Staines Fire Services Favicon
Leeds Fire Door Surveys
The Law on Fire Doors
Since 2006 the law in England and Wales has shifted responsibility for Fire Safety to building owners or operators. So whether you run an office, a school, a care home or any other building (other than a private house) you are now legally obliged to appoint someone to take steps to reducing risk from fire. Getting this right can save lives and reduce any fire risk in the property you run. The basics include organising Fire Risk Assessments and six monthly Fire Door inspections, as best practice.
Staines Fire Safety Services carry out Fire Door Surveys throughout the U.K for large, medium and small companies, blocks of flats, houses in multiple occupation, care homes, hospitals and other institutions. Please Contact Us for advice, to discuss your responsibilities or to book a Fire Door Survey.
Your Responsibility
The Regulatory Reform Order came into force in 2006 across England and Wales. It transferred the responsibility for Fire Safety from the fire authorities to whoever has day to day control of premises. This person is known as the Responsible Person. If you are the Responsible Person you must take steps to reduce the risk from fire. You should also consider how to contain a fire should one break out and ensure people can escape safely. As a Responsible Person you also need to be able to identify Competent Persons. A competent person is a knowledgeable, qualified professionals who can undertake preventative and protective measures, such as Fire Door Inspections.
Proving competency can be very difficult. We, at Staines Fire Safety Services, are part of the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS). We are certified under this scheme to carry out surveys of Fire and Escape doors. This certification provides independent confirmation that we are competent.
Fire doors are an essential part of a building’s fire compartmentation system. The law places an obligation on building operators to make sure fire doors, as well as escape doors, are installed correctly and are under a sustained, suitable and sufficient program of inspection and maintenance.
What is a fire door?
A fire door is not just the door leaf, it is a complete assembly. It comprises the frame, any glazing, intumescent fire and smoke seals and all the ironmongery that is used on the door, such as hinges, door closers, latches, locks, letter plates and spy holes.
The role of a Fire Door is as follows:
- Keep the fire in a compartmented area and starve the fire of oxygen
- Protect occupants in other compartments
- Provide a safe means of escape
The role of a Fire Exit Escape Door is to allow people, in the event of a fire, to escape the building and to reach a place of safety.
Effective fire doors are essential to ensure that occupants can evacuate a burning building quickly and safely; avoiding potentially fatal consequences. Escape routes in buildings such as offices, schools, hotels etc require significant protection and fire doors are probably the single most important element in giving occupants time to safely evacuate a building.
Just like other fire safety devices, such as fire extinguishers and alarms, fire doors and final escape doors need regular, thorough inspection and maintenance. This will ensure that they perform as intended in the event of a fire.
Summary
Fire doors are one of the most important elements in giving occupants time to escape safely, but they are also one of the most neglected in terms of inspection and maintenance. Fire doors are generally in constant use and are therefore subject to more abuse, damage and wear and tear than most fire safety devices, such as extinguishers, and they are more prone to failure.
Contact Us for a free no obligation quote