Fire Door Safety Week Feature
Fire Door Safety Week Stamping out fire door neglect
Fire door specification is one of the most crucial decisions landlords and housing providers can make, with the technology forming an essential part of a building’s passive fire protection system. Jack Wooler spoke to Helen Hewitt of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) on the impact of the pandemic and the need for regulated third-party certification
frequently by tenants, and so are subjected to regular knocks and bumps that come with everyday use. But, a fire door can only perform in the event of a fire if it is correctly maintained. Regular inspections and maintenance, if needed, is therefore crucial to ensuring that fire doors are ready to hold back the spread of smoke and fire. The COVID-19 pandemic however has negatively impacted on the ability of
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landlords, housing providers and local authorities to carry out these safety measures in the normal way, with a Fire Door Safety Week Freedom of Information (FOI) request in 2020 finding that 52% of responding UK local authorities reported delays to planned fire door maintenance and replacement in the first half of 2020. This number increased to 60% when inspection delays were also factored in. To help tackle this burgeoning issue, Helen Hewitt, CEO of the British
Woodworking Federation (BWF), argues that a regulated regime of independent third-party certification of fire doors should be enshrined in law and as an organisation. “At the BWF Fire Door Alliance we continue to champion the role of fire
door third-party certification as the only way to ensure that a fire door performs as designed to hold back the spread of smoke and fire,” she says. “As such we will continue to lobby for third-party certification of fire doors to become mandated.”
WHAT ARE FIRE DOORS, AND HOW DO THEY WORK? Going back to basics, Helen explains that fire doors, or fire door assemblies, are part of a building’s passive fire protection system. “In an everyday situation they often perform the same function as any other
door, but in the event of a fire they are vital to holding back the spread of smoke and fire,” says Helen. “This helps provide crucial time to allow building occupants to safely
evacuate, and supports the fire services by helping to keep fire escape routes protected for them to enter the building.” Fire doors work by holding back the spread of smoke and fire. By
compartmentalising the fire, fire doors help keep the fire and smoke contained to allow building occupants to exit the building and the fire services to arrive. Fire door assemblies consist of a series of components that must work
together in the event of a fire to allow it to perform effectively. For example, fire doors incorporate intumescent strips, which are installed around the inside of the door frame or on the door itself. When the strips are exposed to heat, they expand to seal the gap between the door and frame to prevent fire and smoke travelling through any gaps. The fire rating of a door will indicate how long it can resist fire or both fire
and smoke for. A fire door assembly that has been tested to British Standards (BS 476: Part 22 or BS EN 1634-1) and will resist fire for a minimum of 30 minutes is referred to as FD30, while a door that can resist for a minimum of 60 minutes is FD60. In addition, a fire doorset that can resist both fire and smoke for at least 30 minutes is referred to as FD30S and at least 60 minutes is FD60S. “Fire doors manufactured by BWF Fire Door Alliance members are audited
regularly to make certain that they meet the required performance standard,” explains Helen.
Fire doors are often situated in housing environments that are used frequently by tenants, and so are subjected to regular knocks and bumps that come with everyday use. But, a fire door can only perform in the event of a fire if it is correctly maintained
“In fact, regular samples are taken from in excess of three million timber fire
doors produced by BWF Fire Door Alliance members and are subjected to a furnace test to ensure they perform as stated.” Fire door third-party certification provides independent evidence that a fire door is tested appropriately and produced to a consistent standard, offering
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM August/September 2021 | 47
ne of the most pressing concerns for landlords and housing providers over fire door safety is effective inspection and maintenance. Fire doors are often situated in housing environments that are used
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