Neil ashdown

Fire doors are designed to be kept closed at all times to ensure their effectiveness in preventing smoke and fire entering the means of escape, in maintaining adequate fire compartmentation and to generally prevent the spread of fire. However, it is recognised that in certain circumstances it is desirable to have self-closing fire doors kept open for practical reasons. Using a wedge is not acceptable because fire doors are vital as safety equipment that legally must be kept shut unless an approved system is used to hold it open that releases the door on activation of the fire alarm system. As far as we are aware the only acceptable method of holding open fire doors is by using a device that meets the requirements of BS7273:part 4 and BS5839;part3 in its operation. So if you fit an automatic opening device it must close immediately or on activation of the fire alarm. Correct signage must also be fitted to the doors and you should seek advice from a specialist manufacturer competent in fire door installation. FIRAS lists approved fire door installers. You may also need approval for any alterations from your local authority building control and the building owners/occupiers. The building owner/occupier will have a fire risk strategy and any alterations to fire doors must be recorded. Hope this helps. Regards, Neil Fire Door Inspection Scheme London, WC1E 7BT

Hi, Thanks for your post. I am very concerned to hear about the work done to the fire doors fitted at your flat. The building owner and contractor 'may be' in very serious breach of the Fire Safety Order and you should seek formal advice from the local Fire Service. If a fire breaks out while asleep the risk of death due to smoke inhalation is great. Therefore fire doors in this type of situation should have smoke seals fitted to the top and both long edges of the fire door or frame and they must be in constant contact with the door edges and frame when the door is closed. A self closer should be fitted. At the bottom of the door, the maximum gap between the floor and the bottom edge of the door should be 3mm - YES 3mm !!! That is about the thickness of a pound coin. Ideally a drop down threshold seal should be fitted. If you have fire and smoke resisting doors fitted at your flat building and the clearance between the floor and the bottom of the door has been increased by cutting or planing the door down as you say then the smoke protection offered has now been negated and should be put right without delay. If I were resident in these flats I would take action without delay. Regards, Neil Ashdown Fire Door Inspection Scheme London. WC1E 7BT

Hi, Fire doors are generally made to a specific size to fit a fire door frame and its important to make sure the door and frame are both fire rated otherwise you cannot be confident that they will perform in the event of a fire. The correct option is to purchase new fire doors with a ready installed vision panel. Insist on a 'BWF Certifire' door and you must fit them according to the instructions supplied with the doors as tolerances are critical to performance. Hope this helps. Regards, Neil.

Of course, there is an argument that says a certificated fire door-set is the preferable option because all components are supplied by one source.......

Building owners and employers have been prosecuted for fire safety breaches such as these. That should act a motivator!!! Regards, Neil.

Hi Tom, Yes, what I have said above applies to fire door leaves. Its important to choose a certificated fire door and then make sure that the other components of the fire door assembly are compatible for use with that door. Certificated fire doors come with instructions and your supplier is able to provide certification so that you can check compatibility and install accordingly. You can check its a certificated fire door by finding the label on the top edge of the door (make sure you leave the label in place so others can check its a fire door). That way you have made best efforts to replicate the fire test evidence for the door (and replicating test evidence is the only way to be confident your fire door will provide the correct fire integrity rating in a fire situation). Regards, Neil.