Access Control Installation Services

Access control is the one security system that can cost lives if it is wrong. Lock a door to keep intruders out and you may have locked residents in. On a fire alarm activation, every secured door on an escape route has to release, reliably, every time, or the building fails the most basic test of life safety.

For estates and compliance teams, the danger is a system that controls entry beautifully but has never been proven to fail safe.

0333 023 0470

What Is Access Control?

Access control is an electronic security system that manages who can enter a building or specific areas within it, and when, by requiring a credential, such as a key fob, card, PIN, mobile phone or fingerprint, before a door will unlock. It replaces mechanical keys with a permission list that can be changed instantly and that logs every entry. In any building with an escape route it has to do two jobs at once: keep the wrong people out while always letting people out, which is why the interface with the fire alarm is designed to BS 7273-4 so secured doors release automatically in a fire.

Fail-Safe vs Fail-Secure Locking (and Why It Matters on Escape Routes)

The single most important thing to get right on an access-controlled door is how it behaves when the power or the fire alarm cuts in. There are two options:

Fail-safe (fail-unlocked) locking releases and lets the door open when power is removed. It is used on escape routes and any door people must be able to get through in a fire or a power cut. Most maglocks are fail-safe by design.
Fail-secure (fail-locked) locking stays locked when power is removed, so the door keeps intruders out during an outage. It is used where security matters more than escape, such as a server room, plant room or external store that is not on an escape route.

On an escape route the door must fail safe, and it must also release automatically when the fire alarm operates, the behaviour set out in BS 7273-4. Every electric lock on an escape route also needs a manual override, usually a green emergency door-release, so a person can always break out by hand. Choosing the wrong mode, or fitting a maglock with no override, turns a security feature into a life-safety failure.

Nationwide Access Control Installers for Housing Associations and Councils

Ark Fire Protection provides nationwide installation, upgrades and maintenance of access control systems. We work with housing associations and local councils across residential and public sector buildings, understanding compliance obligations, safeguarding responsibilities and audit requirements.

Our teams support multi site portfolios, residential blocks, offices and public buildings, ensuring secure and controlled access across all locations.

Types of Access Control Systems We Install and Maintain

We design, install, commission and maintain access control systems tailored to each site.

Key fob and card entry systems offer controlled access for residential blocks, offices and council buildings. Audio and video intercom systems allow secure visitor verification, ideal for apartments, sheltered housing and public facilities. Biometric systems grant access via fingerprint or other verification methods for high security or restricted areas. Networked and cloud based systems provide centralised management across multiple sites, combining flexibility, scalability and security.

Why Choose Ark Fire Protection for Access Control Systems

Ark Fire Protection has extensive experience delivering secure access solutions to housing associations and councils.

Our qualified engineers provide clear reporting and documentation for audits and compliance. We integrate access control with fire safety, CCTV and wider security systems, offering scalable solutions for single buildings or large multi site portfolios while ensuring long term reliability and protection.

Get a Free Quote

Access Control Brands We Install & Maintain

We can install and service the following access control systems:

Paxton
TDSI
Comelit Pac
Videx
Cdvi

Our 12 Month Parts and Labour Warranty and Service Package

All newly installed systems include a 12 month parts and labour warranty.

Preventative maintenance visits inspect control panels, door hardware, locking mechanisms and user devices, with functional testing and service reports provided. An annual system review includes full inspection, operational testing and access permission checks to ensure continued reliability and suitability. Emergency call out cover is included during the warranty period, with rapid response to minimise disruption and maintain security.

Access Control Services As Part of a Wider Safety System

Access control is most powerful when integrated with the rest of your fire and security infrastructure. We commonly pair it with CCTV to verify identity at controlled doors and intruder alarms for unified out-of-hours protection. We also link it to fire alarm systems so fire-rated doors release automatically on activation, keeping evacuation routes clear during an emergency.

Access Control and Means of Escape: The Critical Interface

The standard that matters most here is BS 7273-4, which governs how door release mechanisms actuate on a fire signal. It classifies doors by criticality and, on escape routes, requires them to fail safe: to unlock automatically when the fire alarm operates or power is lost. Get this interface wrong and an otherwise smart access system becomes a life-safety failure.

