Fire Door Inspections / Robust Fire Protection
Fire doors are a robust fire protection measure which should be checked and maintained like any other life safety system in a building.
Fire doors help slow the spread of fire and smoke throughout a building, not only to protect lives, but also to protect the property and neighbouring buildings. This only applies, however, if they are correctly maintained in a working condition.
In addition to the implications from various design codes, standards and guidance documents, we strongly urge organisations to have the condition of their fire doors periodically checked; failure to do so could dramatically increase the threat level should a fire occur.
Since the uncovering of drastic failings of passive fire protection in various building fires such as the Grenfell Tower disaster, the importance of suitable checks of passive fire protection has been significantly highlighted.
Our Qualified and trained surveyors will carry out a fire door survey for a property and perform a detailed check for all fire doors on-site to ensure they are safe, compliant and effective in order to protect occupants against the spread of smoke and flame in the event of a fire. The process comprises the utilisation of a mobile form whereby all aspects of a fire doorset are analysed and photographed.
What’s included in the comprehensive visual inspection of each fire resisting doorset: –
- the fire resisting qualities of the fire door hinges and all door hardware.
- the condition, fitting, and operation of the hinges and hardware.
- a review of fire door signage.
- a check of the condition and operation of any hold open devices.
- a check of the fire door closing devices and their ability to effectively close the doorsets.
- a check for relevant markings, for example from the British Woodworking Federation to identify the fire rating of the doorset.
- an inspection of the locks and latches to ensure they are operational.
- an inspection of any vision panels, glazing, and review of their suitability.
- an inspection of the cold smoke seals.
- an inspection of the intumescent strips.
- an assessment on the fire resisting qualities of the doorset, including its thickness.
- a review of the gaps between the leaf and frame – including the threshold for suitability.
- a visual inspection of the fire door frame.
- a visual inspection of the door leaf.
- a review of the materials used in the installation of the doorset.
Following the survey, we issue a clear action plan and report which outlines the locations of defects, photographic evidence, and suggested remedial actions made by way of reference to the BM TRADA Accepted Repair Techniques We include a full list of recommendations and photographs for every single issue as standard.