Novus Blog

This week marks the eighth annual Fire Door Safety Week, where those across the construction and built environment industries come together to raise awareness of the critical role of fire doors and the importance of their correct installation and maintenance.

Why do we need fire doors?

Fire doors play a crucial role as a first line of defence against fire and smoke in containing their spread is vital.

Fire doors protect evacuation points so that building occupants can safely leave the building. They also protect the contents of the building to mitigate the financial and asset loss associated with fire damage.

Furthermore, fire doors afford greater time to firefighters in successfully tackling and quelling the blaze.

Where are fire doors found?

Fire doors are located inside the building and are designed to resist the spread of fire internally.

As opposed to fire exits that are installed onto external walls in order to allow people to escape the building in the event of a fire emergency.

Can fire doors be left open?

No. Fire doors must remain closed at all times to prevent the spread of fire and smoke.

Additionally, fire doors should carry a clear sign indicating that the fire door should be kept shut or locked shut.

Where the fire door has an automatic closing feature, this information should be clearly displayed also.

The importance of installing, inspecting and maintaining fire doors

It is important to note that having a fire door isn’t a shortcut to a safer dwelling.

Last year, the London Fire Brigade’s assistant commissioner Dan Daly said that of 177 care homes inspected across the capital, a third had inadequate or poorly maintained fire doors.

So, what can those charged with keeping residents safe do to minimise the risk posed by fire?

Fire door installation

It is important to remember that installing a fire door isn’t the same as a regular door and must be fitted by a competent installer.

Although legal certification is not required to install fire doors, if they are not properly fitted, the fire resistance capabilities of the door can be compromised and even rendered useless.

BM Trada offer the Q-Mark Fire Door Installation scheme for installers interested in becoming accredited.

What steps should a fire door installer follow?

• First, they need to make sure they’re installing a fire door with the correct certification for the space. These vary from building to building, but they’ll always come with a certification mark veryifing the level of protection they offer.

• Once they’ve put the door up they’ll then need to check the gaps around the top and sides have consistently gap of 2-4mm when the door’s closed. While the gap at the bottom can be no bigger than 10mm for FD30/60 and no bigger than 3mm for FD30/60S in line with the manufacturers installation guidelines and the BS 8214 2016 code of practice.

• After that it’s time to check the intumescent seals around the door to ensure they’re intact – these expand in the event of a fire, preventing it from spreading through the gaps on the outer edges. All fire doors also need to be fixed with at least three hinges with no missed or broken screws to ensure it will perform properly under strain.

• Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the door needs to close properly when installed. A fire door only works correctly when shut, so any door that is wedged open or doesn’t close fully is rendered useless.

Once a door is installed it still needs to be regularly inspected and maintained properly.

Residents and landlords should create a maintenance log for checking all doors regularly in a building, and ensure that any parts that are replaced are done so on a like-for-like basis.

Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO/FSO) mandates that fire resisting doors should be correctly installed and properly maintained so that they remain effective and fit-for-purpose.

How often should a fire door be inspected?

Fire doors should be inspected every six months for damage and to ensure they are still compliant.

If the building is a particularly busy one or where the fire door is located in a heavily trafficked area, checking the fire door every 3 months might be prudent.

It is important however to continually monitor the condition of internal fire doors, reporting any damage as soon as it becomes apparent.

Who should inspect a fire door?

It is essential that a competent person be entrusted with the inspection of fire doors.

We would recommend a BM Trada Q-Mark trained Fire Door maintainer, FDIS (Fire Door Inspection Scheme) trained and registered individual carry out the inspection of fire doors.

These individuals carry a diploma in fire doors and/or are Certified Fire Door Inspectors.

Novus also offer this service and we encourage you to contact us if this service is of interest to you >>

What should be checked when inspecting a fire door?

1.    Check the Fire Door Certification

All fire doors must be certified (CE Marked) so make sure to check for a label or plug on the top or at the side of the door.

2.    Signs of Damage

Check for obvious signs of damage to the door itself – making sure to check for cracks in the door or in the glass (if glazed).

3.    Check the gaps

As when installing the fire door, ensure that there is a gap less than 4mm from the frame and less than2-4mm when the door’s closed.

While the gap at the bottom can be no bigger than 10mm for FD30/60 and no bigger than 3mm for FD30/60S

4.    The Fire Door Closer

Make sure the fire door closer is still properly attached and not damaged.

5.    Door frame and seals

Ensure that the fire door frame is securely attached to the wall and undamaged with the intumescent seals in tact inside the frame.

The seal must also be unbroken and undamaged.

6.    Hinges

Fire doors need at least 3 hinges with a melting point above 800 degrees centigrade.

The screws fixing the hinges into place should all be the correct size, taking care to make certain there are no broken screws as the door could become loose and ineffective.

Maintaining and inspecting for future use

We’re really proud of the work we’ve recently done to carry out fire door refurbishments across the length and breadth of the country in recent months, but there’s still a long way to go to ensure that both new and existing homes are as safe as possible.

Following these processes will go a long way to achieving this.

You can get in touch with us on 01782 237 249 or email us at info@novussolutions.co.uk to discuss your fire door project in detail.