Around it sit the duties that protect both escape and accessibility: Approved Document B for means of escape, Approved Document M and the Equality Act 2010 for accessible thresholds and entry, and the Fire Safety Order’s requirement to keep escape routes usable. Biometric systems add a data-protection layer, because biometric data is special category data under UK GDPR.

BS 7273-4 – actuation of door release mechanisms on fire; fail-safe operation on escape routes.
Approved Document B – means of escape and protected routes.
Approved Document M and the Equality Act 2010 – accessible entry and thresholds.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 – escape routes must remain available at all times.
BS EN 60839-11 and UK GDPR – electronic access control standards, plus a DPIA where biometrics are used.

Every electric lock on an escape route needs a compliant override (typically a green emergency door-release), and the fire interface needs to be tested and recorded, not assumed.

Looking up at glass skyscrapers against the sky

Secure Entry That Never Compromises Escape

The failures here are serious because they are invisible until the worst moment: doors that do not release on alarm, locking with no BS 7273-4 categorisation, maglocks fitted without a compliant override, biometric data captured with no Data Protection Impact Assessment, and no record that the fire interface was ever tested. A system can pass every day of normal use and still fail the one minute that counts.

We design the fire-to-security interface to BS 7273-4 from the outset, specify the correct fail-safe locking and overrides, and make sure accessible entry meets Approved Document M and the Equality Act. Where biometrics are used we support the DPIA. We integrate access control with the fire alarm, intruder and CCTV systems, then test and document the release function so it can be evidenced. Because we own the fire side as well, escape is never an afterthought; it is the starting point.

Our Accreditations

When it comes to the safety of your premises, you need a company that you can rely on. Ark Fire Protection is proud to be accredited by the leading industry bodies – ensuring that we always meet the highest standards of quality and safety, and that our customers can always expect a first-class service.

We’re also ISO 9001 certified, meaning that our quality management systems are regularly audited and approved. So when you choose Ark Fire Protection, you can be confident that you’re making the best possible decision for your property.

Great projects start with great technology

Here at Ark Fire Protection, we use a QR Code System to create a journey of your access control system to provide a digital log via the Onetrace App. The log covers the entire lifespan of your new access control system including information such as specifications, data sheets, images of work completed, the installer and what was installed.

Our QR Code System gives our clients visibility on the complete lifespan of the access control system and helps you keep on top of what work has been completed and what is required to keep up to date with the latest regulations and requirements.

Onetrace app tracking a fire stopping installation task

Working With Leading Manufacturers

Access Control Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is access control and how does it work?

Access control manages who can enter a building or area by requiring a credential, such as a fob, card, PIN or fingerprint, at the door. A reader checks the credential against a permission list; if it matches, the lock releases and the entry is logged. Permissions can be added or removed instantly, unlike mechanical keys.

2. What is the difference between fail-safe and fail-secure locking?

Fail-safe locks unlock when power is lost, so people can always get out; fail-secure locks stay locked when power is lost, keeping intruders out. Doors on escape routes must be fail-safe and must also release on a fire alarm under BS 7273-4; fail-secure is only for doors that are not on an escape route.

3. Do access-controlled doors have to unlock in a fire?

On escape routes, yes. They must fail safe and release automatically when the fire alarm operates or power is lost, in line with BS 7273-4. A door that stays locked on alarm is a life-safety breach. We design and test the interface to make sure it releases every time.

4. What is BS 7273-4 and does it apply to us?

It is the standard for how door release mechanisms respond to a fire signal, classifying doors by criticality and setting fail-safe requirements on escape routes. It applies to virtually any building where access-controlled doors sit on escape routes. We categorise your doors and design accordingly.

5. Are biometric access systems legal?

Yes, but biometric data is special category data under UK GDPR, so it needs a Data Protection Impact Assessment, a lawful basis and a proportionality justification. We help you assess whether biometrics are appropriate and document it correctly.

6. Can access control work with our fire alarm?

It must. The two have to be interfaced so doors release on a fire signal. Because we deliver both fire detection and access control, we design and commission that interface as one system rather than hoping two contractors’ kit talks to each other.

7. Does access control affect disabled-access compliance?

It can: thresholds, door forces, intercoms and entry methods all fall under Approved Document M and the Equality Act 2010. We design entry that is secure and accessible, so compliance is not traded off against control.