Are Your Fire Doors Up to Standard?

An integral  part of the fire strategy and  essential to protecting your staff.

A fire strategy in conjunction with scale drawings, should unambiguously detail the type of fire safety facilities that are to be incorporated within the building, along with their respective specifications. The method of operation of any system (ie cause and effect), whether active or passive, should also be clearly stated within the strategy. All buildings are different, although the individual types of buildings will fall into certain categories.

Fire doors are an essential part of the fire strategy, and a recent report published by the Fire Door Inspection Scheme has identified that:

"• Over 61% had problems with fire or smoke seals.
• More than a third had incorrect signage.
• 230 fire doors inspected had gaps bigger than 3mm between the door and its frame (as specified
in BS9999:2008 and BS8214:2008).
• More than 20% had unsuitable hinges.
• Almost 1 in 6 had damage to the door leaf."

http://fdis.co.uk/2015/uk-fire-doors-are-not-up-to-the-job-according-to-fdis-research

As part of the monthly fire safety checks, the Person Responsible for Fire Safety must include an inspection of all the fire doors, in order to

1. verify that they are closing correctly
2. check that smoke/heat seals are in good condition
3. check fire doors and frames to make sure that there is a correct fit into the frame (app 3mm).
4. make sure that there are no gaps, holes or damage that may allow the passage of smoke or fire.
5. check doors are not blocked or unusable
6. check doors are not damaged
7. ensure that
   • A fire resisting-self closing door requires a sign on each side stating:
     FIRE DOOR KEEP SHUT.
   • A locked fire resisting door requires a sign on the face of the door stating:
     FIRE DOOR KEEP LOCKED SHUT.
   • A fire resisting door held open by an electro-magnetic holding device requires a sign on the visible face of the door stating:
     AUTOMATIC FIRE DOOR KEEP CLEAR

Any defects in Fire resisting doors or partitions must be recorded, reported and remedial work completed as soon as possible.

If you have any queries about fire doors, the checks that are required or any fire safety questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,
The Fire Safety Specialists Team