Fire doors are important considerations in the construction of all multiple residency and high-rise residential properties. A visible ‘safety first‘ approach ensures the trust of residents and the highest level of fire safety should a blaze occur.
To ensure your doors are working to a compliant standard, here is a five-step fire door check you should follow during the installation and/or inspection:
1) Check The Door’s FD Rating
All officially certified fire doors will be clearly labelled as such, with an ‘FD’ safety rating that shows how many minutes the door will resist the ingress of fire and smoke. Ratings start at FD30 for fire doors designed to provide 30 minutes resistance and reach FD120 for the heaviest duty fire doors. Look for a label or marking that shows that the door has come from a reputable source. This is important to know so that the fire door can be fully trusted, having been produced and provided by experienced professionals. Bear in mind that latches, locks, and hinges intended for use with the door should also be marked to show fully certified compatibility.
2) Measure The Gaps Between The Door And The Door Frame
Gaps around fire doors should be at least 3 mm and no more than 4 mm to ensure full effectiveness. These measurements need to be constant around the door frame; if they are not even then the frame and leaf can be adjusted slightly, and the door refitted. Should that not be sufficient for compliance, a full door replacement may be likely. Knowing your gap measurements is essential to ensure the door can meet its requirements.
3) Assess The Door’s Seals
Equally vital is the strength of the door’s seals at the top and sides. When the fire door comes into contact with intense heat from flames, the seals will expand to prevent fire getting through. A damaged or missing seal will allow flames to bypass the fire door and negate its safety value.
4) Monitor The Door’s Hinges
Hinges should be firmly fixed in place and monitored regularly in case of loose or missing screws. Accumulated dirt may also interfere with the hinges so this should be checked for as well. The structural integrity of a door relies heavily on its hinges, and a fire door with compromised hinges may fail to close properly in an emergency, allowing smoke to spread through the building.
5) Does The Fire Door Fully Close?
It may sound obvious but making sure your fire door closes fully and smoothly is another vital element in your overall five-step check. This being a specialist door, closing properly means it should be accurately measured to fit correctly on its own around all corners of the frame. Any issues with closure will require immediate refitting or replacement. You don’t want to be caught short during a fire when the door doesn’t close as it should.
Fire Door Installation And Servicing From Mila Maintenance
For over 30 years, fire door installation, upgrades and repairs have been the core speciality of Mila Maintenance. Our priority is ensuring everyone working and living in the social housing and care home sectors are guaranteed the best fire safety standards.
If your fire doors require a fresh inspection, or if you’d simply like more information, please get in touch for a quote today.
Image Source: Unsplash
