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More than three-quarters of fire doors fail inspections
More than three-quarters of fire doors inspected through a major industry scheme have been found unfit for purpose.
Of more than 100,000 doors in around 2,700 buildings across the UK inspected by the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) in 2019, 76% were deemed not to comply with building regulations.
Around one in six (16%) were not even proper fire doors.
Buildings inspected included social and specialist housing, as well as new build private homes and healthcare, education and commercial facilities.
Louise Halton, scheme manager of FDIS, which is a joint venture between the British Woodworking Federation and the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers, said the data “paints a very worrying picture of the fire safety of the UK’s buildings”.
Poor installation was identified by inspectors as a major issue, with 30% condemned because incorrect fitting meant they had excessive gaps around the frame or used incompatible foam.
Well over half (57%) of the doors inspected required maintenance, with excessive gaps, smoke-sealing issues and faulty door closers the most common reasons for failing the inspections.
Of the buildings inspected, only a quarter (24%) of those with third-party certificated fire doors were correctly installed and maintained.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the buildings also had additional fire safety issues.
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Ms Halton added: “The biggest concern for our inspectors is the lack of knowledge that people have about fire doors.
“For example, third-party certificated fire doors provide crucial specification information and proof of performance for building owners, but if they are incorrectly installed or not maintained, they will not perform as designed and prevent the spread of fire.
“The correct specification, installation and ongoing maintenance of a fire door can really mean the difference between life or death for occupants, so it’s vital that building owners take responsibility and ensure that their fire doors are regularly inspected and maintained so as to save lives.”
Concerns over fire doors in the UK emerged in March 2018 when the Metropolitan Police revealed that an undamaged flat entrance door taken from the wreck of Grenfell Tower had withstood fire and smoke for only half the 30 minutes required by regulations.
Later, only three of 12 popular glass-reinforced plastic composite fire doors tested by the government were found to be compliant.
Inside Housing revealed in June 2019 that only 8% of fire doors in council housing that had been deemed unfit for purpose since the Grenfell Tower fire had been replaced.
