Fire doors are an essential element in the passive fire protection of buildings. They feature in almost every building where they work, live and sleep. But, sadly their importance is often overlooked until a fire breaks out.
In this newly released video, they explore what a fire door is and highlight the importance of regular fire door inspections. As a commonly neglected area of safety; they draw attention to specific issues such as poor installation and maintenance. A correctly specified, installed and maintained fire door could mean the difference between life and death.
Why are fire doors important?
A fire door is an engineered safety device comprising many components:
- the door leaf and frame,
- any glazing,
- intumescent fire and smoke seals,
- ironmongery that is used on the door, such as hinges, overhead door closers, latches, and locks.
Fire rescue services
Fire rescue services valuable time to stop the fire in its tracks & protect the effects from total destruction
They act just like any other door in normal service, but in a fire, they take on a critical role – to save lives and protect property.
It does this by holding back the spread of fire and smoke through a building for a designated period, giving time for building occupants to escape.
They also work to contain the fire to one area of the building, giving fire rescue services valuable time to stop the fire in its tracks & protect the property from total destruction.
Why are fire door inspections important?
Fire doors can easily become damaged when they are in regular use; and with so many components – it’s vital that the doors are inspected to ensure they are fit for purpose and will perform as expected in the event of a fire.
If they’re not, lives and property are put at risk. Plus, the responsible person (typically a building owner) could be liable for prosecution under the RRO. Fire doors need to be inspected at least every six months by a competent person.
