FIRE DOOR SAFETY. Important information for leaseholders about fire doors in your property. September 2017 Version 1

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1 FIRE DOOR SAFETY Important information for leaseholders about fire doors in your property. September 2017 Version 1

2 It s important that everybody knows their role in keeping themselves and others safe in the event of a fire. With fire doors, everybody involved has a vital part to play - from the original specification when installed through to ongoing maintenance. FIRE DOOR KEEP SHUT This leaflet has been written to let you know about your responsibilities as a leaseholder and how to make sure that any work carried out to repair or replace a fire door is done in the safest way possible. What do we do? It s our job to carry out the necessary fire risk assessments for the building you live in and to put an evacuation policy in place, where required. Our health and safety officer works closely with the fire service in your area in order to do this. What can you do? As a leaseholder, one of the most important things you can do is to make sure that the fire safety devices in your home are correctly maintained and fit-for-purpose. This is your responsibility, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) This includes fire doors, which are designed to protect you and others should a fire occur. Painting a normal door with fire retardant paint does not turn it into a fire door. Fire doors are made of many components that work together to stop fire spreading.

3 What is a fire door? The purpose of a fire door is to create a compartment that will stop the fire from spreading to other parts of the building. If a fire door is compromised in any way, this element of protection is lost. If you live in a flat your front door must be a fire door. Fire doors are made to withstand fire for a period of time, usually between minutes. You can identify a fire door in a number of ways: Fire doors must be a minimum of 44mm thick (or 38mm thick in some modern designs always check the certification). Check that there are three hinges fitted these may also have a European Conformity or CE mark on them. Tap on the door if it sounds hollow, then it almost certainly is not a fire door. Fire doors are usually made of solid timber. The door should have a self-closing mechanism when you let it go, it should shut itself. This is either fitted to the top or the side. UPVC doors are not fire doors. Fire doors should not have large openings in them, such as cat flaps, as these allow smoke and heat to escape from the room, affecting other areas of the building. A fire door should have something called a smoke seal on the inside edge of the door this can be identified as a plastic intumescent strip which can have a distinctive brush along it. If in doubt, always check for certification. The gap around a fire door should be between three and five millimetres. Intumescent strips are designed to expand in the heat, creating a seal to keep smoke out. Glass panelling Fitting the wrong type of glazing in a fire door will cause it to fail in the event of a fire. Re-glazing should be done by a professional to the correct standard. Fire doors should ideally be solid wood, but some may have glazed panels within them. If this is the case, the glass should have one of two things: Georgian wired glass or wire mesh glass this is a grid of thin metal wire embedded within the glass which prevents it from falling out of the frame under intense heat. Fire resistant glazing like the doors themselves, these glass panels will have a minimum fire resistance time and must be used in conjunction with compatible components (such as glazing seal) to be effective. Fire resistant glazing will have a British Standard mark etched into it. Replacing or altering a flat entrance door You should never replace or alter your flat door without our permission and it must always achieve a high fire safety standard. You should also not fit anything to either side of the door skin as both sides need to be kept sterile. Letter boxes should also be fire rated and new doors should always have smoke seals on fitted. If you have recently moved in, always check a previous occupier hasn t replaced a door incorrectly or made alterations which stop it working. Fire doors have a minimum of 30 minutes fire resistance, otherwise known as FD30, and a test certificate should be given to you by the contractor supplying or fitting the door.

4 If you have replaced a fire door previously but did not inform Derwent Living, you must provide details of the works to the home ownership team as soon as possible. As long as the door meets all of the requirements mentioned, then we can grant retrospective approval. If you are given permission to replace a door, we recommend only using a BWF accredited fire door installation contractors if the door is incorrectly installed, it no longer acts as a fire door. Internal alterations Some doors inside your flat, such as the kitchen door, are also designed to stop the spread of fire and smoke. Removing these doors, or altering the layout of the property in any way, can compromise the integrity of the structure. This not only puts you and your family at risk in the event of a fire, but your neighbours too. You should always get Derwent Living s consent if you want to do any works inside your property we can assess whether or not it will compromise any fire risk assessments in place. Replacing windows Similarly, some windows are designed to be used as an escape route in the event of a fire and should not be replaced without permission. Any replacement windows should meet regulatory requirements in terms of their design and size of opening. Derwent Living will not give permission for security grilles to be attached to any window that is designed to be an escape route. These windows must be unobstructed in order to enable a quick exit during an emergency. Other fire safety measures As a leaseholder, it is also your responsibility to install and maintain smoke detection units in your home. These are a critical first warning system and will save lives. Recent changes in legislation require all private landlords (which includes leaseholders who rent out their properties) to have at least one working smoke alarm installed on every level of a rented property. If you are renting out your home and do not have a smoke alarm installed, you are breaking the law. Legislation The main pieces of legislation that apply to fire safety in residential buildings and will be relevant to leaseholders are: The Building Regulations 2000 (otherwise known as building control regulations) require all homeowners to comply with building control requirements when doing any alterations to their property. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires all leaseholders to ensure that the risk from fire is reduced as fully as possible. The Housing Act 2004 requires leaseholders to reduce the risk from fire within the home, in particular when a property is sublet. Getting in touch If you have any queries regarding this leaflet or would like to know more about fire safety on your scheme, please contact the home ownership team on or info@derwentliving.com. Alternatively visit for more about relevant standards and safe installation and repair of fire doors.

5 FIRE DOOR KEEP SHUT For more information on fire safety, visit our website or call us on Designed and produced by the marketing team, Derwent Living.