A door’s a door, right? No, a fire door is an engineered safety device. Here at Pendle Doors Ltd all our fire doors are fully certified. Fire Door Safety Week will take place this year from 24th September until 30th September 2018.

This year’s campaign aims to spread public awareness. Its purpose is to engage & educate building owners and users on how to ensure they remain safe and reduce risks by having the right fire doors installed.

There are about three million new fire doors bought and installed every year in the UK, the vast majority made from timber. These timber fire doorsets can be neglected for a number of reasons, generally due to incorrect fitting, propped open by others or badly damaged due to a lack of correct and efficient maintenance. What people fail to realise is that these fire doors are usually the first line of defence and therefore could be the difference between life and death. As a result, Fire Door Safety Week was created.

This is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the critical role that fire doors play in everyday life, whether this be around the home, the workplace or everyday public buildings. It will draw attention to issues surrounding poor installation and maintenance, encouraging building owners to check the operation and condition of their fire doors, then replace any that aren’t satisfactory or meet fire regulation standards.

To help reduce the risk of fire, these five safety tips have been created by the #FireDoorSafetyWeek team.

• Check for certification Is there a label or plug on top (or occasionally on the side) of the door to show it is a certificated fire door? You can use the selfie function on your camera phone or a mirror to check. If there is, that’s good news, otherwise report it to whoever is in charge of your building.

• Check the gaps Check the gaps around the top and sides of the door are consistently less than 4mm when closed. You can use a £1 coin to give a feel for scale, this is about 3mm thick. The gap under the door can be slightly larger (up to 8mm is not uncommon), but it does depend on the door – as a rule of thumb, if you can see light under the door, the gap is likely to be too big. It’s good news if the door fits the frame and it’s not damaged. If not, report it. If the gaps are too big smoke and fire could travel through the cracks.

• Check the seals Are there any intumescent seals around the door or frame and are they intact with no sign of damage? These seals are usually vital to the fire door’s performance, expanding if in contact with heat to ensure fire (and in some cases smoke) can’t move through the cracks. If not, report it – the door may not be properly maintained and in the intensity of a fire may not protect you long enough.

• Check the hinges Are the hinges firmly fixed (three or more of them), with no missing or broken screws? If you see problems, report it – the door is obviously not properly maintained and in the intensity of a fire may not perform and hold back the fire for long enough.

• Check the door closes properly Open the door about halfway, let go and allow it to close by itself. Does it close firmly onto the latch without sticking on the floor or the frame? If not, report it. A fire door only works when it’s closed. A fire door is completely useless if it’s wedged open or can’t close fully.

If you think the building you’re living in, working in or visiting has a faulty fire door, report it to whoever manages or owns the building. Remember, fire doors save life and property.

So, if you’re looking for a UK door manufacturer to provide you with quality bespoke timber doorsets, contact us. We know that every door serves a purpose, whether that’s our PAS24 Secured by Design external doorsets for safety and security or a door that will leave that long-lasting impression.

Pendle Doors is there to help and protect. Contact us on 01254 870 850 for more information about our bespoke fire doors.

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