Fire Doors are crucial in preventing the spread of fire and smoke in buildings.  Responsible persons need to decide on suitable and sufficient measures for the specific types of premises they are responsible for.

For example, further information can be obtained from:

  • The Fire Safety in Specialised Housing Guidance
  • The suite of HM Government Fire Safety Risk Assessment Guidance
  • The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that flat entrance doors must be considered in the Fire Risk Assessment mandated by the Fire Safety Order
  • The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require regular checks to ensure that self-closing devices are working and the fire doors including flat entrance doors are in efficient working order and in good repair. These checks are to ensure that the existing door standard is maintained
  • Responsible Persons, including both building owners (for example freeholders) and other persons having control of the premises (for example managing agents) were required to comply with the regulations from 23 January 2023.

Residents have an important role to play in ensuring that, if there is a fire in their almshouse, the entrance door is an effective barrier to the spread of fire and smoke into the common parts.

Regulation 10 requires that residents are given information that:

  • fire doors should be kept shut when not in use
  • residents or their guests should not tamper with self-closing devices
  • residents should report any fault or damage immediately to the Responsible Person.

The above information must be provided by the Responsible Person to any new resident as soon as reasonably practicable after the resident moves into their flat. The Responsible Person must also remind all residents about this information at periods not exceeding 12 months.

Where a resident wants to alter or change their front door, this should be done with the knowledge and agreement of the Responsible Person to ensure that it does not negatively impact upon the overarching fire risk assessment for the premises.

It is good practice to inspect fire resisting door sets on a six-monthly basis as part of a programme of planned preventive maintenance. Communal fire doors should be inspected more frequently i.e., 3 monthly.  For example, check fire door sets from both sides:

  • Check the operation of the self-closer; door closes fully and tightly in to the rebate
  • Check the door and frame are not damaged
  • No warping of the door that affects its fit in its frame
  • Check intumescent fire and cold smoke seals are intact, serviceable and not overpainted
  • The cold smoke seal should bridge the gap between the door and frame
  • Doors needs to be a good fit within their frames with a maximum of 4mm gaps between the sides and tops of a door and the door frame
  • The gaps at the base of the door should normally be limited to 6mm
  • Check the door frame and leaf are OK, i.e., free of holes left from replacement locks and handles etc.
  • The condition of the fire-resisting glass and glazing system in the door panels, and any associated side or over panels forming part of the door set, retains their ability to resist the spread of fire and smoke
  • No obvious defects in the hinges (for example missing or loose screws), or any other element of the ironmongery (for example ventilation grilles)
  • Letterboxes are firmly closed and not jammed open. Where a letterbox has been fitted to a door that did not previously have one, the resident will need to confirm that the new letterbox is suitable for use in fire-resisting doors and has been fitted by a specialist contractor
  • If there has been any alterations or damage to a door’s glazing apertures or air transfer grille
  • Is there any newly fitted, but inappropriate, door furniture?
  • Have any relevant doors been replaced using non-fire-resisting types? Modern fire doors should display a visible fire resistance rating
  • Where needed, relevant fire door signage is in situ?
  • Although unusual, where a double door is installed, that requires one leaf to close before the other, a door selector may be fitted to ensure that the doors swing closed in the correct order. Where such a selector is fitted, this should be checked to ensure that it is operating correctly.

Where defects are reported, it is important that action is taken within an appropriate timescale and that they are not simply left until the next six/three-monthly inspection.

As mentioned above, the information is provided for guidance purposes only. Responsible persons need to decide on suitable and sufficient measures for the specific types of premises they are responsible for.

Written by Robert Grayson, Fire Risk Assessors & Workplace Safety Ltd, Email: fra.grayson@gmail.com, Company Registration Number 10279766 – England, dated 2 September 2023