Care homes and sheltered housing providers have a responsibility under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) to ensure that their properties and residents are safe. Fire doors play a crucial role in maintaining that fire safety. Some very disturbing results of a survey carried out for the recent Fire Door Safety Week, show a worrying lack of understanding about correct use and consequences of mistreatment of fire doors. The survey asked a thousand care home workers about fire safety and it revealed:

• A shocking 82% of care home workers surveyed said they left fire doors open on purpose, negating the whole purpose of the fire door.



• More than a third of them say that they think evacuation could take more than 30 minutes (making fire doors even more vital).



• Less than half (43%) understand that the purpose of a fire door is to keep the fire contained for a specific time.

Since 2006, responsibility for maintaining fire and escape doors has been placed firmly with building owners with the introduction of the FSO. The FSO – which applies to England and Wales – covers the fire safety duties required to protect the “responsible person” such as visitors, residents and staff. It is the “responsible person” who has legal responsibility under the FSO to ensure that fire safety regulations are adhered to. It is not a nominal title alone. That person can be criminally prosecuted if they do not fulfil their duties. They must show that they have carried out a risk assessment on their premises which must include ensuring that fire and escape doors have the correct hardware fitted and maintained. They must also be able to produce the documentation to show that the products are suitable for their application, proving that all parties have exercised due diligence in fulfilling their duty of care. Regular maintenance checks are also essential to ensure the continued performance of the door.

So why do fire doors matter? Fire-resisting doors are a vital part of a building’s passive fire protection system and serve three main purposes:

• to help to suppress a fire by restricting the amount of oxygen available to it



• to restrict the spread of fire through the building, gaining time for active fire protection resources such as sprinklers and fire fighters to perform; (a closed fire-resisting door is designed to endure direct attack by fire for a specified period of time);



• to protect escape routes and continue to provide some protection for fire fighters entering the building.

Correctly specified, fitted and maintained hardware plays a vital part in the effectiveness of fire doors. Hinges, seals, handles, closing devices and the like – make fire doors operate easily during normal use and save lives in the event of fire.

It is not just fire that can cause serious issues in the event of an emergency. In fact, smoke inhalation causes far more deaths than fire itself. This is where effective and correctly fitting smoke seals on doors come into play. Not many people even notice smoke seals, but they can and do save lives where cold smoke is permeating a building, especially a care home with vulnerable residents who cannot escape the smoke unaided. In buildings, such as care homes where multiple rooms are accessed off a central landing or corridor, smoke can creep with frightening speed through the tiniest gaps with potentially fatal consequences.

While fire doors fitted with intumescent seals are highly effective in halting the spread of fire, the intumescent seals will only operate at the high temperatures generated by fire. They will not halt the progress of cold smoke. Should the smoke from a fire progress in advance of it, the fire door seals will not have started to intumesce, allowing cold smoke to pass through the gaps. This is why it is vital that fire doors are fitted with intumescent seals that can stop both fire and smoke. Norseal’s best-selling fire and smoke seal for care homes is the Pyroplex Intumescent Single Flipper, a practical option for hygienic spaces like hospitals, restaurants and care homes as they can easily be cleaned when spills occur to help to keep areas germ free.

So how can Care Home managers and owners check if their fire doors comply?

• Fire doors should be checked regularly, and the more they’re used the more frequently they should be checked.



• Anyone can spot a dodgy fire door with a 5 Step Check today (https://www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/FDSW-5-Step-Fire-Door-Check-1.pdf) But it’s usually advisable to call in a professional.



• Create a fire door maintenance checklist and schedule to check all doors in your building.



• Only ever replace damaged components with like-for-like. Check the fire certificate. A trained person should be responsible for this maintenance work.

As the devastating fire at Newgrange Care Home in Cheshunt earlier this year clearly demonstrated, fire safety is not always as high up priority lists as it should be. Properly designed, installed and maintained fire doors – that are used correctly by staff on an ongoing basis – are a vital part of any care home manager’s fire safety armoury.