FIRE DOOR INSTALLATION

Fire doors are heavily tested in order to find out their ‘grade’. The grade refers to the duration that a fire door can provide protection for in the event of a fire. The materials that were used to build the fire door can mean that the results can vary for different doors.

The main organisation that gives fire door ratings is the British Woodworking Federation (BWF). The ratings are assessed using 4 main integrity levels and can also vary from FD30 (30 minutes) to FD120 (120 minutes). The average fire door grade in commercial buildings is typically FD60 or above, compared to FD30 or FD60 in residential buildings. This can all depend on the materials being used to build the fire door, as commercial buildings will typically opt for a much safer door due to the presence of high-risk materials or things that are of a particular value to an organisation.

As it’s a legal requirement in commercial buildings to have the correct systems in place for fire stopping and fire protection, the importance of fire doors cannot be underestimated. It’s a key feature which will help protect the lives of customers and the public, as well as all members of staff, in the event of a fire. Having fire doors fitted by accredited experts will ensure that the surrounding walls and structures stay intact, unfortunately there have been many instances of fire doors not doing their job due to poor fitting and maintenance.

Since Grenfell in 2017, fire regulations have become a lot stricter and there is a lot more scrutiny based on whether a company complies with fire regulation. Only 66% of fire audits conducted across England were deemed satisfactory in 2019/2020, and only 59% of licensed premises were satisfactory. Therefore, it is obvious that some work needs to be done in order to raise the bar on fire safety standards.

However, it can be difficult to navigate the rules surrounding fire doors, as it depends on many factors, such as the number of occupants, overall purpose and size of the building, to name a few.