Fire Door Safety: A 5 Point Checklist
Posted on 22/09/2015
Every year in the UK there are approximately 3 million new fire doors purchased and installed. They are one of the first lines of defence in the event of a fire and their maintenance can often be the difference between life and death. In many instances we take for granted the fact that fire doors will be there when we need them, but they will only do the job if correctly maintained.
To help raise awareness of the importance of good fire door maintenance, the Fire Door Safety Week was created by the British Woodworking Federation. It hopes to raise awareness of the role fire doors play in the event of a fire and the need to ensure they are well maintained.
“Fire doors offer vital protection and can make a real difference to the impact of a fire. I commend the British Woodworking Federation and supporting organisations for this excellent industry-led Fire Door Safety Week and encourage everyone to use this timely reminder to check their fire doors, keep them closed and report any substandard ones to the owner of the building” - Fire Minister, Rt Hon Mark Francois MP.
5 Point Check for Your Fire Doors
If your fire safety doors are sub-standard or not well maintained, you may as well not have a door there at all. In an attempt to get people to pay more attention to the maintenance of their fire doors, the following five point checklist was released as part of Fire Door Safety Week:
- Certification: Check that your fire door is certified – there will usually be a label or plug on the top or side of the door. If your door does not include a certification, report it to the owner of your building.
- Gaps: The gaps around the top and sides of your door should be no more than 4mm. To check if your doors meet this standard, use a £1 coin as a guide – this is approximately 3mm wide. In most instances the gap at the bottom of your door can be as much as 8mm – though if you can see daylight under your door, the gap is likely to be too big. Where gaps are too big, smoke and fire will likely travel through the cracks and you should therefore report it.
- Seals: The intumescent seals around your door are designed to expand when they come into contact with heat. This helps to stop the fire from spreading through the cracks. If your door does not have seals, or if the seals are faulty, you should report it to the owner of your building.
- Hinges: Check that all hinges on the door are firmly fixed and that no screws are missing. If a door is not correctly maintained, it may not be capable of offering the necessary protection in the event of a fire.
- Closing: A fire door will only offer the necessary protection if it is closed correctly. You can test your door by opening it to about half way and then letting go. If the door closes fully by itself without catching on the floor or frame, it is fine. If it does not close correctly, report it. A fire door is no use to anyone if it does not close properly or is wedged open.
If you notice a fault with one of the fire doors in your building, never just walk on by and ignore it. There may come a time when you find yourself relying on that door and if it is not correctly maintained it will be unable to offer the protection you require.
For more information about our fire safety doors, do not hesitate to contact us. You can call us on 0800 0180304 or send us an email to sales@cooksdoors.co.uk.
