Protection Fire doors
Fire Door Safety Week: why fire door safety can’t be left to chance With fire safety under the spotlight, and strengthening of legislation through the Fire Safety Bill and the Building Safety Bill, Fire Door Safety Week will once again help to educate on the importance of fire door safety. Helen Hewitt reflects on why there is still a need for the national Fire Door Safety Week campaign.
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ike many safety devices, fire doors remain fairly anonymous. We walk past dozens of them every day: at work, at home and when we’re out and about in shops and restaurants. How many times do you give them a second thought? The truth is, many of us don’t think about fire doors until we need them. In the event of a fire, we will be glad they perform the task they are intended to do.
What is a fire door? As an effective passive fire protection product, fire doors form part of the structure that divides a building into individual fire compartments. Their role is to prevent fire and dangerous smoke from spreading into additional rooms and floors while allowing crucial time for occupants to evacuate and fire services to tackle the fire.
So much more than a standard door, a fire door is a complex system of components – including the door leaf, frame, ironmongery, intumescent seals and glazing systems – which must work and perform together to protect lives. To perform as intended, fire doors must be correctly specified, installed and maintained. But how do those responsible for fire doors know what’s right and what isn’t? How do we educate everyone on what constitutes good fire door practice?
Fire Door Safety Week These two questions are what led to the launch of Fire Door Safety Week in 2013. Founded and owned by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF), in association with the BWF Fire Door Alliance, the Fire Door Safety Week campaign exists to increase public understanding of the crucial role that fire doors play in protecting life and property. The original campaign objectives still remain true: • To educate the public on the critical role that fire doors play in delaying the spread of fire and smoke. • To encourage best practice in the use of fire doors, especially when it comes to closing propped-open fire doors and reporting suspected damage – an open fire door or one that is damaged won’t perform as intended in the event of a fire and everyone should take responsibility. • To educate on, and promote, best practice in the specification and installation of fire doors.
Photo: British Woodworking Federation
www.trada.co.uk
• To halt the legacy of neglect in maintaining and inspecting fire doors. >>
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