London Fire Brigade’s top tips for fire door installation and use
There are some simple must-knows when it comes to fire doors and their safe use and installation:
Do…
Get accredited professionals to install your fire doors.
Check your door’s certification – look for British Standard (BS) Parts 22 and 31 or BS EN 1154.
Make sure there are combines smoke and fire seals around the door.
Check the handles close properly.
Make sure that seals and other components like letter boxes are fire-safe too.
Make sure you have appropriate door closure mechanisms – the wrong 'closers' can physically damage frames and hinges through slamming, as well as causing injury to the people who use the doors.
Don’t…
Prop them open or let your people prop them open – doors can save lives if they are shut.
Install fire doors yourself – the components and seals are as important as the door itself.
Let tenants replace fire doors if your building is a block of flats.
Remove the self closing device fitted to the door.
Leave damaged doors in use – always have them repaired or replaced ASAP.
Who is responsible for fire doors?
If you are responsible for a property, it's likely that you need to make some fire safety precautions to keep the people who use it safe. This includes almost all buildings, places and structures other than individual private homes – that's individual flats in a block or family homes. Property manager's responsibilities include shared areas in houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), blocks of flats and maisonettes.
What about old doors – are they OK?
There is a difference between modern fire doors and their requirements and older type doors, often called ‘Notional fire doors’. These doors may have been in place for many years and met earlier standards of manufacture and legislation. However, this doesn't mean that they are now not fit for purpose, providing they are still in good condition they will still provide the service for which they were intended.
Modern doors are equipped with what's called intumescent strips and cold smoke seals. Older ‘notional’ doors may not have these fitted, and are often fitted into frames with a 1 inch or 25 mm door stop. The ‘notional’ door may be suitable in place if it is not warped or gapped to the extent that it requires replacement, its replacement will be a modern style fire door. Where doors are replaced that are required to be fire resisting they should not be replaced by ordinary doors and the person replacing the door should ensure that the door is a fire door.
Can I have a window in a fire door?
Absolutely, yes. Some fire doors are fitted with glazing – what's termed a 'vision panel', these are subject to the test procedure when constructed and you are not allowed to retrofit glazing by cutting the door unless this is done by a door specialist, the BWF-CERTIFIRE scheme will be able to provide further information if this is a requirement.
Hinges and letter boxes
Fire doors will have at least 3 hinges with a melting point above 800 degrees centigrade and apertures for glazing and for letter boxes should be in place at testing. Arson Reduction letterboxes are available as a retrofit to the existing aperture and can be made available form the London Fire Brigade in certain instances.
How often do I need to get fire doors checked?
It depends on your circumstances. Though BWF-CERTFIRE Best Practice Guide suggests every 6 months, we believe that a risk-assessed approach is also appropriate for many. However, if your building is a hotel, or is home to anyone who might not be able to quickly respond to or escape from a fire, 6-monthly checks are essential.
London Fire Consultants has qualified Fire Door Surveyors who can inspect your fire doors and issue a report on their condition.
(https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/property-management/fire-doors/)