Fire door safety week is taking place this year from 26th September to 2nd October. But why, you might be wondering, is a door worthy of its own safety week? The answer is because a fire door is an engineered safety device and a fundamental part of the passive fire protection system in your building.
They’re also an unobtrusive and pretty unexciting piece of equipment and most days they’re just doing the same job as every other door in your premises. And unfortunately that can lead to a rather casual attitude towards the way they’re treated.
#ClickItKickIt
This explains why part of this year’s fire door safety week is focused on their #ClickItKickIt campaign to identify all the fire doors that are wedged open because an open fire door offers absolutely no fire protection at all. They’re encouraging people to take a photo to share on social media, hence the ‘ClickIt’ part of the hashtag. But the ‘KickIt’ part is more important. Don’t take the kicking part too literally, but they’re asking people to close the door then make sure the right people are informed that there’s an issue with fire doors being left open.
The Fire Door Safety Week is organised by the BWF (British Woodworking Federation) Certifire Scheme and the FDIS (Fire Door Inspection Scheme). Its broader aims include raising awareness of the vital role fire doors play as well as reminding people about the need to install and maintain them properly – just as you would any other piece of fire safety equipment.
The role of the fire door
There are around 3 million new fire doors bought and installed annually in UK commercial, public and multiple occupancy buildings. Fire doors are frequently the first line of defence in a fire and if they’ve been incorrectly specified, maintained or managed it could seriously limit their effectiveness if a fire breaks out. Don’t forget that fires follow the line of least resistance. So if it has spread to a corridor it’ll consume the space in seconds. Anyone in a room off that corridor will have lost their escape route within moments. A fire door delays the fire, giving people precious seconds to get out safely. But a wedged open fire door offers absolutely no protection at all.
Checking your fire doors
Why not give your fire doors a quick check over right now? Here are 3 simple things you can do to spot any immediate problems. If you need some more information, there’s a useful guide on the fire door safety week website that can help you.
· Check fire doors close properly around all parts of the frame. Make sure the gap between the door and the frame is no greater than around 3mm. The gap under the door can be fractionally larger.
· Inspect the door for damage. Check its edges, hinges, handles, windows and seals.
· Check that the right signage is in place.
If you think the gap is more than it should be or the door looks worn in any way, you need to arrange a proper inspection.
This campaign needs to reach as many people as possible. You can help by promoting it to others. You could let your clients, suppliers or tenants know about it through newsletters or by putting the logo onto your own website. Join in with their social media campaign. And take a careful look at your own fire doors. Don’t underestimate their importance. If you need some advice about fire doors, or any aspect of your building’s passive fire protection system, then get in touch with us right away.
Tom Fletcher
Tom Fletcher is Managing Director of Jackson Fire & Security [Cambridge]. Prior to joining Jackson, he served for seven years as commissioned officer in the RAF Police & Security Branch. During his service, Tom was responsible for protecting military bases in the UK and overseas. He now helps facilities managers, business owners and construction professionals safeguard facilities and people in the East of England.
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