Fire Door Maintenance a Wise Investment

Posted on May 12, 2016 in Building Maintenance

Fire doors save life

A fire in a dwelling is one of the worst catastrophes that can happen. This is an unfortunate event that can destroy lives and memories. Therefore, it’s absolutely necessary to do everything possible to protect your home. There are some measures you can take to stop a fire before it spreads un-controllably.

Fire doors are a certified and highly recommended tool that all property owners should invest in the expectation that they would never need them. However, in an event of a fire, the investment is worthwhile.

Fire doors don’t differ much in appearance from normal doors. They actually have the same function and many people wouldn’t notice the difference between them. The real difference would never be clear unless a fire starts. Fire doors can prevent a building from being destroyed.

Fire doors are operated by combustion at a slower pace than normal doors. They act as a shield against fire and helps stop or at least delay its spread to other rooms in the building. Fire doors are made of a special mix of fire resistant materials such as steel, vermiculite and plaster. When mixed, they produce a highly heat-resistant material that can stop fire for a few valuable minutes that will give firefighters time enough to put out the blaze and for people inside the building to escape. In order to work efficiently, fire doors are designed to remain permanently shut.

Open fire doors are a useless means of fire protection. It’s not recommended to keep fires doors open with door retainers or blockers as they can hamper their effectiveness. It is also important to check them in an annual basis to be sure they are not damaged. Maintenance is essential. If fire doors are properly installed and maintained, they are a valuable element in a burning building

Fire doors are legally required in the UK

It’s legally required for new domestic and commercial properties to have fire doors installed. Big buildings such as schools and hospitals are especially supervised. They must comply with existing Building Regulations, which means they must have fire doors installed and properly maintained.

Fire doors in domestic dwellings

According to the relevant national fire safety regulations, domestic properties above two levels must have fire doors in every level. Every door leading to the stairwell must be a fire door, and it must also lead to a habitable room (it can’t lead to a bathroom, for instance). Loft conversions, spaces between the house and an integral garage and between a business and a residential element (in mixed-use buildings) are also required to have fire doors installed.

Fire doors in commercial properties

When it comes to commercial properties (or non-domestic buildings in general such as schools and hospitals), guidance regarding fire doors is divided in two sections depending on the building’s escape routes’ orientation (horizontal and vertical).

Who’s responsible for fire doors maintenance?

According the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) that came into force in 2006, there must be a responsible person in each non-domestic building who must manage and supervise fire doors maintenance (and fire risk assessments).

For more information about who the responsible person must be and the tasks that person must carried out, please call 0845 604 1288