leading fire door inspection service for kent
Who needs fire door inspection
Did you know that the Fire Safety Regulations have made it a legal requirement for all responsible persons, for all multi-occupied residential buildings in England with storeys over 11 metres in height, to undertake quarterly checks of all fire doors and annual checks of all flat entrance doors. Failure to comply with the above enforcements can result in fines or even jail time.
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Quarterly checks for all communal area fire doors are now a legal requirement.
Annual checks for flat entrance doors are now a legal requirement.
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It is a legal requirement that all fire doors function correctly.
It is the responsible persons legal duty to be satisfied that all fire doors function correctly. It is not sufficient that the responsible person only ‘believes’ they function correctly.
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Prior to the Fire Safety Act 2021, flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings may not have been routinely considered as part of the fire risk assessment process. The Fire Safety Act 2021 has removed the legal ambiguity and confirms that flat entrance doors are in scope of the Fire Safety Order.
The regulations will require responsible persons to undertake best endeavour annual checks of flat entrance doors and quarterly checks of communal doors in multi-occupied residential buildings above 11m.
Information on the importance of fire doors to a building’s fire safety will help to deepen residents’ understanding of their role in keeping their building safe and encourage them to allow responsible persons access to check their flat entrance doors.
Why the laws changed
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry in the Phase 1 report noted that “Fire doors play an essential role in preventing or inhibiting the spread of smoke and toxic gases and in preserving the effective compartmentation of buildings.”
The Inquiry recommended that the owner and manager of every residential building containing separate dwellings carry out an urgent inspection of all fire doors to ensure compliance with current legislative standards and that regular checks be carried out to ensure all fire doors are fitted with an effective self-closing device which is in working order.
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Why are the government enforcing this?
The Inquiry recommended that all those who have responsibility for the condition of the entrance doors to individual flats in high-rise residential buildings (with unsafe cladding) be required by law to ensure these doors comply with current standards.
importance of fire door inspection
Fire Doors are engineered to save lives and property. In the UK, 99% of the 3 million new fire doors installed each year, fail a fire door inspection. A non-compliant installation places lives & property at risk.
Fire doors are manufactured in different ways and have different internal core materials. Before a fire door is brought to market in the UK it must be tested in a furnace where the door is subject to the heat conditions that would be expected in a fire situation.
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If a fire door was correctly installed.
If overtime the fire door has become damaged or altered in such a way that they will no longer function correctly in the case of fire.
Identify what maintenance regime and specific actions need to be taken to rectify non compliance with the regulations and legal duties of the responsible person.
Prove that you have complied with the regulations.
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It is so important we learn early on that a minor mistake in the installation process can have dangerous consequences.
If you install a fire door incorrectly you are putting lives and property at risk as the door may not be able to perform in a fire scenario.
Fire doors are an engineered safety device. When installed correctly they save lives. It is vital that you get the installation correct as it is life critical.
importance of getting it right
It is so important we learn early on that a minor mistake in the installation process can have dangerous consequences. If you install a fire door incorrectly you are putting lives and property at risk as the door may not be able to perform in a fire scenario.
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Fire doors are an engineered safety device. When installed correctly they save lives. It is vital that you get the installation correct as it is life critical.
The Grenfell Fire disaster has led to some big changes within the fire safety industry. The Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety: final report was a report which was commissioned by the government following the Grenfell Tower fire to make recommendations on fire safety.
This document has been widely referred to as the Hackitt Review and it has been a key driver for many changes surrounding fire door safety. The Hackitt Review recommended many changes, particularly regarding high rise residential blocks (HRRBs).
As a result of the Hackitt Review, there has been an increase in fire door awareness. Housing associations and local authorities are now looking for fire door installers to have proof of competency.
PLEASE NOTE: This video is used for demonstration purposes only.
the new laws & regulations
Laws
The Fire Safety Act requires that fire doors to individual flats be inspected as part of a fire risk assessment on any building. From 2023 the ‘responsible person’ must now commission a fire risk assessment (including full fire door inspection).
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There are new laws and regulations affecting the fire door industry across the UK.
The government has issued new guidance for housing associations and passed the Fire Safety Act and the Building Safety Act into law.
The Fire Safety Act requires that fire doors to individual flats be inspected as part of a fire risk assessment on any building. From 2023 the ‘responsible person’ must commission a fire risk assessment (including full fire door inspection).
Fire safety law in England and Wales applies in all buildings except inside people's private dwellings. Premises affected could be things like schools, factories, hotels, offices, and entertainment venues. It also affects the communal areas of a block of flats. The law is called the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
It states that each building needs to have a duty holder or holders who are responsible for mitigating the risk of fire in all non-domestic buildings.
This includes the common parts of flats, apartments, and houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).
The duty holder is called the responsible person and is typically the person, organisation or company that controls the building. The responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment and maintain a fire management plan.
Regulations
The Fire Safety Regulations has now come into force (from the 23rd January 2023) in England. It is now mandatory to undertake quarterly checks of fire doors within both common areas and flat entrance doors.
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The Fire Safety Order contains two key paragraphs:
Article 17
Article 17 requires the responsible person has a suitable maintenance regime to ensure relevant equipment is kept in an efficient state This includes fire doors.
Article 18
Article 18 requires the responsible person to appoint one or more competent persons to assist in undertaking the preventative and protective measures’. A 'competent person' is defined in the Fire Safety Order as someone who has sufficient training, qualifications and experience to assist the Responsible Person to meet some of their duties.'
why choose Kent Fire door Inspection?
In the aftermath of Grenfell, regular fire door inspection is now a legal requirement. Not only is it important to have fire doors in case of a fire, but it's also the law. If you don't have your fire doors inspected regularly, you could face fines or even imprisonment.
Kent Fire Door Inspection specialises in providing fire door inspection for people in Kent who are considered 'responsible persons', meaning the person, persons, institution or company that controls the building such as:
Apartment buildings
Offices
Schools
Buildings open to the public
Sports centres
Museums
We have over 30 years of experience in the building & construction industry and our team of experts will inspect your doors so that you can fulfil your responsibilities as "responsible person".
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“With over 30 years experience in designing and specifying residential and commercial buildings, I have a good understanding of the building regulations and legal requirements relating to fire doors.
I believe that it is important that people live and work in buildings which are safe, I also believe it is important that building owners understand their responsibilities with respect to fire door inspections and fulfill those requirements. This is why, along with Anthony, we have set up Kent Fire Door Inspections Ltd, so as to provide a reliable and efficient fire door inspection service for the people of Kent.”