Why Are Fire Doors Important?
Fire doors play a hugely important role in the fire safety of workplaces, public buildings, residential settings and many more building types.
Alongside fire alarm systems and fire extinguishers, fire doors make up a fundamental part of a property’s fire safety protocol, and without them, a fire has the potential to spread exponentially.
In this article, the team at Millennium Fire Protection will answer the question of ‘why are fire doors important?’ providing you with all the information you need to enhance the safety of your property.
What are fire doors?
First of all, it’s important to understand exactly what fire doors are. Commonly constructed from resilient materials such as timber, steel and fibreglass, fire doors are designed to stop the spread of fire, allowing people to evacuate as swiftly and quickly as possible.
By containing the fire in one place, the fire doors will keep corridors and other escape routes safe from the blaze, meaning escape routes are clear and provide better access to the fire brigade.
A secondary benefit of these doors is also that the longer a fire is kept in one place, the greater chance of minimising property damage – meaning human life and your organisation’s building will both be protected.
How do fire doors work?
As previously mentioned, fire doors are predominantly designed to keep a fire contained so people can evacuate as quickly and safely as possible. Typically, a good quality fire door will be able to keep a fire at bay for around 30 minutes to one hour, meaning there is plenty of time for the fire brigade to arrive and tackle the blaze.
To do this, fire doors are fitted with intumescent strips that are positioned on the edges of every door frame. If a fire does occur, the heat it generates will cause these strips to expand and fill any gaps, meaning the room becomes sealed, with smoke and the flames unable to escape. While fire doors are excellent at keeping a fire contained, they’re a short-term measure to give you time to evacuate and contact the emergency services.
Fire doors only work effectively when they’re shut, so should be closed at all times and not propped open (unless fitted with an automatic closing mechanism).
Is it a legal requirement to have fire doors installed?
According to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, every business should have a ‘responsible person’ to oversee all fire safety procedures. This responsibility includes ensuring that every measure is put in place to minimise the spread of fire if one does break out. Fire doors play a vital role in stopping a fire from spreading, and it’s a legal requirement to have them installed in all non-domestic buildings. This includes business, commercial and public or community buildings.
There are also a number of checks that should be regularly carried out to ensure your fire doors are up to scratch. These include:
- Check the certification – All fire doors should come with a label on the side of the door that shows their certification. If there is no label present, the door might not be an official fire door and could need replacing.
- Measure the gaps – To work properly, the gaps around the edges of a fire door should be less than 4mm. If it’s bigger than this, then it may not be able to seal efficiently. You can check this with a £1 coin which is around 3mm.
- Check the seals – Fire doors will not work if there is any damage to the intumescent strips. If there are rips or tears in the strips, then they must be replaced immediately.
- Make sure the door fully closes – If the door does not fully close on its own or will not shut all the way, then it won’t be much use during a fire. Test this by opening and closing the doors, and if it does not fully shut then it should be replaced.
- Check the hinges – If your door’s hinges aren’t properly fixed to the door or have screws missing, your door could be compromised if a fire breaks out. Be sure to replace them if this is the case.
At Millennium Fire Protection, we have over 50 years of experience providing fire safety products, services and advice to companies across Harrow, Ealing and Watford. This includes excellent fire doors that can serve as the first line of defence if a fire does break out. All of our products come with a three-five year warranty, so you can rest assured that you’re receiving products of the very best quality. For more information about how we can enhance the safety of your property, contact our team today.