Fire door safety
About fire doors
About 3 million new fire doors are bought and installed every year in the UK. But to save lives, fire doors must work correctly.
- They are part of a building’s passive fire protection system and are fundamental to most fire strategies for buildings
- They provide critical protection within a building such as escape routes (stairs and corridors) and places of relative safety, and in separating different fire hazards in a building
Importance of fire doors
Important information about fire doors:
- To save lives, fire doors must work correctly
- They must be tested and third-party certificated to BS 476 Part 22 or BS EN 1634 Part 1
- They must be fitted with the correct and compatible components suited to the door leaf and its purpose
- Like any fire safety device, they should be installed and maintained by competent people
- Never prop open a fire door
Fire doors - what to do
- Buy fire doors, frames and components from certificated companies
- Check the certificate matches the door
- Install and maintain fire doors using competent personnel
- Make sure that ironmongery components are CE marked
Fire doors - don't
- Fit a fire door like any other door – it’s not, it’s an engineered safety device
- Cut vision panels and other holes on site
- Patch up a fire door
- Take risks by reducing the specification
- Disconnect a fire door closer
- Prop or wedge open a fire door