Avoid the risks of fire door failure
Fire doors are installed in commercial buildings to prevent fire spread and keep occupants safe.?Fire doors that are correctly installed and maintained provide a vital barrier against fire and smoke, giving people time to evacuate safely. They also compartmentalise rooms or sections of a building containing the fire to specific areas to reduce damage to the building and its assets.
According to the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS),?over three-quarters (76%) of fire doors failed their tests?in the past two years, whilst 30% of fire doors across the country were condemned due to poor installation.?
In this blog, Karen Byard MSc, MIFireE, DipFD , Fire Consultancy Technical & Validation Manager at Chubb, shares some of the most common reasons why fire doors fail and explains how regular fire door inspections can help prevent fire door failures.
Learning from fire incidents
Each quarter, the Home Office publishes a?Fire and Rescue Incidents?report. Its most recent report in December 2021 revealed that 555,358 incidents, a 5% increase from the previous year (528,616), were attended by fire and rescue services (FRSs) in England. Of these incidents, there were 6,201 non-fatal casualties, but sadly, 280 people lost their lives.?
These statistics may surprise some, given the horrific consequences of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, which took the lives of 70 people in 2017, putting a spotlight on the lack of building safety features. Following the fire, an investigation found several shortcomings in fire protection equipment, including fire doors, alarms and exit signs.
All commercial buildings are legally required to have specific safety features installed to reduce the effects of fires, including fire doors. Yet having fire doors installed alone is not enough; it is imperative that they are regularly checked and maintained to ensure they remain in good working order.
Common fire door failures
At Chubb, we offer a flexible approach to fire door inspections, but we don’t just provide a service. We help educate those responsible for a premise to understand the different ways a fire door fails so they know what to look out for.
From our experience, some of the most common reasons fire doors fail include:?
Incorrect doors
It is recommended that fire doors are made by an accredited third-party manufacturer. The third-party certification means that the fire door has been produced consistently to a high standard. Approved doors are fitted with a certification label or coloured plugs that indicate the standard to which they have been manufactured.?
These certified doors must undergo fire resistance testing and meet the required fire resistance, usually 30 or 60 minutes.
Gaps between the door and frame are too wide
The size of gap permitted between the door leaf and the frame is critical, and the acceptable allowance should be documented on the door leaf manufacturer’s datasheet. General guidance is that the gap should be between 2mm and 4mm along the two long edges and across the top of the door leaf.?
Incorrect or damaged hinges and ironmongery?
Any ironmongery must comply with the relevant British Standard and be fitted as specified by the fire door’s test evidence. Hinges should not be painted and should be rebated into the door and frame, and screws should be fitted in all the screw holes.?
If a hinge is missing screws or has become weaker through use, the fire door is at serious risk of giving way in a fire as intense heat puts extreme pressure on the hinges.
Incorrect or damaged intumescent seals?
Fire doors must be fitted with the appropriate seals, such as intumescent and cold smoke seals. These seals are designed to expand under heat and fill the permitted gaps between the door leaf and frame. A fire door should not have a mixture of seals on door edges because intumescent strips can react to fires at different times, potentially forcing the door open.?
Care must be taken not to damage the rubber fin or brush part of the seal. If damaged, smoke would be able to penetrate the door.
Incorrect or damaged glazing
Fire doors must be fitted with the correct, certified glazed glass. Any damages or faults with the glazing, such as cracked glass, damaged beading, poor alignment of fixing, and missing intumescent gaskets, can reduce the integrity of the fire door should a fire occur.
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Inadequate training and knowledge?
Regular fire training will educate staff on best practices to prevent fires and what to do if a fire breaks out.
Fire doors should always be easy to open and ready to use at any given moment. A blocked corridor leading to a fire door and an obstruction in front of a fire door will prevent the door from operating as intended, severely compromising a safe evacuation.
?Fire doors should never be propped or wedged open either. Fires can start without warning and spread rapidly, so if a fire door is wedged open, it is comparable to not having a fire door at all.
The importance of fire door inspections
Fire door inspections should be an integral part of every business’ fire safety strategy and should be as routine and essential as testing the battery on a smoke alarm.
Regular inspections will help ensure fire doors remain in safe working order and provide the required protection.
At Chubb, we recommend an annual inspection (every six months in Scotland) to ensure those responsible maintain a safe environment and have the relevant documented proof to conform to the latest fire safety regulations.?
Fire safety legislation for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland highlights the legal responsibilities of reducing the risk of fire spreading within a premise. Penalties for failing to comply with the legislation carry unlimited fines or a prison sentence for organisations and landlords.
What to expect from a fire door inspection?
We understand that no two buildings are the same. That is why we offer flexibility in the type of fire door inspection required.
Our Premier Fire Door Inspection is a 17-step check, which we recommend for all buildings which are not HMOs (Housing of Multiple Occupancy). Inspections are carried out by a competent person who will carefully inspect internal doors, checking each door’s structural integrity, the furniture and mechanisms for faults, damage, and wear.?
Our comprehensive 17-step Premier Fire Door Inspection reports on the:
At the end of the fire door inspection, the assessor will provide a report detailing any remedial work required and information and photographs of any non-conformities. Again, a competent person with knowledge of fire doors should carry out any remedial work.?
Ensuring fire doors are correctly installed, regularly checked, and well-maintained means they are ready to protect people should a fire breakout.
Our fire door inspections are available to all businesses in the UK. If you want to avoid the risks of fire door failure,?click here?to request a fire door inspection today.
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Technical Lead Engineer
2 年This is one possibly as, or more important than the fire doors issue, which is of Critical concern with of late especially at Building Control, which generally has got overlooked by everyone. The following provides the information required, as the awareness grows on the reasons (missed) for internal fire and smoke spread, which has been a real issue seen on recent major fires, with high fatalities, this should be of interest. . All this is already covered in Building Regs B1 to B3, BS5839: 37.1 to 2, IS38, BS5266: 8.1, BS7671: 527.2 & the new Fire Act 2022 etc (or the equivalent as in each Country), which enables us to meet with the Law as it stands and avoid Liability by failing to Comply therein. The Scenario issue has been occurring for years now when Smoke detectors are installed in buildings, they are never fire sealed, (which can be verified by a simple inspection), hence this peppering of holes from 54mm to 170mm has gone un- noticed, which as I'm sure you will agree is a obvious life and property safety risk, which breeches the fire protection that is required to be in place. This also relates to Ceiling Tiles in escape routes as these all have a euroclass fire resistance to a minimum of 30 mins. Furthermore, this is a problem which will reduce the available safe escape periods predicted to near Zero, due to the now defeated fire protection. Which compounds how serious this actually is, but this can be solved, by use of a fire Seal, or by 3rd part fire sealing. Would appreciate your comments?