FIRE SAFETY
What does a fire door inspection include ?
When we talk about fire doors we actually mean fire doorsets . The door frame , the door leaf and all the fittings on the door work together and have to be compatible so that , along with the wall itself , it can perform its primary function in a fire . If the door isn ’ t installed or maintained correctly then the doorset ’ s fire resistance performance can be seriously compromised .
A comprehensive inspection will consider all aspects that affect the fire performance of the doorset – the installation , the door frame , the supporting wall , the hardware and fittings . This will determine whether the door will perform as intended or whether wear , damage or poor workmanship has compromised performance and whether maintenance or replacement is needed .
What happens if fire doors aren ’ t maintained ?
If fire doorsets aren ’ t inspected regularly then how can the Responsible Person be confident that they ’ ll work as intended – to protect lives and property ?
A normal , non-fire door , if well-fitted and closed into the frame , will probably
Fireco Engineers . From left to right ,
Jake , Martin , Jason .
resist fire for a few minutes . A fire doorset , if left open because the closing device has failed , will do nothing at all to stop the fire . If the fire door seals , hinges , latch , closer or the frame or door leaf itself are damaged , it may significantly reduce the length of time it can resist the fire . And , quite simply , that puts lives at risk .
In light of the devastating fire in The Bronx , in January , and in relation to our blog post “ Some of our door closers are still missing ”, what do you think about the role of self-closing devices and the responsibility of the residents when it comes to fire doors being closed ?
There is a view that , if there was a fire , then a person would ensure the door was closed even if the closer had been disabled or removed or was not working , or the door jammed on the floor or the latch . But that ’ s not realistic . How people think they will act can be very different to how they actually act in a fire . People will panic . We become disorientated , perhaps also blinded and choked by the smoke and fumes . Panic and disorientation mean we don ’ t think clearly or act in logical ways .
On a separate but related note , I saw a video of a fire test on two fire doors – identical except one door had been installed correctly and the other had deliberate installation errors . A missing seal , the wrong glass , no fire stopping behind the architrave and so on . The ‘ correct ’ door performed as intended , resisting fire and smoke for 30 minutes . The door with errors ( which would have been picked up with proper inspection and maintenance ) had flames coming through it in less than five minutes , and at around seven minutes the door was almost invisible in the thick cloud of smoke .
The lasting impression I took from that video was : if that amount of smoke was contained in the corridor of a block of flats , it ’ s doubtful anyone would be able to see anything at all and would be walking blind , possibly towards the fire , in an effort to escape . That is scary . That is why it ’ s so important to have compliant fire doors , including working self-closers .
S : There ’ s some really interesting information there which I think will answer a lot of questions for our readers . To conclude our interview , could you tell us the most interesting fact you learnt during your training ?
M : Probably the number of different elements there are that all contribute towards the fine line of a fire doorset working or not . The critical importance of correct installation , inspection and maintenance of fire doorsets . If the selfcloser has been disabled or removed ; if the door is wedged open ; if the intumescent or smoke seal is damaged or missing ; if the door jams on the carpet ; if hinges are worn ; if the latch jams on the frame and prevents the door from closing … the list goes on and on . Any of those issues can prevent the door from resisting fire and protecting lives .
To book your fire door services with us , give us a call on 01273 320650 or book an appointment via our website https :// www . fireco . uk / fire-doors /
If you ’ ve got some questions or concerns after reading this or want to know more about how to keep your fire doors compliant , please email us on contact @ fireco . uk
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