This week, Monday 23rd to Sunday 29th September, is Fire Door Safety week in association with the British Woodworking Foundation and Fire Door Alliance.
Fire doors play a critical role in protecting a building’s occupants from the spread of fire, heat, and smoke and are vital for the safety of those within a burning building. A professionally installed and maintained fire door can buy people between 30 to 60 minutes of protection time if a fire breaks out nearby; this could be the difference between life and death.
To be effective, a fire door should meet the following requirements:
- Fire doors must be able to withstand fire for a specified period, typically 30- or 60-minutes fire resistance rating.
- Fire doors must be installed and maintained by a competent person
- Fire doors must have a label or certification mark to indicate their fire resistance rating.
- Fire doors must display appropriate signage like ‘Fire Exit – Keep Clear’ or ‘Fire Door – Keep Shut’
- Fire doors must be fitted with a suitable, fire-resistant frame.
- Intumescent (expandable) seals must be fitted around the door’s edges to prevent the passage of fire and smoke.
- Fire doors must be fitted with self-closing mechanisms preventing them from being inadvertently left open.
- Fire doors must be regularly inspected, checking hardware is secure and fire rated, seals are undamaged, gaps and clearances are the appropriate size, appropriate signage is visible, glass/glazing is fire-rated, and self-closing mechanisms work automatically. Inspections should also include cataloguing all fire doors within the premises, their location, type and fire rating, and the door’s overall condition.
- Fire doors that are also passages for emergency exits must be easy to open from the inside, without the need for any key or special effort.
How can we help?
If you require assistance with your fire door surveys, please contact our team who can offer support or carry out the inspection on your behalf.
