Fire Doors

Under current legislation virtually all buildings in the UK, even some domestic properties, require fire doors. The basic premise of fire doors is they shut automatically in the event of a fire and, in effect, form compartments within the building. The point of dividing the building into compartments is that the fire area is then cut off from other areas of the building, containing the fire and giving the occupant’s time to escape.

If you have any property where you have had to carry out a Fire Risk analysis then you will know that your building needs to have fire doors fitted. Basically fire doors differ in the length of time that they take to burn through, generally 30 minutes or 60 minutes and whether or not they also prevent the spread of smoke throughout the building. Smoke is the silent killer in all fires and can actually cause the death of more people than the flames themselves.

Obviously some doors, for example external fire doors, do not need to be designed to keep smoke in, but some do and that is where the assessment and advice of qualified specialists is essential.

It is not enough to simply fit a fire door and hope for the best. They need to be maintained and checked regularly to make sure that they are functioning correctly, with the right fire doors this is a simple task that can be carried out as part of routine property maintenance. You should also bear in mind that your fire doors must be fitted with the right ironmongery. It is pointless to fit a fire door which closed automatically and cannot be opened by someone trying to escape a fire because the handle has become too hot to be of any use.

Here at MacDonald Martin, alongside our services in carrying out Fire Risk assessment, we also supply and correctly install fire doors so that you comply with all the safety legislation and also give your staff the best chance of escape. All the doors that we supply are in accordance with Disability Discrimination regulations; which make them safe for any disabled staff or residents that you may have on the premises.

Whilst correctly placed and fitted fire doors will help keep people safe it should be remembered that by slowing the spread of a fire you are also protecting your property. By containing a fire your business premises may suffer far less damage and your business can be back up and running much more quickly. Fire doors make fires less dangerous and less expensive.