Members of the BWF Fire Door Alliance Fire Door & Doorset Scheme have committed themselves to a rigorous certification programme requiring a considerable investment in time and money. This commitment to quality will ensure this lifesaving product achieves its aim of protecting lives and property.

Certification

Certification is the cornerstone of the BWF Fire Door Alliance Fire Door & Doorset Scheme and should be the minimum requirement demanded for every passive fire protection product. Third party certification tests and verifies a fire door’s design, performance, manufacturing process and quality assurance from manufacture to installation.

Testing

Testing a fire door, at a UKAS approved test facility, to BS476 part 22 or EN 1634-1, is the only sure way to prove that it is going to fulfill its rating. A rating is given to the door assembly based on the time it has held back the fire without being breached.

The Scheme requires each fire door design to be tested, as a complete assembly, every 5 years, or 250,000 doors produced, to ensure standards are maintained.

Auditing

All members involved in the manufacture and conversion of fire doors or their associated components are audited annually by their Certification provider.

The audit aims to ensure that fire doors or components being made and adjusted use the same materials identified in the original test for that specific design. The auditor will also look to ensure that the Fire Door Alliance labels and installation instructions are being attached to every door and that records are kept for each door, to ensure traceability.

Quality Management – ISO 9001: 2015 or Factory Performance Control (FPC) Systems

Certification requires more than just the testing and auditing of the fire doors. The design and manufacturing process is also assessed. and as part of this, either ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System or a Factory Performance Control (FPC) System is also a requirement of the Scheme, ensuring that standards are consistently maintained for every door manufactured.

ISO 9001:2015 or an FPC requires that procedures are put in place to ensure products are made in the correct way with all the correct materials every time. The ISO 9001 or FPC sytems are also audited each year the a UKAS accredited auditor to ensure the procedures are being implemented.

Training

All staff involved in the sale of fire doors or components at a BWF Approved Fire Door Centre are required to undertake regular training to ensure they understand the latest Building Regulations and can offer correct advice to their customers; in particular to ensure customers purchase the correct compatible components for the fire door to ensure it maintains its certification and will achieve its rating in the event of a fire.