Certificated fire doorsets save lives and buildings, but still ignorance remains in local government construction, warns Peter Johnson, chairman of the British Woodworking Federation-CERTIFIRE scheme
Despite an astonishing 26 million fire doors labelled in the last 15 years, there is still a worrying level of ignorance about fire safety legislation and the critical importance of passive fire protection measures such as fire doors.
Our questions to all public sector building owners, contractors and specifiers are: How safe are your fire doors? And how do you know? Everyone involved in the manufacture, specification, sale, installation and maintenance of fire doors and doorsets needs to understand their roles and responsibilities when it comes to fire safety.
Fire doors are a critical component in the protection of lives and property. They are part of a building’s passive fire protection system, an essential requirement for all social housing, public buildings and offices.
When faced with a fire in an office, a council flat or any other building, every minute counts. A door no longer is just a door – often it needs to perform a much more critical job. Engineered fire-certificated timber doorsets, manufactured to industry recognised third party accreditation schemes, provide a precious life-saving opportunity for safe evacuation while additional time is gained for the control of the spread of fire in a building.
The development of modern building methods and the revolution in fire door design have been meteoric over recent decades. At the same time, completion costs for today’s buildings have reduced in real terms over this period, and final installation costs for most building components and products have become increasingly competitive. This is certainly the case for factory assembled fire doorsets, which are more cost-effective now than they were in 2005.
The role of the fire doorset is to prevent fire from spreading from its source to other parts of the building by effectively closing off the room, or compartment, in which the fire started.
In a simulated fire test conducted by BWF-CERTIFIRE members, the doorset is in a closed position contained by the doors closers. The hot gases from the fire source cause the intumescent materials between the door leaf and the frame to expand rapidly and close the gaps between the components. This can last up to two hours depending on the fire door’s rating. In extreme installations, where very expensive plant is to be protected, the fire rating designation can be even higher.
In domestic housing, where half of all fires start in the kitchen, this compartment could be protected by 30 minute fire resistant walls, ceilings and fire doorsets.
All the components that make up a fire doorset are tested and approved under the same certification and backed by the BWF-CERTIFIRE Fire Door and Doorset Scheme, one of the industry’s leading third party schemes. It ensures products sourced and provided to the property owner and correctly installed will protect property and more importantly, save lives.
Products that are not sourced responsibly propose a significant risk factor. It is still alarming that, even in today’s rigorous environment, the vast majority of fire door installations are made by contractors buying all the components separately and constructing the assembly on the building site.
To make absolutely sure of a safe and sound specification the risk factor can only be overcome by installing a complete fire door assembly which has been fully accredited.
With the launch earlier this year of the Fire Door Inspection Scheme by BWF-CERTIFIRE and the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers, the final comfort can be provided.
While similar schemes are well established in the USA, the UK’s Fire Door Inspection Scheme is believed to be the first in Europe and is designed to transform people’s knowledge and understanding about the critical purpose and function of fire doors.
It aims to help improve fire safety management, protect property and ultimately save lives through creating a new pool of expertise and competence to help those with legal responsibilities under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order and equivalent legislation.
Local authorities and social landlords can know that fire doorsets specified, sourced and installed correctly, inspected and maintained, will give years of life saving and property protection. Such schemes and regulations also force less scrupulous manufacturers to improve standards.
If you are specifying fire doors in your buildings, make sure you read our Fire Door fact cards, or call our free advice line on 0844 209 2614. If you're looking to source fire doors, you can download a full list of the BWF-CERTIFIRE Scheme's membership.