I saw in the news recently that it is Fire Door Safety Week from 23 to 29 September 2019. It’s now in its seventh year! They are dedicated to raising awareness about fire doors, fire stopping and safety for the whole building industry and every property owner, including the business owners who rent those buildings.
It made me think of a conversation I had with a local business owner.
He said:
It wasn’t until I employed person #5 that I realised the importance of fire door safety.
Fire Doors in multi-occupied buildings
Our office is part of a complex. In multi-occupied buildings, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2004 and the Fire (Scotland) Act 2006 requires the ‘Responsible Person/Duty Holder’ to co-operate and liaise with other ‘Responsible Persons/Duty Holders’ within the building whether on a permanent or temporary basis to ensure the safety of all relevant persons.
Suddenly, by enploying that extra member of staff, I officially became a Responsible Person who had to produce a written Fire Risk Assessment. And my house could be on the line if I didn’t protect the people working for me whilst they were in my office space.
I started researching online and this video put the fear of God into me.
Is your fire door safe?
At the end of the video, they give 5 things you can do to check your fire door is safe:
- Look for labels or similar markings that show the door is certificated
- Check that the door is marked correctly with the appropriate signage – Fire door keep shut
- Ensure that the door or frame has the combined fire and smoke seal and the door closes correctly with an even gap all around of about 3mm.
- Also check the door closer at the top is fitted securely.
- Check the fire-rated hinges are fitted firmly into the door and the frame with no missing screws.
- Make sure the door is not damaged and never wedged or propped open.
BUT…
I knew very little about the composition of the door between our office and the rest of the building.
I didn’t know if the hinges were fire-rated.
I could see there was a gap between the door and the frame but I didn’t know whether it was too big to comply with the regulations.
I could see that there was some kind of seal in that space. But I didn’t know whether that seal was made of the right material or if it was the right size to fill the gap and stop poisonous smoke from getting in.
I also didn’t know if the glass panel in the door was fire-rated.
To get peace of mind, this business owner had to pay a lot of money to get his own Fire Risk Assessment for an area that measures just 450sqft.
If you have any concerns, contact your landlord, the person responsible for your building’s fire safety or the local fire brigade.
