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Internal fire doors serve two purposes within buildings, containing fires and providing clear routes for escape. Fire doors are typically rated FD30 or FD60, meaning that they can offer either 30 minutes or 60 minutes of fire resistance, covering smoke, heat, and flames. Fire doors can be made from a variety of fire-resistant materials, such as wood, glass, and steel. Fire doors are mandated throughout many UK properties, specified in the 2005 Fire Safety Order (RRO). All commercial and large domestic buildings will have a designated “responsible person” who will be responsible for the installation and maintenance of fire doors, ensuring that they meet all UK regulations.

The fire door regulations laid out in the RRO specify the following requirements for buildings:

• Domestic buildings: Homes with three or more stories need to have a fire door for every door between a stairwell and a habitable room. Any door between an integral garage and a house must also be a fire door. Doors to converted lofts should also be a fire door.

• Mixed-use buildings: Any door between a residential and a commercial space must be a fire door.

• Commercial buildings: Fire doors must be designed throughout providing a vertical or horizontal escape route through a building. A vertical escape route is one that directs people towards a stairwell. A horizontal escape route is one that directs people to a fireproof space within a floor. This route will need to be lined with fire doors.

Every six months. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places the legal responsibility with the Responsible Person (the person having control of the building) to ensure that fire safety devices including Fire Doors are correctly maintained and fit-for-purpose. BS 9999 gives specific information with regard to six monthly fire door inspections.

A fire door is comprised of both the door and the frame around it, all of which will be covered by building regulations. It will need to be built with fire-resistant hinges, an automatic door closer, and intumescent seals (sometimes combined with smoke seals) around the door. It will also need to be a legitimate fire door, which may seem obvious, but 16% of doors surveyed in 2019 were not genuine fire doors. There are very specific UK regulations on how fire doors should be installed, signed, and maintained.

Vision panel, small glass windows within a wooden or steel door, can be used within a suitable fire door. As long as the whole of the fire door and vision panel meet fire ratings they will be fine. Glass can be glazed to make it fire resistant, and many fire doors contain vision panels.

It means a door that has been tested and certificated to provide adequate fire resistance. A fire door to a flat entrance is required to provide fire separation so that a fire can be contained within the flat for a specified period of time. This is to protect other parts of the building from fire spread and to protect escape routes. You can engage our services for a Fire Door Inspector to assess the suitability of your doors. We will provide you with a full inspection and report.