fire safety
The Fire Door Inspection Scheme recently launched a free online training tool
7 deadly sins: Fire Door Safety Week exposed ‘seven deadly sins’ frequently identified
Fire doors are a vital element of fire safety systems, but are often wrongly specified and badly maintained, leaving hospitals and care homes at risk in the event of a blaze
Opening the door on fire safety A
s part of the 2017 British Woodworking Federation’s national Fire Door Safety Week, a
test was carried out replicating the seven most-common defects spotted in social housing flats and apartments and just how quickly fire doors will fail if incorrectly specified and installed. While this was exploring the impact
on residential buildings; it highlights similar issues within hospital tower blocks and care home facilities. A video was made comparing two
almost-identical fire doors with the same fire rating – FD30 – meaning the door should provide at least 30 minutes protection. This is the most-common integrity rating for UK fire doors. One was correctly specified and
installed, but the other had a series of faults frequently identified by fire
officers. The ‘seven deadly sins’, as they were referred to, included the door being secured with only two non-fire rated, standard hinges instead of a minimum of three; excessive gaps between the side of the door and the frame; and missing intumescent and smoke seals. And the video showed the
incorrectly-specified fire door failing long before the 30-minute target.
Every second counts Hannah Mansell, BWF technical manager and spokesperson for Fire Door Safety Week, said: “Fire doors are in almost every building and they are often never given a second thought, but they must be specified, fitted and maintained correctly with compatible components that have been third-party
certificated. This is the only way to ensure the door performs to its intended fire rating. “Every tiny detail and every split
second counts.” To address the issue, and to help
those responsible for fire safety, The Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) recently launched a free online training tool to boost the basic understanding of fire doors. Commenting on the course, which is available virtually through an online ➤
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