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Allegion UK’s business development manager
Karen Trigg discusses why fire doors are
integral to any successful fire safety strategy.
» » ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD,
the Grenfell Tower Inquiry
resumed, which will determine
whether urgent fire safety
measures need to take place.
Following the ongoing
investigation, the building has
been dubbed a “culture of non-
compliance”, where everything,
from the cladding and evacuation
plans to fire doors and door
closers, was significantly
ineffective.
However, as the industry
attempts to crackdown on
fire safety, it’s clear that the
fundamental issues are a lack of a
holistic approach and sufficient fire
safety knowledge. This not only
applies to high-rise buildings, but
in all types of government-owned
buildings, too.
In order to remedy our failing
fire safety measures in the UK,
a complete “culture change” is
needed. As Dame Judith Hackitt
stated in her Independent
Review of Building Regulations
and Fire Safety: “We need to
adopt a very different approach
to the regulatory framework
covering the design, construction
and maintenance of high-rise
residential buildings.”
FIRE DOORS
Fire doors are one of the most
common causes of breaching fire
safety regulations. Many building
owners and users still aren’t aware
that propping them open is a
breach, or don’t think to close them
when one has been spotted open.
Fire doors are crucial to keeping
a building’s inhabitants safe in
the event of a fire. That’s because
they help to compartmentalise fire
and smoke, buying precious time
during an emergency evacuation
and potentially resulting in less
damage to the building. In fact, fire
doors should only be used as a
barrier when closed, and a means
of escape when open.
After the Grenfell Tower fire, it
was revealed that the fire doors
within the building were destroyed
after 15 minutes, despite being
designed to last 30 minutes.
This could have been due to a
number of reasons including poor
maintenance and fitting, damage
and incorrect hardware together
with missing smoke strips. The
most common types of fire doors
are the FD30 and the FD60 types,
which can withstand fire and
smoke for 30 and 60 minutes
respectively. If a fire door fails to
withstand a fire for the amount of
time it has been designed for, this
can result in devastating effects.
WHEN KNOWLEDGE
FALLS SHORT
When building owners or
inhabitants label fire safety
requirements as a ‘grey area’, this is
when standards can slip. There are
a number of things to consider when
checking if a fire door is operating
correctly. These include:
• Checking the door’s
certification. This will usually
come in the form of a label on
the top edge of the door or
Compliance Made Easy
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‘It can be
difficult to
implement
high-
quality
solutions,
instead
opting
for cost-
efficiency’
‘the fire
doors
within the
building
were
destroyed
after 15
minutes,
despite
being
designed
to last 30
minutes’
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | NOV/DEC 2018
a colour-coded plug inserted
into the jamb.
• Checking the gaps around
the top and sides of the door
between the frame. These
should be no more than 3mm
when the door is closed.
• Looking for intumescent seals
around the door or frame.
These should be intact and
free from damage.
• Checking all hinges are firmly
fixed with no missing or
broken screws.
• Making sure the door closes
firmly onto the latch without
sticking to the frame or the
floor.
Educating yourself or the
necessary persons on what’s
required is important, as it not
only safeguards the building in the
event of a fire, but can ultimately
save lives, too.
Therefore, if a faulty or damaged
fire door is spotted, action should
be taken immediately. There are
a number of things to do to get
the issue rectified or seen-to;
these include reporting the issue
to the building’s maintenance
contractor, speaking to a fire door
inspector or contacting the door’s
manufacturer, supplier, installer or
fit-out company.
If you do suspect that one or
more of your fire doors are not
compliant, it’s important to seek
professional advice right away.