Fire door inspections have been around for quite some time. I first became aware of their place in the mainstream of building safety around 2012 when I saw that the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) had been established. I soon enrolled on its Diploma in Fire Doors and passed the examination in Nottingham.
This initiative by FDIS was certainly a positive one. I later joined FDIS as Scheme Manager, remaining there for around two years. During that time, I became an FDIS-certificated fire door inspector and helped launch its inspector training programme.
I remember being approached by a somewhat nonplussed resident at a block of flats while carrying out an inspection. When I explained that I was undertaking fire door inspections, he replied: “What? No wonder the country is in such a state!”
I didn’t share his view then and I still don’t. That would have been around 2013. In June 2017, the tragedy at Grenfell Tower occurred, and we now know that the inability of some fire doors to adequately resist the spread of fire and smoke contributed to the disaster. Since then, fire door inspections have become commonplace.
In this article, we’ll look at why fire door inspections are necessary, how they should be carried out and the benefits they can provide.
What is a fire door inspection?
A fire door inspection can take several forms. It may be a simple visual check carried out by someone involved in building maintenance, but who is not necessarily a fire door specialist. Alternatively, it may be a detailed inspection undertaken by a qualified fire door inspector to help the Responsible Person, or their representative, understand the condition and suitability of fire doors as part of their legal duties under fire safety legislation.
It can also involve the inspection of newly installed fire doors to verify compliance with relevant standards and regulations, or an in-depth assessment of the suitability of what might be termed ‘legacy’ or ‘historic’ doors within existing buildings. This may include high-risk residential buildings or listed properties.
There are many reasons why fire doors may need to be inspected, and the skills, knowledge and experience required of those carrying out the inspections can vary considerably.
Most importantly, the outcome of the inspection should make a meaningful contribution to fire safety within the building. This applies whether the issue concerns the compliance of newly installed fire doors or the suitability and condition of existing doors – ancient, modern or somewhere in between.
How to get the right fire door inspection
This is important! It’s very easy to find a fire door inspector these days. It’s not always so easy to obtain the service you actually need. Before engaging an inspector, be clear about why you require a fire door inspection and what you intend to do with the resulting report. The table below should help you get the most value from the process.
If your building is several years old and the doors have not been subject to regular maintenance, there is a good chance that defects will be identified. Therefore, make sure you understand which doors are critical to your building’s fire strategy. Consult your fire risk assessor or fire safety officer for guidance before engaging a fire door inspector.
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Why do I need it? |
What will I do with it? |
How to ask for it. |
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1 |
I have had new fire doors fitted. |
Ensure any defects are rectified and the doors confirmed as compliant before handover. |
Knowledgeable, experienced fire door inspector required with comprehensive abilities to inspect, verify and document that newly installed fire doors comply with the relevant regulations and standards*. |
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2 |
My tall block of flats must legally have the fire doors inspected periodically. |
Record the inspections and carry out the necessary repairs and maintenance. Also record the repairs and maintenance. |
First consult the fire risk assessor for verification that the doors are suitable in compliance with the Fire Safety Act 2022 Regulation 10. Then carry out the necessary periodic fire door safety checks**. |
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3 |
The local authority has requested confirmation that the front door to my flat is compliant with the Fire Safety Order. |
Pass the report to the local authority and carry out any necessary remedial works. Keep a copy of the report and details of the work done. |
Knowledgeable, experienced fire door inspector required with comprehensive abilities to inspect the door and issue a report in respect of compliance of the door to the relevant regulations and standards***. |
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4 |
My place of work/public building has fire doors and I am unsure about their suitability and condition. |
Record the inspections and carry out the necessary repairs and maintenance. Also record the details of the repairs and maintenance. |
Knowledgeable, experienced fire door inspector required with comprehensive abilities to inspect the doors and issue a report in respect of compliance of the doors to the relevant regulations and standards***. |
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*Ensure that the fire door inspector can demonstrate their competence having the relevant credentials and portfolio of work and/or references. |
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**Engage with your fire risk assessor to ensure compliance with the relevant legal obligations. Go to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022-fire-door-guidance/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022-fire-door-guidance |
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*** Ensure that the fire door inspector can demonstrate their competence having the relevant credentials and portfolio of work and/or references. |
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The ‘Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005’ is the regulation that places a legal obligation on the ‘Responsible Person’ at the building to take suitable and sufficient measures to ensure persons are kept safe in the event of a fire. It is also known as The Fire Safety Order, and Article 17 of the Order requires that fire safety devices are kept in an efficient state, efficient working order and in good repair. They must also be subject to a suitable and sufficient maintenance regime. This includes fire doors and escape doors.
The ‘Responsible Person’ is the individual or organisation legally accountable for fire safety in a non-domestic premises. They are required to take reasonable steps to reduce fire risk, protect occupants and maintain safety measures. So if you are a landlord, employer or business owner having day to day control of a building you are likely to be the Responsible Person and legally required to keep your fire doors in good condition.
When you engage a competent fire door inspector, be sure to understand which doors are safety-critical and use the table above for key words when finding an inspector who can meet your requirements.
Why the fire door inspection report is important
If you have chosen the right competent fire door inspector, you should receive a comprehensive and useful fire door inspection report. The inspection report should include the following information (see below), and you should not be put under pressure to carry out all remedial work quickly, the inspector should highlight any defects and non-compliances that require urgent attention. Examples of doors requiring urgent attention could include doors that fail to self-close or have broken glass or holes and voids that may allow fire and smoke to spread unchecked.
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Information that should be included in the fire door inspection report: |
| 1. Whether the inspection work was intrusive or non-intrusive.
