This year’s Fire Door Safety Week took place between 25th and 29th September. Its aim was to focus attention on the critical importance of fire doors in saving lives and protecting buildings of all kinds in the unfortunate event of a fire.
Fire Door Safety Week (FDSW) is owned and managed by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF), and supported by the BWF Fire Door Alliance.
Research conducted in 2022 by the British Woodworking Federation as part their Fire Door Safety Week campaign ‘Close the Door on Fire’ found that over 30% of those asked believed that a fire door that was propped open with a wedge or a fire extinguisher was safe. This is a shocking statistic.
Not only was a propped-open fire door incorrectly deemed as safe, but 15% believed that keeping a fire door closed stops it performing, highlighting a lack of understanding around the role fire doors play in the event of a fire.
As the experts at Fire Door Safety Week state, the issues around fire door safety don’t just exist in high rise, high-risk buildings. They are prevalent in pretty much any sector and building type that you think of, from care homes and hospitals to schools and specialist housing.
PTSG’s uncompromising approach to fire safety
It is widely known that in the UK, the Grenfell tragedy redefined fire safety measures for tall residential buildings. The Grenfell fire soon got out of control largely because of the building’s flammable cladding – and there followed a ban on the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls in a wide range of buildings from December 2018, not just residential. However, if there had been a sprinkler system in Grenfell Tower, the fire would have been deluged before it got to the cladding, and people would have had time to leave the building.
In retrospect, a comprehensive approach to fire safety could have prevented the fire altogether. This would include clear fire safety instructions and wayfaring signage for residents; fire doors throughout – with information on their correct use; a sprinkler system; non-combustible external cladding; and regular checks on all fire safety equipment.
Premier Technical Services Group Ltd (PTSG) states on its website that fire safety must be the foundation upon which all buildings are constructed. Fire safety assets should be part of every building’s design and these assets must then receive rigorous regular testing and maintenance, ensuring compliance with the latest industry regulations.
PTSG works with building owners and managers to reduce their risk by providing specialist fire safety equipment and services.
The Group’s services help them to meet their compliance obligations, supported by industry-leading reporting, delivered to the latest UK standards. This is complemented by first-class fire suppression equipment and services to ensure that in the unlikely event of a fire, there is the best possible chance of keeping damage to an absolute minimum and protecting lives.
Ensuring Dutyholders comply with the latest regulations
The new Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into effect on 23rd January 2023. They were introduced as a direct result of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, following the Grenfell fire. The regulations make it a requirement in law for responsible persons of high-rise and multi-occupied residential buildings to provide information to Fire and Rescue Services, fire safety instructions to residents and actions regarding fire doors.
The specific requirements of Dutyholders are detailed on the government website. PTSG ran a campaign earlier this year detailing how its Fire Solutions team can provide expert help in this area.
PTSG’s fire door service
PTSG employs LPCB, BM TRADA and Firas certified experts who specialise in the inspection and remediation of internal timber doors and front entrance door-sets. Its certified technicians provide assurance that every aspect of a building’s fire doors are functioning in accordance with fire regulations.
PTSG’s comprehensive fire door inspection service has been designed to meet third-party certification standards, providing assurance and evidence to the responsible person that fire doors perform as they should in the event of a fire, protecting lives and properties. Its certified fire door service provides assurance that fire safety risk is being managed and that its clients’ fire doors and door sets work as intended.
Fit-for-purpose fire doors
To comply with both the Building Regulations and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO) which say the responsible person must manage and reduce fire risk, independent third-party certification provides proof of the fire doors’ ability to hold back the spread of smoke and fire in the event of fire.
Third-party certification verifies that fire doors have undergone a rigorous audit to prove they are fit-for-purpose and are operating to the same specification and quality as that originally tested. And the responsible person is provided with visibility and traceability of the lifespan of their fire doors including information manufacturer information.
PTSG’s fire door service offers:
- Risk based recurring inspection service, the frequency of which to be determined based on door type, building characteristics, use, and occupancy rates
- 45-point Inspection performed to third-party accredited inspection standards (LPCB LPS 1197 and BM Trada Q Mark)
- Instant access to inspection records through QR codes attached to each door show date of last inspection and a PDF evidence-based Inspection report
- Certificates of conformity confirming inspections have been completed to third party certification standards
- Essential operations and maintenance data comprising digital floor plans with annotated fire door locations
- Prioritised cost estimates for any repair or replacement works
- Repair/ replacement works completed by competency proven fire door technicians
- Ongoing access to Neo systems to monitor the date of next inspection due and Current certification status
- Ongoing responsive repair service supporting the responsible persons duty to maintain compliance between inspections
PTSG works with clients from all sectors; this includes working extensively with social housing providers and other public sector organisations to deliver fire door services as well as a range of other passive fire services to ensure social housing residents are as safe as possible in their homes.
