Fire Door Safety Week: Why fire doors matter

Fire Door Safety Week runs from 21st to 25th September this year, a timely reminder to pay attention to the doors we often walk past without a second thought. Fire doors aren’t just heavier doors with a fire rating. When they’re specified, fitted and maintained properly, they hold back fire and smoke for a set period, giving people the chance to get out safely.

The purpose of a fire door

A proper fire door is part of a wider system, not a standalone product. The door, frame, seals, hinges, and closer must all work together. Intumescent strips around the edge expand when heated, sealing the gap between the door and frame to stop smoke from getting through. The self-closing mechanism ensures the door shuts on its own, so it can’t be left open by accident and allow fire to pass through.

If you remove or damage any one of these parts, the whole thing stops working, even if the door still looks fine from a distance.

Where fire doors commonly go wrong

Most of the problems we see are small, everyday things that build up over time:

• Doors wedged open for convenience, especially in warm weather or when people are moving stock or equipment through.
• Damaged or missing seals around the edges.
• Faulty or disconnected closers, so the door no longer shuts fully.
• Vision panels or hardware that’s been changed without checking it still meets fire door standards.
• Gaps around the frame from wear or poor installation.

Any one of these problems renders the door insufficient as a fire door and compromises safety.

What businesses are required to do

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person must ensure that fire doors are fit for purpose as part of their wider fire risk assessment. This means regular checks, not a one-off inspection when the building was fitted out. We recommend building fire door checks into routine maintenance rather than treating them as a separate task that’s easy to overlook.

Are your fire doors fit for purpose?

Now is a good time to check your fire doors and to pay attention to the following:

• Do your fire doors close fully and latch properly on their own, without needing to push or pull them shut?
• Are the seals intact all the way round, with no gaps, damage or missing sections?
• Is anything wedging doors open, even temporarily, for staff convenience or for deliveries?
• Are the escape routes on the other side of each fire door clear and unobstructed?

If your inspection uncovers concerns, or you’re not sure your current fire risk assessment covers your fire doors properly, it’s worth having a professional take a look.

At Tamar Security, our fire risk assessments include fire doors as part of a comprehensive review of your premises, so you know exactly where you stand and what, if anything, needs addressing. If you’d like to book one for your business, please get in touch.

admin@tamarsecurity.com

01392 368830

Tamar Security Ltd
Ulysses Park
Heron Road
Exeter
Devon
EX2 7PH