Fire safety
2. Do not compromise the door Making any additions to the door such as putting a hook to pin it open or drilling holes to fix signage will invalidate the fire door test evidence. This is because during testing, fire doors are tested as a complete set with the specific hardware included. Any alterations will affect how that door performs in the case of a fire and if the worst comes to the worst, the door needs to deliver high performance in order to keep staff, residents, and visitors safe. No matter how small, alterations can interfere with the performance of the door in a critical situation. Always use other surfaces for notices.
3. Do not prop open a fire door Care homes and healthcare settings should be accessible, but this does not mean fire doors should be propped open to allow ease of access. A fire door can only prevent the spread of a fire if the door is closed, and this way can save lives and help to slow down the effects of flames and smoke.
If a door must be kept open – for instance,
because it is in a high traffic area – then the use of an overhead electromagnetic door closing device would provide an acceptable and safe solution. This ensures the door is held open, but automatically closes the door when the fire alarm is triggered, all in accordance with fire safety and legal requirements. Door closers play an integral part in making sure doors open and close effectively. At the same time, door closers must be carefully specified to ensure they do not create undue difficulty. For example, to conform to BS EN 1154, the British European standard for door
Door closer
When it comes to fire safety there are some core areas to get right
closer performance, the lowest power door closer that can be used on a fire door is a size 3. The heavier the door, the more powerful the closer must be. The smallest size 3 is up to 60kg and 950mm wide and the largest size 7 up to 160kg and 1600mm wide.
4. Tackle faulty hardware on fire doors When a door closer does not function properly, it directly impacts the performance of the fire door it has been fitted to. For instance, if the door opens too slowly, closes too quickly, or only partially opens and closes, this makes it less effective in the event of a fire. More specifically, faulty door closers can result in doors not latching correctly when opened to 5 degrees or 75mm, taking too long to close (within 25 seconds is considered best practice), or not easily opening by up to at least 70 degrees. If you are not sure whether a door closer is performing correctly, it is best to ask for an expert opinion.
5. Fire door versus fire exit It might seem obvious, but people often confuse fire doors and fire exits. Each serve a very specific purpose and play a key role in fire safety.
Fire doors are a form of passive fire protection and are designed to withstand January 2025
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fire for a set time. By law, they must have fire test evidence to prove this performance. This will usually be either a Field of Application assessment or a third-party certificate of performance demonstrating that the door can withstand fire for a certain length of time. Fire doors have a minimum fire rating of 30 minutes (FD30), but some steel fire doors can achieve 240 minutes of fire resistance (FD240). Fire doors also require one of three types of signs depending on their location and usage: n ‘Fire Door Keep Shut’ – for self-closing doors used for passage of people.
n ‘Fire Door Keep Locked’ – for doors which are locked shut and only used occasionally.
n ‘Automatic Fire Door Keep Clear’ – for doors which are held open using electromagnetic products or are swing- free but revert to self-closing when a fire alarm is activated.
A fire exit is the door that acts as the final exit on a designated escape route in public and commercial buildings. The final exit doors should open immediately, with ease, and, wherever possible, in the direction of escape. To help fire exits open quickly and easily, panic or emergency exit hardware will be specified to ensure all building users can operate the door to escape a building safely.
6. Panic and emergency exit hardware: know the difference
The building’s type, application, occupation levels, and location of the equipment in
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