Fire Safety and Design Principles
Fire Door Safety
Fire doors in good condition prevent the spread of smoke and fire. They also help people to escape buildings and protect firefighters at work.
Importance of Fire Doors
-
These are particularly important because most fires occur within the apartments themselves. The apartment entrance door prevents the spread of fire and smoke into the common parts and ensures the safety of other residents.
-
Found in stairways, corridors, and lobbies. These keep the stairways and lobbies free from fire and smoke and limit the spread of fire and smoke throughout, for example, a long corridor. This means that they can safely be used by residents and others who might need to leave the building during a fire, and to assist firefighters during firefighting operations.
-
Areas for example, containing electrical distribution equipment and to service risers (shafts which allow the vertical passage of cables, pipes, etc.). this means that they limit the spread of fire and smoke throughout.
We will inspect all the doors within your building in line with The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, in which all multi-occupied residential buildings in England with storeys over 11 metres in height require to:
Fire Door Safety Checks
Undertake quarterly checks of all fire doors (including self-closing devices) in the common parts.
Undertake – on a best endeavour basis – annual checks of all flat entrance doors (including self-closing devices) that lead onto a building’s common parts.
Apartment Front Door Safety
The essential guidelines you must follow to keep you and others safe. Download the full-sized PDF below:
Regular fire door maintenance is paramount to ensure their optimal functionality at all times. Please also be aware that timber fire doors, unfortunately, require regular maintenance to ensure compliance and effectiveness in the event of a fire. This is because they are susceptible to damage and excessive wear and tear resulting from repeated operation.
Deterioration can take two main forms:
Fire Door Maintenance
Timber also has a natural reaction to environmental factors such as humidity and seasonal temperature changes. All these dynamics can mean that frequent adjustments and maintenance are needed to maintain the door’s performance capability in the event of a fire. The intention of recent regulations is to ensure that any required remedial works are frequently identified and highlighted.
Here are some key factors as to why timber fire doors require regular maintenance:
-
Buildings naturally settle over time. This can cause the door frame to shift slightly, affecting the fit of the door and potentially increasing the gaps around and under it.
-
Over time, components can wear out or become damaged, affecting the door’s performance. The repeated opening and closing of the door can also cause wear and tear. This might affect the size of the gaps around and under the door and could potentially cause the door to fail an inspection.
-
Changes in humidity can cause the door and its components to swell or shrink. High humidity can reduce the gap around and under the door, while low humidity can increase it.
-
Temperature fluctuations (Summer/Winter) can cause the door and its components to expand (when heated) or contract (when cooled). This can affect the size of the gaps around and under the door.
-
The materials used during the installation of fire doors can significantly impact the size of the gaps over time. These materials have different rates of thermal expansion and contraction, which can affect the size of the gaps. Additionally, the type of sealant or foam used during installation can also affect the size of the gaps. Moreover, the type of stud used during the installation can also significantly impact the size of the gaps. For instance, if the frame is installed on a metal stud, it is more fire-resistant and won’t warp or twist. However, if a fire door is fitted directly to a metal stud without packers, full timber or fire-rated plasterboard containment must be inserted prior to frame fixing. On the other hand, if the frame is installed on a timber stud, it can be affected by changes in humidity and temperature, which can cause it to warp or rot, leading to changes in the size of the gaps.
For more information on this legislation, please refer to the government guidance provided:
Note: the inspections undertaken are visual non-intrusive inspections only. Some competent repair providers may want to undertake their own inspections in accordance with any relevant professional standard they subscribe to in order to facilitate repairs. Some of these inspection standards may be above and beyond the requirements of the specific legislative requirement.
Fire Door Inspections: Part 1
Watch our two-part series detailing how inspections are conducted.