PANIC!!!!!

Now if I say Panic Bolt you’d say….what? Had to put my research head on for this blog, and I had absolutely no idea what a panic bolt was, what one would use it for, and why one would want such a thing. Well, lucky for all of you folk out in reader-land, I am all researched up and raring to explain. So, if you’re sitting comfortably, I shall begin.

Basically, a panic bolt protects fire exit doors against unauthorised use. It consists of a glass tube with a bolt inside it, which secures the door and keeps it locked tight. Now obviously, in an emergency, locked doors tend to be a bit of a hindrance to exiting the building. Therefore, this panic bolt has a mechanism for allowing you to open the door and run screaming from the building in case of a fire. (The running and screaming part is purely optional, and probably not the greatest idea in a full-blown emergency situation, but it sounded good when I wrote it).

So, if you need to use the door in an emergency, you can break the glass tube, and the bolt automatically slides back and releases the door, allowing you to walk carefully and calmly through it (probably a better way of making your exit).

Redlam, is a company that makes these aforementioned little devices. They work in the same way as a normal panic bolt, but with a little difference. IF you think about it, once you’ve broken your glass tube, you then have to walk all over it in order to get out of the door, and out of the blazing building. Not a hugely safe thing to do, especially in low light levels. Therefore, Redlam have come up with a modification – their tubes are Ceramtubes (fanfare please!). The Ceramtube is much safer than a normal glass tube, as it does not actually contain glass. Therefore it is much safer, giving you a much higher chance of avoiding glass-related injuries.

The Ceramtubes can be used in all areas, including the kitchen, and will fit all break glass tube exit systems, so that if you already have a panic bolt with a glass tube, you can simply replace the tube, without having to replace the entire unit. A cunning plan.

When you buy a Redlam panic bolt, you will get the whole kit – including the aluminium panic bolt, hammer (to break to not-glass tube) and chain (to attach the hammer to the unit – you don’t want to lose this little piece of equipment), screws to fix it to the door, and the magical little Ceramtube.

These devices are great – they sort out the dilemma about needing fast and easy exit from your premises in an emergency, but also needing to make sure all your precious equipment is secure. Swift emergency exits, and prevention of unwanted entries into the building. Job done!