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24/07/2024 • by Lynsey B
Fire safety starts with the equipment. Stopping the initial spread of the fire (especially smoke which is the number one cause of fire spread) is very important. With the right fire equipment, such as a fire safety door, we have time to react quickly and safely. Removing yourself from a dangerous situation, such as a fire, is the most effective way to stay safe.
Fire door safety keeps your employees safe and protected for longer. A fire safety door is a physical barrier separating your employees from fire. They give people more time to escape quickly and safely in the event of a fire.
But if our fire equipment isn’t maintained and becomes damaged, how can it keep employees safe? The answer is - it can’t! Fortunately keeping your fire safety doors in good work order is simple. This article explains the importance of fire door safety and how you can keep fire doors working safely.
A fire safety door is a self-closing barrier that contain a fire to one room. They are different from regular doors for two main reasons – they are made from fire-resistant materials and they have heat expanding seals that swell to keep fire and smoke inside. They have other fire-protecting features typically too, but we will cover those off later in in the article.
The centigrade melting point of a fire safety door is more than 800 degrees. This is the key feature that keeps occupants safe. This is the first main factor that separates a fire door from a regular door. Whereas a regular door will perish quickly when it is exposed to the temperatures a fire can cause. A fire safety door is designed to withstand heat without breaking.
How long a fire door can withstand fire and smoke depends on the fire door rating. This rating is assigned through stress testing and indicates how long a fire door can last before it is destroyed by a fire. The ratings and relative times start at FD30 (30 minutes) and increase 30 minutes at a time – FD60 (1 hour), FD90 (1 ½ hours) and FD120 (2 hours).
An FD30 would typically be used for areas with quick escape access. This means the doors do not need to hold the fire back for as long and people can afford to install doors with a quicker burning time. Fire Safety Professionals would recommend a higher rating of around FD120 for vulnerable occupants such as in a care home. This is to give patients enough time to evacuate the building in a fire emergency. The use of the correct Fire Door rating is crucial in providing the required level of protection. The level of protection required will be identified in your fire risk assessment.
FD60 fire doors should be installed in bigger buildings, such as tower blocks, that require longer evacuation times. This is also to account for the volume of people that need to evacuate. For FH90 and FH120 it could include large office or commercial buildings with long or complicated evacuation processes. Schools in particular must have an FD120 to protect young and vulnerable children from harm.
A fire safety door is important because it prevents fire spread and smoke spread. This protects property, assets and of course stops people in the event of a fire. If a fire does break out it can be a highly stressful situation. This might cause people to react dangerously or erratically. So, keeping people separate from the fire, allows more time for help to arrive. This extra safe time also allows people trapped by fire to remain calm until help arrives.
Fire safety doors are important because they give vulnerable people better fire protection. Schools, hospitals, and care homes, are some of the most dangerous environments in the event of a fire. This is due to the high level of vulnerable people within those environments. Evacuation is often impeded by a number of different factors making fire safety doors critical for safe evacuation. Simply put, the longer it takes to evacuate an environment, the higher the fire safety door rating needs to be to allow everyone to get out safely.
With the fire contained behind a fire safety door everyone can be kept safe. We don’t need to worry about handling the fire ourselves. Our only focus should be getting ourselves away from the fire. Fire doors help protect people until help arrives and evacuation is possible.
The best way to maintain the integrity of your fire door is to have it regularly inspected and serviced. These checks should generally take place once every 6 months however newer or recently modified properties will benefit for more regular inspections.
Also, doors which are most frequently used should be serviced more regularly. These doors are the most likely to become damaged over time. A fire safety door inspection requires a professional to inspect the door for any fire damage. The structural integrity of the door will be looked at as well as checking for any wear and tear. The condition of the seals and hinges will also be tested. Alongside the gap surrounding the entire fire safety door.
