Fire Safety Blog

Fire Doors (part 2)

24/7/2019

Government safety tests prove no “performance concerns” with timber fire doors, but caution is advised...

A police investigation into the Grenfell Tower fire raised concerns about the quality of fire doors in the UK, after it revealed the doors had failed a test in just 15 minutes – half the required FD30 standard.

The bad news: The government has subsequently carried out tests on a number of popular models of ‘composite’ plastic fire doors, 75% of which failed to meet the standard criteria.

The good news: Newly released findings show that 100% of timber doors tested have passed the official government test. Those tested included glazed and un-glazed doors with a variety of different hardware, tested on both sides. However, these results only apply to doors that are purchased directly from the manufacturer and produced to specification.

Confidence is king.

Don't bury your head in the sand, get your fire doors inspected by a qualified, third party
fire door assessor.

Be confident that you have done your part!

The government's Housing secretary, James Brokenshire, told parliament: “It is important to be clear that, although the results of our testing provide assurances for residents who have concerns about their fire doors, it is for building owners to assure themselves that the fire doors they install are fit for purpose and have the required documentation and certification.”

The take-home message is that any 'responsible person' must not rely solely on the results from government testing. What applies to one door, might not apply to the other!

...although the results of our testing provide assurances for residents ...it is for building owners to assure themselves that the fire doors they install are fit for purpose and have the required documentation and certification.”

What is a fire door?

Buildings are compartmentalised to delay the spread of fire from one area to another. Fire doors have two important functions in a fire:

1. They form a barrier (when closed) to stop the spread of fire and when opened they provide a means of escape.

2. They delay the spread of fire and smoke without causing too much hindrance to the movement of people and goods.

Every fire door is therefore required to act as a barrier to the passage of smoke and/or fire to varying degrees depending upon its location in a building and the fire hazards associated with that building.

The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) ratings for fire door assemblies are stated in minutes and prefixed by the letters ‘FD’; referring to the number of minutes the door should provide protection against fires.

The most commonly specified integrity levels are:

FD30 (30 mins of protection)
FD60 (60 mins of protection)
FD90 (90 mins of protection)
FD120 (120 mins of protection)

Fire Doors

7/7/2019

An article published by Inside Housing, a weekly trade publication that covers the UK's social housing sector, has reported that there are tens of thousands of inadequate fire doors in council homes across the UK.

A Freedom of Information Act request by the publication has revealed data on 326,863 doors from 98 councils, which together own well over half of the nation’s local authority housing stock.

The data reveals that councils believe that 33,522 doors do not provide the minimum 30 minute protection against flames and smoke. This means that 1 in 10 flat entrance fire doors installed in their blocks may not be fit for purpose.

Furthermore, only 8% of the doors identified as non-compliant have been replaced, and 44 of the councils questioned have yet to replace a single one.

Councils blamed the slow progress on a lack of clarity from government and the fire door industry about which products to trust.

Do I need Fire Doors?

Building Regulations set-out the following requirements:

Domestic Dwellings

In homes over two storeys high, every door of a habitable room leading to a stairwell must be a fire door (not including WCs or bathrooms). Fire doors are also required between the house and integral garage (if applicable).

Mixed Use Buildings

Fire doors are also required at the joining points between business and habitual residences.

Non-Domestic Buildings

There is no ‘one size fits all' approach to fire doors for non-domestic buildings due to the huge variation in size and structure. Fire door guidance is divided into two sections, based on vertical and horizontal escape routes. Find out more about Building Regulations for Buildings other than Dwelling houses here.

Unsure about fire doors?

Contact BBFS now to discuss a fire door survey.

The bigger picture...

Fire Doors (part 2)

What is a fire door?

Fire Doors

Do I need Fire Doors?

Bryn Bashford

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