As part of this month’s Hazard of the Month, Fire, we are drawing attention to the Fire Door Safety Week campaign that takes place from 21st – 27th September for our research blog.
What is a Fire Door?
A door’s a door, right? No, a fire door is an engineered safety device that is a crucial part of the passive fire protection of every commercial, public and multiple occupancy building.
In everyday use the simple purpose of a fire door is just as any other door. However, since the break-out of a fire is never predictable, a fire door, unlike any other door must perform to its prime purpose – to delay the spread of fire and smoke; protecting lives and property.
What Does the Campaign Hope To Do?
Fire Door Safety Week was launched in 2013 in response to a legacy of fire door neglect. It is a ‘mass market’ awareness campaign to increase public understanding of the role that fire doors play in protecting life and property.
Primarily, Fire Door Safety Week exists to raise awareness of the critical role of fire doors, drawing attention to specific issues such as poor installation and maintenance. Through mass awareness, we can work together to stamp out the legacy of fire door neglect.
Everyone plays their part in ensuring a fire door performs as it should, from the manufacturer through to the building users, and this is why the annual Fire Door Safety Week campaign exists.
How To Make Sure Fire Doors Are Effective
It’s crucial to understand the factors that ensure a fire door performs as intended – product manufacture, quality, installation and maintenance all play a part. Their correct specification, maintenance and management can be the difference between life and death for building occupants, as can their use. Propping a fire door open means that they won’t perform as they should in the event of a fire.
In particular, there are five things you should check when looking at fire door safety:
- Certification
- Apertures
- Gaps & Seals
- Closers
- Operation
If you suspect the building you’re living in, working in or visiting has a faulty fire door, don’t just walk by. Report it to whoever manages or owns the building. You could save a life that day. Fire doors are a critical element in preventing the spread of fire and smoke, and it should be everybody’s responsibility in a shared building to make sure that they are fit for purpose.
All information from www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk
10% Discount For Further Learning!
Interested in this topic? To help continue your learning about fire safety, for this month only you can get 10% off our Fire Safety and Fire Warden online training courses with the code ‘Fire20’! These courses are both RoSPA certified and available 24/7 upon purchase and come with a downloadable certificate.
To learn more about keeping your workplace safe from fire hazards, take a look at our ‘Fire Prevention Strategies’ blog post!