An intrusive inspection is where the inspector has removed architraves to check the junction of the door frame and surrounding wall for correct gap dimensions and correct fire sealing, also where hardware such as locks, hinges and letter plates have suitable intumescent protection fitted, where this is a requirement. A non-intrusive inspection will not include checks of these items that are concealed from view. Therefore, it is often prudent to have at least some of the doors inspected intrusively, as this can often provide sufficient information to give an overview of compliance generally. 2. A summary showing which doors were inspected and separating the compliant doors from the non-compliant ones. This is essential so that you can see immediately the status of the doors and which ones might need remedial works. 3. Clear information about defects and necessary remedial works. The report should be easy to understand so that any necessary works can be quantified and arranged. Although the inspector should have included all door defects and non-compliances, they are not risk assessors so it’s important that you discuss the matter with your fire risk assessor to avoid unnecessary works and avoidable costs. Some defects may be deemed tolerable, and your fire door inspector should be recommending, not instructing you to make repairs and improvements. They should be willing to engage with you and your fire risk assessor on this matter. 4. The inspector’s contact details for discussions or meetings to answer questions about the doors and the findings of the inspection. A competent fire door inspector should be willing to offer further specialist advice about fire doors and more detail about the defects, non-compliances and suggested remedial actions. 5. Product certification and provenance for the doors and associated components. It is important that the inspector makes every effort to trace the fire doors to the manufacturer and/or product certification scheme. This won’t always be possible and some fire doors can only be classified as notional or nominal, but where it is possible this information can be used to consult the manufacturer and certification scheme to effect repairs whilst retaining that certification. Some repairs might be outside the scope of certification but for issues like replacement of hardware and seals, usually certification can be retained. 6. Urgent repairs or remedial action. Major non-compliances such as the door failing to self-close, unstable installation and broken essential components that could cause harm to users should be noted as requiring urgent attention. Such issues require special attention and should be highlighted in the report so that the Responsible Person is fully aware of the issue. |
Always discuss the fire door inspection report with your fire risk assessor or fire safety officer, so that appropriate repairs are prioritized and defects that are considered tolerable do not use up limited resources when they could be better used to repair or improve more important issues.
How to inspect fire doors at high-risk buildings or special interest buildings
If you are responsible for high-risk buildings or ones of special interest such as Historic listed buildings, be sure to make the fire door inspector aware of your special needs. Where an inspector does not possess the necessary skills, knowledge and experience they should inform you of their limitations.
With high-risk buildings your fire risk assessor should provide specific guidance about which doors are critical to the fire strategy. This will enable you to inform the fire door inspector so that they can inspect those doors as a priority and tailor the content of their fire door inspection reports to provide the most appropriate information to help you meet the necessary fire safety requirements at your building. For example, where there is a ‘stay-put’ evacuation policy, particular attention will be required when inspecting defects to flat entrance doors. These doors may be considered a higher priority than some of the doors located in the communal areas.
At historic buildings the fire door inspector will most likely consult specific guidance such as the Historic England ‘Guide to the Fire Resistance of Historic Timber Panel Doors’ at https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/fire-resistance-historic-timber-panel-doors/ and should use their specialist knowledge of door design and construction as well as their understanding of different timber species and known rates of charring to assist them in advising the Responsible Person about the most appropriate action regarding fire door safety. Where an inspector does not possess the necessary skills, knowledge and experience they should inform you of their limitations.
In such scenarios, it will be especially important to investigate provenance of the doors before deciding on advice about the most appropriate action to improve fire door safety.
What to consider when evaluating the suitability and competence of a fire door inspector
As we stated earlier, the Responsible Person is tasked with selecting competent persons as necessary when dealing with fire safety and should therefore interrogate the inspector’s credentials. Always request evidence of competence including their skills, knowledge and experience and ask for a portfolio of evidence and references specific to the scope of the work required.
There are many training courses available for fire door inspectors these days and these are very useful of course. But, as with most professions, competence for fire door inspectors and fire door specialists cannot be gained by training alone. Quality and depth of training will naturally vary amongst training providers and training should be viewed as only one element of an inspector’s competence.
Similarly, there are third-party certification schemes for fire door inspectors and these should include periodic audits of the inspector’s work. However, again membership of a certification scheme should be viewed as only one element of an inspector’s competence, and the effectiveness of the scheme is not absolute. Certification schemes operate within a framework of practical, methodological and contextual constraints. Understanding limitations is crucial for those seeking certification and for those that use it as a marker of quality or compliance.
We have come across fire door inspection companies that also offer repair services and look to benefit commercially by making repairs on the back of their own inspections. In addition, and worryingly, we have encountered fire door inspectors that are led by a commercially available fire door inspection app, rather than referring to the standards and regulations. Responsible Persons should always check inspector’s credentials and engage only those that work to the relevant standards and regulations, and are not reliant on a fire door inspection app that is missing the inspection criteria that a competent inspector should apply.
How do you know if your fire doors are compliant?
Ensuring your building is safe and legal shouldn’t be a guessing game. Fire door inspection requirements are there to help protect lives, but they also protect you as a property owner or manager. By establishing a routine of regular inspections, you can help ensure that your fire safety measures will hold firm when they are needed most.
At Fire Doors Complete, our mission is to support our clients with fire door consultancy, inspection and education services. We provide professional inspection services, training and expert advice to help ensure your fire doors meet the relevant standards and regulations.
Don’t leave it to chance. Get in touch with our expert team today for consultancy services, to book a professional inspection or to learn more about our fire door training programmes.
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- Email: robin@firedoorscomplete.com
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