Fire Door Standards and Regulations

WHAT IS THE FIRE SAFETY ORDER (REGULATORY REFORM (FIRE SAFETY) ORDER 2005?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the biggest single reform of fire safety laws in over 30 years; it simplifies the law for businesses and places a greater focus on prevention.

The law, which came into force on 1st October 2006, consolidates existing fire safety laws which were scattered across more than 70 pieces of legislation. It also places the obligation for fire safety on the employer or ‘responsible person’ for that building or premises. Under the Fire Safety legislation, the ‘responsible person’ for each premise must carry out a risk assessment for fire and take steps to reduce or remove the risk.

The government are currently discussing the introduction of Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 which they intend to put not force in January 2023. In summary, the regulations will make it a legal requirement for the responsible person of high-rise blocks of flats to provide information to Fire and Rescue Services to assist them to plan and potentially provide an effective operational response. In addition, in residential buildings over 11 metres high it is now required that all flat entrance fire doors are inspected annually with quarterly inspections of communal fire doors. In any premise where there are two or more sets of domestic property, the ‘Responsible Person’ must provide clear and relevant fire safety instructions and information about the importance of fire doors.

Who is the Responsible Person?

Under Article 3 of the Fire Safety Order (FSO) 2005, the responsible person is the being who has control of the premises, which can include building owners, leaseholders or managers. The FSO 2005 requires that the ‘Responsible Person’ take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and ensure safe escape including any visitors.

Regulation 28 and Fire Safety Engineering

Regulation 38 is a requirement under the Building Regulations for England and Wales to provide fire safety information to the ’responsible person’ at the completion of a project, or when the building or extension is first occupied. It links the Building Regulations to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (known as the RRO or FSO) which places the responsibility of fire safety onto the ‘responsible person’. The law now shifts responsibility for fire safety from the fire authorities to whoever has day-to-day control of premises that come under the RRO. Each business must appoint a responsible person, whether it is the owner, facilities manager or an expert consultant, to manage the fire risk to the building (e.g. of a hospital / school / flats), and to people using the building, or its immediate surroundings.

Fire safety information

Always check manufacturers guidelines and test evidence.

Door blanks are normally 44mm thick (FD30) or 54mm thick (FD60).

Frame dimensions should be a minimum of 70 x 30mm unless there is test evidence/ manufacture’s instruction for the door assembly. For an FD30 door, a softwood frame is acceptable with the density being 450kg/ cubic metre; For a FD60 door, a hard wood frame is required with the density being 650kg/ cubic metre. Doorstops should be a minimum of 25 x 12mm for FD30 and 25x 15mm for FD60. Some materials, such as Ash, are not recommended.

Seals for a FD30 fire door assembly should be fitted with 15mm wide intumescent seal or 2x 15mm wide seals ensuring 1 length bypasses the hinge blade, unless manufacturer states otherwise. Smoke seals should be in full contact with the door leaf and frame with a gap no larger than 4mm.

All ironmongery such as hinges, closers, locks and latches must be certified to a fire rated standard such as CE1121, EN12209 or BS EN1935; This is vital to the performance of the fire door.

BS EN 1125- Panic escape bars must cover at least 60% of the width of the door leaf. Fire escape doors preceding BS EN 1125 are proned to issues, e.g only a grub screw securing the bar to the projecting arms. This can cause the bar to become loose and slide across the doors creating a lock. We strongly advise replacing these to BS EN 1125 compliant panic bars as escape doors are commonly overlooked for functionality checks and can fail on the one time they are called upon.

MD Fire Doors offer a complete Fire Door Inspection and Certification Service. For more information please feel free to contact us.

Fire Door Inspection and Certification

Helpful Links

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

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Building Regulations Approved Documents in England

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Building Regulations Approved Documents in Wales

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Approved Document B (Fire Safety) Volume 1 – Dwelling, 2019 Edition

Fire doors are required: 

  • In a cavity barrier (wall) where applicable
  • Above two levels, every door leading to the stairwell (at all levels). Where the door leads to a habitable room (i.e. not a bathroom or w/c)
  • When a property has a loft conversion
  • Between house and integral garage
  • Between the business and residential elements in a mixed-use building
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Approved Document B (Fire Safety) Volume 2 – Buildings other than Dwelling, 2019 edition

Fire doors are required in many different non-domestic buildings such as:

  • Schools
  • Hospitals
  • Flats
  • House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO)
  • Nursing Homes
  • Hotels
  • Public Buildings
  • Offices
  • Warehouses
  • Entertainment Venues
  • Factories and more…
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A Short Guide to Making Your Premises Safe

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