet the required regulatory stipulations.
Kilargo offers consultation to customers, helping them choose the most
appropriate products from their range of fire, smoke, sound and energy solutions.
