FB Fire Brigade Rim Locks

FB Fire Brigade rim locks are still found on plenty of older timber doors, outbuildings, communal entrances and industrial premises. When the original lock is worn, damaged or missing its key, replacing it with the correct pattern matters. A standard nightlatch or modern rim lock will not necessarily line up with the existing fixing holes, keep or door preparation — and that can turn a straightforward repair into a bigger job than it needs to be.

This section covers ASEC Fire Brigade-style rim locks, together with the practical parts needed to maintain or adapt an existing installation. The double-handed 2-lever rim lock can be fitted for either handing, making it a sensible replacement where you need flexibility on site. For older FB1 and FB2 mortice installations, the deadlock conversion kit allows a change from mortice to rim operation without replacing more of the door furniture than necessary. Fire Brigade drop keys are also available for compatible locks where authorised access is required.

These are specialist replacement locks rather than a substitute for high security mortice locks for external doors or 5-lever deadlocks that meet insurance requirements. If this lock is your main security on an external entrance, check the door’s insurance requirements and consider whether additional security is needed. But where you are repairing an existing Fire Brigade-type lock, matching the operation and handing is usually the first job — and it saves time, drilling and unnecessary alterations to the door.