Fire Doors! One of many types of doors that have become a popular safety choice, even when not required by Building Regulations, for homeowners, joiners, architects and commercial building owners. Although it may look like an ordinary door in disguise, fire doors play a crucial role in the passive fire protection system of a building, with the main aim to protect lives, by offering a protected means of escape in the event of a fire emergency. Additionally, fire doors contribute to the protection of the rest of the building by dividing it into compartments (in combination with the internal building structures) at the same time allowing access and or safe egress, limiting the spread of fire and smoke. Sadly, fire hazards are sometimes unpreventable, however, recent changes leading to more stringent regulations being put in place should help to reduce their frequency, mitigate against them, and reduce the damage or impact.
Research carried out by JELD-WEN looked at safety and security concerns in social and multi-occupancy housing properties. It was reported that although 9 in every 10 respondents had an inspection of their fire doors in the last two years, an alarming 50% found a flaw with their fire doors. It is no surprise we have seen the Fire Safety Act 2021 and The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 come to light in recent years with consistent pressure to ensure developers, landlords, and facilty managers are meeting the standards for the safety of residents.
Correctly specified and installed Fire Doors are essential parts of the safety systems within a building, especially for those which are high-rise and multi-occupancy. The 2022 Fire Safety (England) Regulations require the ‘‘responsible person’’ (such as landlords, facilities managers, etc.) to carry out quarterly checks on fire doors in multi-occupation residential buildings and checks (on a best endeavours basis) on all flat entrance doors annually. JELD-WEN is at the forefront of ensuring products are manufactured to meet all safety and security requirements and regulations.
As a BWF Fire Door Alliance member and certified BM TRADA Q-Mark manufacturer, we share the vision of ensuring every fire door and doorset manufactured and sold in the UK meets the required standards throughout its service life. That is why all JELD-WEN fire doors and doorsets are third-party certified by either the BWF CERTIFIRE or BM TRADA Q-Mark, and where PAS 24 security performance is also required, by the BWF CERTISECURE or BM TRADA Q-MARK schemes,
All JELD-WEN products are manufactured to the highest standard, under strict factory production controls, within our ISO 9001-certified factories. Our fire and security safety products are routinely tested by independent UKAS-accredited test labs, ensuring a consistent level of performance time after time.
JELD-WEN Fire doors and doorsets will perform as required, however, only if they have been correctly installed and routinely maintained. According to the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS), three-quarters of more than 100,000 fire doors inspected failed in its 2021 survey.
Here are a few common fire door installation and maintenance faults to look out for the next time you inspect fire doors installed within a building.
Common fault 1: Fire doors with incorrectly installed/adjusted door closers – This can easily be spotted when opening and closing a door, an effective closer would typically ensure the door is closed with a gradual controlled pull/push (depending if fitted to pull or push side), fully engaging the latch if one is installed, and without any jams or excessive force i.e. slamming when closing, Fire doors should also be able to be opened with a reasonable amount of force, and should not be heavily restricted by the closer when being opened
Common fault 2: Visible structural damage to door leaf, frame, or installed ironmongery – Visual damage to any element of the installed doorset poses a risk to its performance when it matters the most. Any damaged ironmongery (such as Hinges, door closers, and latches/locks) should be replaced with a suitable, certified alternative. Any structural damage to the door leaf or frame (such as cracks, splits, or swelling) that does not constitute general surface wear and tear will likely require this element to be replaced.
Common fault 3: Missing or incorrectly installed seals – Intumescent and smoke seals play a crucial role in the performance of a fire doorset when subject to fire. These seals often go unnoticed within the door frame and edges. They are vital in ensuring the correct performance of the doorset in the event of a fire. As the heat rises, in the event of a fire, the intumescent seals are designed to expand rapidly filling the gaps between doors and the frame protecting the other side of the opening. Missing or broken intumescent seals will drastically affect the doorsets performance in a fire and therefore must be remediated with a suitably sized CERTIFIRE-approved replacement (allowed within the door’s scope of certification).
Common Fault 4: Incorrect or missing signage – Having clear and correct signage might seem insignificant or passed on as a minor detail, but in the event of a fire it is important for people to be able to identify a fire door and also helps people avoid blocking access to them with items or leaving them open at all times, as this could be dangerous and cause more damage in the event of a fire. This also helps the responsible person to identify the doors to inspect.
Common fault 5: All JELD-WEN fire doorsets feature a unique identifier pin or label to support identification and traceability. Each pin or label carries its own traceability number, which is recorded in the manufacturer’s production records at the time of application. This makes it possible to trace the product back to its source even after the door has been installed. The pin or label also confirms whether the door is fire-rated for 30 or 60 minutes and includes key details such as the relevant certificate number and the manufacturer’s name. ( the door data pin /label will have fitting instructions, maintenance and warranty details (Dual scope certificates also have CS certificates loaded on the 'door models' viewable when scanning the pin).
For JELD-WEN CF certificated door slabs/leaves the latest Certification and Datasheet for the product can be accessed by searching the listed “CF” number (found on the CF label on the head of the door) on the Warrington Certification website. Without a pin or label present, there is no reliable way to verify that the product is a fire door at all.
If you would like more information on checking your fire doors, our Fire Door Checklist for Residents provides a guide on what residents, especially in multi-occupancy buildings, can do to identify correctly installed/maintained doorsets and identify those that should be escalated to the 'responsible person'.
Any repairs or changes to fire doors/doorsets should only be carried out by a competent installer following the manufacturer's guidance and the relevant certification under the authorisation of the Building owner/responsible person.