Protecting Your Property with Fire Door Safety.
How’s your fire door safety? The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) holds that most fires are preventable. However, in the event of a blaze, fire doors are essential for stopping the spread of fire and smoke. This Fire Door Safety Week, we’re highlighting what you need to know as a building manager, homeowner or tenant.
HSE fire safety advice
According to the HSE, building owners and occupiers must keep their fire safety risk assessments up to date. They should then use these to maintain adequate fire safety measures and minimise the risk of injury or loss of life in the event of a fire.
While those responsible for preventing fire in the workplace are also tasked with identifying sources of ignition and fuel, as well as people who may be at risk. Action taken to avoid the risks, or at least reduce them, might include:
- Keeping sources of ignition and fuel apart
- Installing smoke alarms and fire bells
- Having fire-fighting equipment to hand
- Keeping fire exits clearly marked and easy to access
- Training workers on fire safety and fire drills
They consider fire door safety here, where they state:
“Fire-resisting door sets, normally referred to as fire doors, help to prevent the spread of fire and sometimes smoke. They also help to protect a building’s escape routes. Fire doors offer fire resistance for a specified number of minutes. If an “S” follows the number of minutes of stated protection, the set includes a smoke seal providing smoke resistance for the same period”.
Fire Door Safety Week
The creation of the British Woodworking Federation (supported by the BWF Fire Door Alliance), Fire Door Safety Week helps raise awareness of the critical role fire doors play in protecting both life and property.
“We need to root out fire doors that are ill-fitted, damaged or poorly maintained and ensure that all buildings are equipped with fire doors that are fit for purpose” – Fire Door Safety Week
Alterations to doors, inconsistent gaps around frames and their inability to close properly all inhibit fire safety. The campaign recommends five simple checks to maximise fire door safety:
- Certification
- Apertures
- Gaps and seals
- Closers
- Operation
Read more on these here.
For many, home security and maintenance issues are much higher on the agenda than fire safety. But fire door safety isn’t just a domestic problem, or exclusively rife in social housing and high-rises like Grenfell Tower. Whether you visit a hospital, school, industrial unit or office block, you could be at risk from shoddy installations.
What’s more, fire door safety falls on all our shoulders – that means reporting a potential violation to a building manager when you see it.
Hassle-free fire damage clearances
While fire safety measures are crucial to reduce the risk of outbreaks and spreading, they won’t always prevent a fire from happening. Should your building or business experience a fire that causes significant damage we’re here to help.
From soot and ash removal and clean-up to firewater removal and waste collection, we will get rid of overwhelm from the fire damage clearance process for homeowners, facilities managers and estate agents alike. Contact us to find out more or to request a quote.
