Fire doors in homes
Fire doors save lives and property.
About 3 million new fire doors are bought and installed every year in the UK. But to save lives, fire doors must work correctly.
A fire door in the annexe of a house in Chester prevented a fire taking hold of the whole property. This case is a perfect example of how important fire doors are when a fire breaks out both in the home and the workplace. Fire doors play a critical element in saving lives and property.
View more about this incident, where the Fire door prevented the house fire spreading.
Importance of fire doors
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To save lives, fire doors must work correctly
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Fire doors must be tested and third-party certificated to BS 476 Part 22 or BS EN 1634 Part 1
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Fire doors must be fitted with the correct and compatible components suited to the door leaf and its purpose
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Like any fire safety device, fire doors should be installed and maintained by competent people
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A fire door’s performance should never be compromised
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Correct glazing and ironmongery must be used on fire doors
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You must never alter or adapt the door leaf on site
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Correct frames must be used
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Intumescent seals must be used
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Ensure good installation and maintenance
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Never prop a fire door open
Fire doors - don't
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Fit a fire door like any other door – it’s not, it’s an engineered safety device
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Cut vision panels and other holes on site
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Patch up a fire door
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Take risks by reducing the specification
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Disconnect a fire door closer
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Prop or wedge open a fire door
Poster - for landlords
Here's a poster that landlords can use, to inform tenants about the importance of fire doors:
Fire door poster (new window, PDF 50KB)
Video - How safe are your fire doors?
Video - top tips for installing a fire door
Fact cards - information about fire doors
A number of Fact Cards about fire doors are available for FREE download, using the following link:
Fact cards - fire doors (opens in new window)