By Neil Ashdown MAFDI, FSIDip

If ever a word was in need of clarification it’s the word ‘compliance’ or ‘compliant’ when used to describe fire doors. 

Since the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017 when 72 people in their homes lost their lives, fire safety in buildings has been elevated to a level of importance never seen before in modern times.

This new level of importance has spawned a plethora of businesses offering services claiming to make us compliant in one area of fire safety or another.

What does this ‘compliance’ mean when addressing the suitability of fire doors and escape doors in our buildings?

What is a compliant fire door?

We often hear it said that the gap around the door leaf must be 3mm for compliance.

That’s right, isn’t it?

Actually, the answer could be yes or no!

We also hear it said that if a ‘Third Party Certificated Installer’ fits the fire door then that’s compliant.

Again, the answer could be yes or no!

So let’s provide some clarity here.

New doors in a new building

Beginning with new doors in a new building, compliance is easily defined and measured.

Appendix C of the building regulations Approved Document B deals with requirements in terms of fire-resisting doors and the fire doors and associated components supplied will be traceable to evidence of fire resistance and restricted smoke spread performance. So long as the components, materials and installation works are inspected by a suitably competent person then compliance can be confirmed measured against the relevant regulations, standards and certification.

Where a professional fire door inspector is engaged a full report would be provided and this will prove especially valuable where the installation contractor is required to rectify any issues before the terms of their contract are fulfilled.  

New doors at an existing building

Here is where compliance might be less easily defined.

The good news is that the fire doors and associated components would be traceable to evidence of fire resistance and restricted smoke spread performance but issues can arise where existing issues at the building might affect installation work. These issues might include floors not being level causing compliance with smoke sealing requirements at the threshold being compromised and supporting walls not being plumb causing compliance with door frame installation requirements being compromised.

What might happen in such circumstances will depend on the competence of the installer and whether a professional fire door inspector is consulted on these matters.

Existing doors at an existing building

Where fire doors were installed when the building was first constructed there would have been no reason why they shouldn’t comply fully with the relevant regulations and standards. However, once the building is occupied and the doors put to daily use that full compliance can easily be lost but what actually is compliance in an existing building that is subject to daily use including the atmospheric conditions at the building and general wear and tear.

Are we to expect that the doors would be in a similar state to when the building was new, say two or three years later? 

Is that reasonable? I would say clearly not.

So, along comes the fire door inspector to carry out periodic checks as recommended in BS9999 and BS8214 guidance and they find defects such as worn smoke seals, ineffective door bottom seals and door to frame gaps larger than required.

Their job is to report the defects they find to the building operator but they are not the Fire Door Safety Police, they do not have nor should they have the powers to insist these defects are rectified.

Nor should they make recommendations that are inappropriate to the defects they find because too often some inspectors recommend that new doors are fitted when actually there is no requirement for this.

What should happen is that the building operator and the fire door inspector should decide which fire doors are most critical to life safety and separately property protection and the inspection programme should be decided based on that risk-based assessment.

It is usually the case that some fire doors are more critical than others depending on their location at the building so where the fire door inspection report provides details of a defect and what remedial action is necessary the building operator should decide whether that defect needs to be remediated urgently or whether the risk presented is minimal in terms of life safety or property protection.

Fire door inspections and the reports

A professional fire door inspector should provide a comprehensive report detailing their findings.

The report should list all doors inspected in easy-to-read text and whether they are compliant or non-compliant to the requirements of the Standard BS 8214: 2016 Timber-based fire doors – Code of practice, bearing in mind that, currently, there exists no such Standard for composite fire doors and metal fire doors.

Where defects are found the inspector should describe the defect clearly using laymen’s terms and describe the remedial action necessary to rectify the defect.

If your fire door inspector fails to do that, then their report is unsuitable.

The way forward

A responsible building operator should ensure that fire doors and escape doors at their buildings are subject to periodic inspections at intervals suitable to the use of the building, fire risk at certain locations in the building, fire strategy at the building and the use and importance of the doors.

Article 17 of the Fire Safety Order places a legal obligation on the Responsible Person at the building to ensure that fire safety devices are maintained in a suitable and effective condition.

For fire doors, this could be something as simple as replacing a smoke seal or as time-consuming as replacing the glazing or re-installing the door.

Professional fire door inspectors don’t want to see building operators tasked with obligations that are akin to the repainting of the Forth Bridge so risk assessment is essential in prioritising remedial works and considering how critical the fire door is to the fire strategy.

A professional fire door inspector can assist building operators with door replacement programmes in recommending the most suitable types of door construction and components for installation as well as inspecting the installation contractors’ works. They can provide very useful information and services to help the building operator to achieve compliance and value for money.

Neil Ashdown is chairman of the Affiliation of Fire Door Inspectors

March 2022