75% of Fire Doors Are Failing Inspection: A Serious Safety Concern

The Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) has warned of a ‘tragedy waiting to happen’ as it discovered that up to three quarters of UK fire doors fail inspection by not meeting the required standard. Their data is based on more than 100,000 fire door inspections undertaken by its professional inspectors in 2021. The results mean many people’s lives could be in danger in the event of a fire.

Alarming figures

One worrying discovery was that the buildings with the biggest percentage of fire door flaws included healthcare facilities, social housing and private housing. These are buildings with fire doors that are subject to higher traffic than those of other building types, so regular maintenance is key to ensuring they are functioning as they should be.

With such a huge proportion of fire doors failing inspections, particularly in buildings with vulnerable residents, the risks are extremely worrying. But the good news is that tragedies are preventable and the current problem is reversible.

There was a reported 46% increase in commercial property fires over lockdown, thought to be due to deterioration of properties when they were left vacant. Now is the time for people responsible for fire safety to act on identified faults with fire doors.

Ace Door Systems supply, install and maintain a range of industrial and commercial fire escape and resisting door systems, such as fire rated and fire escape personnel doors, fire shutters and smoke curtains. We aim for excellence in all our products and installations, so fire safety is of paramount importance to us. You can put your faith in our work to minimise the fire risk in your commercial premises.

Common causes that fire doors fail inspection

The report indicated that the failures were often for two or more issues with the doors. Common ones included:

• Excessive gaps between the door and the frame
• Issues with smoke sealing
• Care and maintenance concerns

Alarmingly, in many cases, the failure was due to improper installation. This means those doors were never fit for resisting fire and smoke.

More positive indications

One thing that was noted as a positive was the will to do better. The Building Safety Bill (now the Building Safety Act 2022) has prompted a significant increase in demand for fire door inspections. This suggests that there is a recognition of the importance of this issue, and that legislation encourages building owners to take action. A more proactive approach to fire door maintenance will solve a big part of the problem this report has identified.

A certified inspector has specialist training to inspect fire doors and improve the general fire safety of commercial premises. An inspection will involve a thorough onsite assessment. This leads to an understanding of the current state of all fire doors and their components. Recommendations can then be made for improvements.

Ace Door Systems has a number of fire doors that can be installed to help make the necessary improvements on commercial premises. We can also carry out maintenance work and repairs as required, so contact us to learn more.