This week is Fire Door Safety Week. Often overlooked when it comes to home safety and security, fire doors play a critical role in saving lives and protecting property if there’s a fire.
According to the campaign group, people are six times more likely to report a heating system issue than a fire door one, and people are twice as likely to report a toilet not flushing or no hot water than a fire door issue.
Launched in 2013 in response to a legacy of fire door neglect, the Fire Door Safety Week campaign is managed by the British Woodworking Federation and supported by organisations such as the Home Office’s National Fire Safety campaign, the National Fire Chief’s Council and London Fire Brigade.
Several factors ensure a fire door performs as intended – product manufacture, quality, installation and maintenance.
How they are used as well as their correct specification, maintenance and management can be the difference between life and death for building occupants. Propping a fire door open means they won’t perform as they should in the event of a fire.
According to research carried out by the campaign group, a third (32%) of the British public would not report a problem with a fire door, with a perceived lack of personal repercussions being one of the main reasons for not doing so.
And despite three quarters (75%) correctly believing propping a fire door open stops it performing its role in the event of a fire, 44% wouldn’t take action over this as they wouldn’t know who to report it to, and almost half (49%) don’t feel it’s their place or role to report it.
This year the campaign group aims to raise awareness of the critical role of fire doors, drawing attention to specific issues such as poor installation and maintenance; to encourage building owners and users to check the operation and condition of their fire doors and to report those that aren’t satisfactory; to link together the initiatives of many organisations with common interests in the fire door and passive fire protection industries; and to engage and educate people, helping the whole building industry and every property owner to understand the correct specification, supply, installation, operation, inspection and maintenance.
It has created a video to help homeowners, tenants and landlords.
Sheldon Bosley Knight’s lettings manager Josh Jones said: “Fire doors clearly play a crucial role in protecting both lives and buildings so it’s crucial people know how to use them and look after them.
“We would urge all builders, homeowners, landlords and tenants to watch the video, as it has some useful information and advice. It could save you or your property.”