We are Supporting Fire Door Safety Week

Here at Rutland, we believe in giving our clients the best care and advice possible to ensure that themselves and their own clients are kept safe.  This blog is to give you some tips on fire door safety.

If you are a responsible person for fire door safety…you may benefit from reading this:

• A fire door must have evidence of a fire test, usually in the form of a certificate of performance.
• They MUST be tested by an independent third party in accordance to British or European Standards

A quick and easy way to check your fire door:

• Check on the door for labels of certification
• Check your door has the appropriate signage
• Make sure your door has combined fire and smoke seals and that there is an even gap of approximately 3 mm around the door.  Check with manufacturer what the tested and assessed gaps are.
• Check your door closers and hardware are compliant with the fire door. This means it has been successfully fire tested with the door
• Check fire rated hinges and other hardware are securely and correctly fastened to the door and door frame
• Ensure your door isn’t damaged or propped open at any time

Here are a few of the risks that you run if your fire doors aren’t taken care of properly:

• Increased danger for the users of the building and possible loss of life in the case of a fire
• Risk of a ruined reputation, leading to business and financial failure.
• A large fine or long-term imprisonment for increasing the risk on lives and property and disobeying rules and regulations
• Increased risk for emergency services responding to the fire
• Insurance will not cover property or possessions of occupants

The Chain of Responsibility

• Raw material and component supplier- manufacture and test to the required standard and maintain factory production control through Third Party Certification
• Manufacturer- To design and test products to the required standard and provide adequate instructions for fitting and use
• Processor/Fabricator- to train and fabricate to the manufacturers instructions
• Specifier- Provide accurate technical advice
• Supplier- Supply the products specified, ensure that any changes are compliant and fit for purpose
• Door installer- To be trained and audited with a Third Party Installation Certification Scheme
• End user- Keep the door and components maintained and arrange regular inspections and replacement if necessary

Each link in the chain has responsibilities to ensure that their process is as thorough and rigorous as possible so that the door will stand up to worse case scenario’s.  Even once the door is installed, regular maintenance and inspection is needed to approve that the door will still perform at its best in a fire and it isn’t damaged in any way.

If one link breaks in this chain, the fire door will not be safe or approved for use in a building.  Worse case? A fire breaks out in a multi-storey building and lives are lost.  Investigations are carried out and it is concluded that the fire spread rapidly due to the poorly manufactured or fitted door.  If you are the responsible person for the link in the chain that broke, you may be looking at a hefty fine as well as a damaged reputation.

Obey the Specification, no matter what cost:

When completing a job, there is a lot of pressure to be on budget and finish on time.  Although up front, the cost for tested products is quite high, if these are swapped out for cheaper, untested products, the cost in lives and property will be far far greater in the unfortunate outbreak of a fire.

As well as the loss of lives and property, if it is discovered after the job it completed, there is a chance that they will all have to be replaced as well as a fine or even a prison sentence for the responsible person in that building.  Don’t put others’ lives in danger just for the sake of saving money.

The four areas where contractors and clients are at risk are below:

• Non-compliance with Building Regulations
• Non-compliance with the Regulatory Reform Order
• Lack of adequate insurance protection
• Insufficient protection for life and property

The R30 System

The R30 is a fire door system that was the result of a journey of listening.  A journey that started by listening to the wish-list of a highly respected London Housing Association with a 40, 000 plus property portfolio.

Architect led, the Housing Association asked for a fire rated door set designed to assist the less able using the Rutland door closer with slide arm and controlled closing and latch action.  The door closer was to be fitted overhead out of the reach of children’s fingers to reduce the risk associated with finger trap injuries.

The entire doorset must be fire tested using mulipoint locks, and identical doorsets security tested to PAS 24.  The system must be low maintenance due to limited budget and returning to the days of decorating costs associated with painted doors and frames was not an option.

This wish-list is now reality with the R30 Fire Door System.  Fire tested bi-directionally. Designed through listening

Consistent solid core giving

• Consistent burn performance
• Consistent security performance

• Low Maintenance-No painting
• Can be glazed
• Letter box option
• Large size variation

Compliance

Fire testing & Performance Testing

R30 Fire Door System is independently and successfully tested by UKAS accredited bodies to the following standards:

• EN 1634-1:2014 fire resistance tested bi-directionally with 10%+ over runs
• EN 1634-3:2004 smoke leakage
• BS 6375-1:2015 weather tightness
• BS 6375-2:2009 performance of Windows and Doors operation and strength tested
• Fully Patent Pending
• PAS 24:2016 Enhanced Security and Performance W18332

The team at Rutland wish you the very best and please get in touch if you want to find out more about our products and need any additional information.