Fire Door Inspections
The Law & Latest Regulations
The new Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023. These are new requirements for ‘responsible persons’ of mid and high-rise blocks of flats to provide information to fire and rescue services to assist them with operational planning and provide additional safety measures. In all multi-occupied residential buildings, residents should now be provided with fire safety instructions and information on fire doors.
In mid-rise residential buildings (over 11 metres), responsible persons will be required to undertake annual checks of flat entrance doors and quarterly checks of all fire doors in the common part.
Lost in the Jargon
Even the jargon alone can send property owners into a frenzy of confusion and panic with questions like “am I, or am I not, already meeting these requirements?” and “how do I even find out?” “Who can I trust to fully know the law and help me understand my legal obligations and the repercussions if I’m not meeting these?” “who is the responsible person?” and “how do I find a competent person to carry out my Fire Door Inspections?”
We will make sense of all the noise around latest buzz words concerning fire safety and break these down in to easy to understand terminology. When we describe these in their most basic form and give advice accordingly our clients can soon see how any problem areas can be overcome.
The Process
We will make a site visit to however many properties fall under your legal responsibility and require regular assessment. We will assess the fire doors of each property and confirm if these are compliant to all the latest requirements and if they have the correct certification.
Our surveys can be intrusive or non intrusive depending on the level of information currently held on the Fire Doors and frames that have been installed. Doors will be labelled with a unique reference number and a detailed report made available for each door.
Fire Doors can include
- Corridor Doors
- Escape Route Doors
- Stairwell Doors
- Riser Doors
Type of Work Covered
We make assessments on properties across all sectors and of any size and type. In addition to assessing existing sites we also assess new builds and provide construction advice regarding appropriate fire doors installation from the outset.
22 Point Check
Each inspection follows a full line of enquiry concerning a ‘22 point check’ to make sure absolutely every door and component part is assessed. This will include assessing the mechanics and material of the door and checking ironmongery meets the current standards, checking the gaps between the hinges are the correct distance apart and that sufficient heat and smoke seals are in place and checking the correct markings are in place for doors which feature fire rated glass.
The assessment also includes checking that the entire installation of the door set is fully compliant. Many clients have been shocked to find having spent a great deal on buying new fire doors the actual installation has still left them non-compliant. Often we have been left amazed at how often high quality doors have been purchased but fitted so poorly to deem a client at risk of failure to comply.
There are many other points included in the ‘22 Point Check’ but the resounding feedback from every client is based on an appreciation for the way we educate them, making sense and simplifying their legal obligations and showing a clear way forward for compliancy.
Going the Extra Mile
As well as inspecting all fire doors our experienced team can make observations regarding associated items such as fire signage and active safety systems (fire alarms, sprinklers, etc.)
These additional notes are provided as advisories alongside the report, and are provided as an extra layer of protection which you can implement to help you go ‘above and beyond’ in terms of fire safety improvements.
Accreditations
All our consultants are fully accredited to ensure their commitment to compliancy, quality and highest level of service is demonstrated at all times.
Implementation
Once a report is produced often clients continue to feel lost as they have no idea who to approach to get the remediation works carried out to the same high quality as the assessments were made. If requested we can make suggestions of approved contractors who could undertake the work.
Building Ongoing Relationships
Following the assessment, our service becomes a periodic event as the latest legislation states fire door checks are required at regular intervals. To help you stay fully compliant ongoingly we issue reminders to help you stay well ahead of certification expiry dates and we enjoy returning to clients and helping to keep them compliant.
We will also return to site to re-check your doors to ensure that any maintenance has been carried out satisfactorily.
Recommendations
Our guiding ethos revolves around offering clients absolute peace of mind by delivering the pinnacle of expertise and professionalism. We are convinced that it is this approach, coupled with our company values, that underlines are exceptional volume of recommendations and referrals.
Being independent, we assure you that our focus is solely on identifying issues that could lead to non-compliance, as well as providing advisories that bring advantages without being mandatory. Our primary goal is to safeguard our clients rather than searching for faults that could result in undue expenses.
