Door Industry Journal - Winter 2014

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 70 THE door industry journal winter 2014 fire & security feature Fire doors are the unsung heroes of fire safety because for most of their working lives they work just like any other door. However, if a fire breaks out, a fire door must fulfill its role as an engineered safety device, in order to hold back the spread of fire and smoke and to save lives and property. However, there’s an opposing view that fire doors are a barrier to the free flow of people around a building or facility – a contradiction for any society claiming to promote equal access for those with disabilities or the elderly who see fire doors as a considerable barrier to free access. Fire doors tend to be heavy and cumbersome, so it’s very tempting to wedge them open to help free movement around a busy building - a hotel fire door wedged open to help guests with heavy bags, an urgent delivery of heavy boxes, the wheelchair bound care home resident. In fact, there are almost as many ways of wedging open a fire door as there are designs of door. Clearly, however well intentioned, wedging open fire doors is illegal and provides no protection for a building and its occupants. In the event of a fire, fire doors are designed to stop smoke and flames from rapidly spreading through a building. A senior loss prevention specialist with over 30 years experience who has inspected over 700 premises comments: ‘Fire doors seem to be treated as an unnecessary evil which must be wedged open whenever possible. Although often done to ease access, fire door wedging, particularly of self-closing fire doors in busy corridors or hallways, is a highly dangerous practice with potentially fatal consequences.’ Ironically, it’s also often fire extinguishers that are used to hold open fire doors. Apart from the damage the door could do to a fire extinguisher, restraining fire doors in any way will mean that, in the event of a fire, the fire cannot be contained, allowing fire and smoke to spread freely and rapidly. Penalties of complacency Recent research published to coincide with UK Fire Door Safety Week reveals alarming levels of ignorance and complacency about fire safety. As the report makes clear, fire is still a big problem in the UK, with an average of 174 building fires every day. So it’s a sobering thought to learn that when those with responsibility for an organisation’s fire safety were asked if they were fully aware of their legal obligations, almost half said they either did not know what they were or admitted they were unclear. A similar proportion said they really would not know how to spot a malfunctioning fire door – one of the most critical passive fire protection features in the buildings we use every day. Fire doors: The unsung heroes of fire safety. Fire doors play a vital role in the fire safety of buildings. Their correct specification, installation and use is paramount to the safety of all those who use a facility.