Having your fire door regularly inspected is important. Our fire safety is often taken as a given. This should be the case; however, we also need to take preventative action to keep ourselves fire safe. If a fire door is forgotten about it runs the risk of failing when employees need it the most. Servicing and inspecting the door on a regular basis, is quick, simple and an easy way to spot problems early. Regular checking ensures that the fire door is working as it should be and that it will keep employees protected if ever needed.
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Fire doors can be customised, meaning they can be painted. However, we would caution people to remember to avoid painting or covering seals. The seals of a fire safety door are one of their most integral features. The seals prevent smoke from escaping past the door and cut off the immediate risk of fire and smoke spread. Also avoid painting the hinges for the same reason as the seals. A correctly fitted fire door can only be effective when its fire safety features aren’t interfered with.
Companies such as Fire Protection Shop offer customisable services to create bespoke fire doors. This involves professionally customising the paint, hinges and signage of the door. By having the fire door customised professionally it removes any risk of accidentally interfering with the integrity of the door.
As laid out by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person is someone who ensures the correct fire safety measures are in place for a building. However, this doesn’t mean the responsible person is the right person to actually fir the door. It is important that the person installing your fire safety door is competent and understands the relevant regulations and standards.
Generally, locks are avoided. Fire safety doors should never become obstructed or locked in any way as their purpose is to provide safe evacuation. A lock would defeat the effectiveness of fire doors and risks keeping people trapped inside with the fire.
Any damage done to a fire door, such as fitting a lock yourself, can reduce the effectiveness of the fire safety door. If a lock is recommended by a fire risk assessment, it should be fitted by a professional who will not interfere with the doors fire safety integrity.
Legal fire door safety requirements have increased in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Today it is a legal requirement to install fire doors in all properties that are used for non-domestic purposes.
Venues which hold large groups of people – hospitality venues, large warehouses, hospitals – rely on fire doors to slow down the spread of fire and allow people to be evacuated safely. Particularly in venues where lots of vulnerable people will be (schools, hospitals) fire doors are essential. Fire safety doors ultimately contain a fire long enough for help to arrive or for a safe and full evacuation to occur. In places where people may move slower or require more help, fire doors help to save lives.
Whilst it is not a legal requirement to have fire doors in place of regular doors for every room in a flat or shared house, it is mandatory to have a fire door installed for every entrance to a communal point. Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: fire door guidance (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The ownership of your fire safety no longer rests with the authorities but with the homeowner. This is in line with The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (legislation.gov.uk)
1. Fire doors must legally be self-closing. Again, the best way to keep safe is to create a barrier between occupants and the fire. Self-closing removes the extra step of us physically needing to separate ourselves from the fire. The fire is automatically contained to a single area and we can escape.
2. Fire safety doors should also be fitted with a closer. A fire door closer is a metal device installed at the top of the door. They are designed to automatically close the door in the case of an emergency. Fire doors are also able to be kept open through installing automatic fire door retainers. Retainers hold open the door and allow easy access. However, in the case of a fire, they are heat sensitive and can react, shutting the doors upon fire detection. This means they can improve traffic flow whilst responding quickly to critical fire situations.
3. Fire doors must have adequate signage. Emergency lighting and signage can be fitted above the door and illuminated. This instantly increases the visibility of the door and allows people to access it quicker. Smaller, more discrete sticker signs can also be used to help quickly identify a fire door from a regular door.
4. At least 3 hinges with a melting point above 800 degrees centigrade must legally be fitted.
5. Fire door seals must also be maintained and checked regularly for potential damage. Legally the gap between the fire door and the frame should never be more than 4mm.
Fire safety doors are an important legal requirement to maintaining fire safety. They are passive fire safety steps, meaning we can escape any fire danger without getting too involved. The main benefits of a fire door are isolating smoke and fire to one area. With the danger trapped it can improve our ability to react safely and calmly and creates more control over the situation.
Hinges, signage and stoppers are all important features of a fire door. The quality of the accessories, and the door itself, can most simply be maintained through regular servicing. Through visually reviewing the quality of the door we can make sure that we will be kept safe and separate from danger.