Fire doors
Your flat door serves an important function by creating a sealed compartment to prevent the spread of fire and smoke.
Flat doors are usually specified to provide 30 minutes fire resistance and include protection from smoke. These doors are referred to as FD30S.
To ensure your fire door is able to function as designed, it is vital it remains free from damage or excessive wear and tear.
We will inspect your fire door periodically to ensure it remains fit for purpose, so it is essential you enable us access to be able to do this.
Your fire door is made up of key components. These include the door itself, the frame and the furniture attached to the door. Door furniture comprises of hinges, handles, locks, spy holes, letter boxes and door knockers. Fire door designs undergo rigorous testing before they are manufactured and this testing is undertaken using specified materials and door furniture.
If any one of these elements is missing/damaged or replaced with no specified furniture then this could affect the doors’ ability to restrict the spread of fire or smoke.
- Doors and frames should be free from visual damage
- Door furniture such as handles, spy holes, letter boxes and hinges should be present and should be free from damage or missing parts
- Strips are fitted either into the door or the rebate of the door frame. These strips ensure the door is effectively sealed in a fire situation.
- These strips should run around the sides and top of the door or frame
- No light should be visible around the edge of the door when it is closed
- Glazing should not be cracked or broken.
Please refrain from undertaking any repairs or modifications to your flat door yourself. This includes:
- Drilling the door frame to install cabling
- Screwing into the door or frame to add additional furniture or decoration
- Replacing existing furniture with new furniture
- Replacing or covering glazing panels.
The fire doors within the communal areas of the building also serve an important function by creating an additional sealed compartment and protection of escape routes. All communal doors should be fitted with a door closer which should fully close the door into the frame.
There are two types of a door closer. The first type is clearly visible and is mounted on the door frame either internally or externally.
The second type of closer is a concealed type and is only visible when the door is open. This type of closer is installed within the frame and connected to the door by a chain.
Please be aware of the following:
A door closer should be fitted and this should close the door fully within the frame from any angle. Without a fully functioning door closer a fire door is unable to do it’s job as the door could be left open and would not afford any protection in the event of a fire
Normally, these doors will be closed all of the time, however, some doors have automatic hold open devices which enable fire doors to remain open during normal conditions. This aids movement around the building. In the event of a fire these devices are linked to the fire alarm system and will automatically release the doors so they close to form a sealed compartment.
Fire doors should never be propped or wedged open under any circumstances:
If you notice a fire door does not close fully or has visual signs of damage to the door, frame, hardware or glazing then please report this as a matter of urgency, by calling 0345 065 5656.
If you are a lease holder you will be responsible for ensuring your door meets the required standard and is maintained accordingly.
How will my fire door look?
All doors are white on the inside. Frames are white both sides. Colours are indicative only
- Why do I need a new door?
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Although your current door is a fire door, it doesn’t meet current fire safety regulations which have been updated following the Grenfell fire. We therefore want to ensure we are protecting our residents in the best possible way and have taken the decision to install new fire doors which do meet current regulations and have been thoroughly tested for fire resistance
- What type of door will I receive?
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We are proposing to install an FD30 composite fire door for your flat entrance, giving 30 minutes of protection to fire and smoke in the event of a fire. This will be a solid 6 panelled door in white. A door closer will also be installed to ensure the door closes behind you when entering or leaving, keeping you safe from fire and smoke.
- Can I refuse the new door?
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It is important for us to replace all required doors to ensure we gain certification for the door and the building and therefore this replacement is compulsory.
- What happens if I miss my appointment?
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The contractor will attempt to contact you at a convenient time to survey and install however if they are unable to contact you after a reasonable number of attempts, they will refer you back to ourselves where we will progress with our no access procedure.
- What happens if i continue to not allow access?
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As the door replacement is compulsory, we will consider this as a breach of tenancy and may result in you loosing your home. We need to ensure that all residents and visitors are safe, if your home is not protected this could have serious implications on you and the people living around you in the event of a fire.
- Why do I need an asbestos survey?
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As the removal of the door and frame is intrusive work, we need to ensure there is no asbestos behind the frame, we may already have this information from previous work to your home however if this particular area isn’t covered on any survey we hold then we will need to ask our Asbestos Operations team to visit and survey the areas in question. We then pass this information to Novus prior to them installing the door.
