Recent findings from the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) highlight a concerning trend: 75% of fire doors assessed in the UK during 2021 failed to meet the necessary standards.
This statistic, derived from inspections of over 100,000 fire doors by FDIS's certified inspectors, underscores a critical safety issue, potentially placing lives at risk if unaddressed. Comparatively, a similar assessment in 2019 revealed a 76% failure rate, indicating a mere 1% improvement over two years.
High-Failure Rates in Key Sectors
The FDIS data pinpointed healthcare facilities, local authorities, housing associations, and private housing as the environments with the most substantial number of inspection failures.
The organization attributes these high failure rates to the increased use and foot traffic these buildings experience, emphasizing the necessity of routine inspections and maintenance to ensure the longevity and effectiveness of fire doors.
Common Causes of Failure
Several recurrent issues were identified as primary causes for the failed inspections
Several recurrent issues were identified as primary causes for the failed inspections. The most prevalent issue, affecting 77% of doors, was excessive gaps between the door and frame.
Maintenance deficiencies plagued 54% of failed doors, while issues with smoke seals were identified in 37% of cases. Moreover, improper installation contributed to 31% of the failures.
Fire Safety Concerns and Responsibilities
Beyond physical deficiencies, the report flagged broader concerns regarding fire safety. A significant gap in knowledge about fire safety responsibilities was evident, alongside inadequate understanding of the critical role fire doors play in protecting lives during a fire.
These findings highlight an urgent need for enhanced guidance and support in fire safety compliance for businesses responsible for multiple properties.
Fire Safety Consultancy Services
Organizations managing extensive property portfolios, such as those in the healthcare and public sectors, may struggle to meet fire safety requirements across all buildings. This challenge can be mitigated through specialized fire safety consultancy services.
These services aid in understanding the varied fire doors' functions and locations, ensuring they are equipped to protect against fire and smoke effectively.
Comprehensive Consultancy Offerings
The consultancy not only facilitates the installation of essential fire safety measures — such as alarms, emergency lighting, extinguishers, and fire-resilient door systems — but also offers detailed analysis of existing documentation and procedures.
They evaluate current risk levels, action, and emergency plans, making targeted recommendations to improve safety protocols and guide organizations towards achieving compliance.
According to data collected by the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS), three quarters of the fire doors inspected in the UK by its approved inspectors do not meet the required standard leading them to warn of a “tragedy waiting to happen.”
The data showed that out of more than 100,000 fire door inspections carried out by its approved inspectors in 2021, 75% of fire doors failed to meet the required standards, putting lives at risk in the event of a fire.
In 2019, FDIS found that 76% of the fire doors it inspected were condemned as not fit for purpose, meaning there has only been a 1% improvement over the last two years.
FDIS highlights
Healthcare buildings, local authorities and housing associations, and private housing were the types of buildings with the highest number of fire door inspection failures.
The FDIS highlights that because these buildings’ fire doors are subject to higher use and traffic than other building types, regular inspection and maintenance is key to ensuring they remain fit for purpose throughout their lifespan.
The most common reasons for the fire doors failing their inspection were:
- Excessive gaps between the door and the frame (77%)
- Care and maintenance issues (54%)
- Issues over smoke sealing (37%)
- Improper installation (31%)
Fire safety concerns
The inspection data also revealed inspectors’ top three fire safety concerns as a lack of fire door maintenance, and poor knowledge of fire safety responsibilities and a limited understanding of the role fire doors play in keeping people safe by those responsible for building fire safety.
It’s clear then that businesses need help and guidance when it comes to fire safety, and complying with fire safety guidelines.
Fire Safety Consultancy
However, their fire safety consultancy service can help users overcome these difficulties
Total Fire Group appreciates that organizations which are responsible for a large portfolio of properties, such as those within the healthcare, local authority or housing association sectors, it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of the requirements of each individual building.
However, their fire safety consultancy service can help users overcome these difficulties. This is particularly useful around the fire door survey and data above, as not all fire doors are created equal!
There needs to be a clear understanding of the location of the fire doors, their function, and what areas they are designed to protect from fire and smoke. That’s where their consultancy service comes in.
Consultancy service
As part of their fire safety consultancy service, they can ensure that appropriate fire provisions are installed such as fire alarms, emergency lighting, extinguishers and fire doors, as well as ensuring adequate fire resistance/compartmentation for all types of premises.
But they offer so much more than that. As the fire safety consultants they become a true extension of a business, advising users on their existing documentation and procedures before confirming if they provide the correct level of information and detail in order to be compliant.
Additionally, they will assess the current risk levels and existing action and emergency plans so that they can then make recommendations on any further action users could take to improve their policies to assist users with a route to compliance.
