Fire doors provide passive fire protection. This means they do not put out the fire, but rather, they keep the fire contained. An ideal fire door that has been installed, specified, and properly maintained gives people the opportunity to evacuate the premises and prevents the fire from spreading to the adjacent areas and more compartments. A non-compliant, defective, or poorly installed door cannot provide any of the above benefits, no matter what the certification states.
Fire doors in the commercial and industrial sectors are mainly governed by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO). In this case, the Responsible Person (by the RRO definition) means the employer, building owner, or the person who has control of the premises and is obligated to do a fire risk assessment and to comply with all the requirements that are outlined in the fire risk assessment, which includes putting in and maintaining fire doors, as well as having the required fire doors installed.
Fire Door Resistance Ratings
Fire doors are rated by the level of fire resistance they offer and are tested and certified to BS EN 1634-1. The rating gives the number of minutes of fire resistance the door will provide in a test.
FD30 means that the door will provide 30 minutes of fire resistance. This is the standard requirement for internal compartment doors in commercial premises.
FD60 means that the door will provide 60 minutes of fire resistance. This is the requirement that will need to be specified within the fire risk assessment if there is a need for increased protection for areas like stairwells, plant rooms, and other high risk compartments.
FD90 and FD120 refer to 90 and 120 minute durations. They are intended for heightened risk industrial applications, protected escape route use within larger buildings, and scenarios where fire engineering calculations necessitate prolonged compartmentation.
The ‘S’ suffix — FD30S, FD60S — indicates that the door has also been assessed and certified for smoke containment. As smoke is the leading cause of death in building fires, fire risk assessments should be performed to determine if smoke containment is necessary at every fire door. The S rated door is typically the default for most commercial buildings and is especially critical for those with sleeping risk or complicated means of escape.
What is Required by The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The RRO demands certain things of The Responsible Person concerning fire doors. This includes:
The installation of fire doors at locations determined by the fire risk assessment to be necessary for compartmentation. This assessment must be performed by an individual deemed competent — trained, experienced, and knowledgeable enough to recognize fire hazards and determine the associated risk. This competency is left up to the Responsible Person, and while there is no defined requirement for this, the vast majority of assessors possess some form of recognized certification, often NEBOSH Fire Certificate or are members of the IFE.
Fire doors should be kept in working order. This means that it requires regular checking – usually every six months – covering the door leaf condition, frame integrity, intumescent seals, smoke seals, self-closing devices, hinges, and certification markings. Doors that are not up to standard must be taken out of service or be repaired before being put back in service.
Fire doors must not be left open unless they are fitted with a compliant automatic release device that is connected to the fire alarm system. A door held open by a door stop is a door that is not compliant with fire door regulations.
Compliance with BS 8214
The current British Standard for the Installation of Fire Doors is BS 8214:2016. It outlines the standards for installation of timber fire doors including the frame, thresholds, fire door hardware, door seals, and fire door glazing. A timber fire door that is installed without compliance to the standards set in BS 8214 will not perform to the fire door’s rating regardless of the f ire door’s certification.
The following outlines the most critical requirements when installing a fire door to ensure that the door meets the minimum fire safety standards: the gap between the fire door and the door frame must not be more than 3mm on the hinge side and 4mm on the leading edge and top, and all other sides must have a clearance of not more than 5mm. Any greater gaps will result in the fire door not being installed to the correct standards for required fire door testing.
Intumescent seals must be the specific type mentioned in the doorset certification and cannot be replaced by another type.
Glazing units must be fire rated to the same level or higher than the doors and be fitted to the correct rebate depth.
Self closing devices must close and latch the door from any position, including against the pull of any door closing draft or against any pressure differential.
Hinges must be of the type and number specified in the doorset certification, which is usually three for FD30 and above.
Installers who hold third party certifications, such as Certifire, BWF-CERTIFIRE, or other similar scheme certifications, must provide proof of compliance to the certification requirements in the installation, as this is necessary for insurance and documentation of the compliance by the Responsible Person.
Fire Exit Doors
Fire exit doors, which are doors in the building that form part of an escape route, also have specific requirements in addition to the requirements for fire resistance. Fire exit doors must be fitted with emergency exit hardware that meets the requirements of BS EN 179 and BS EN 1125. The exit door must be able to be opened from the inside without a key or any special knowledge.
BS EN 179 deals with emergency exit devices such as lever handles and push-pad mechanisms and are to be used in premises where occupants know about the building and its exit routes. BS EN 1125 applies to emergency exit devices like panic exit devices and use push-bar or crossbar mechanisms and are used in situations where the building is likely to be occupied by the public or where people do not know the exit route.
The fire risk assessment is what identifies which of the standards applies to each exit point, and it is important to note that a BS EN 179 device fitted where a BS EN 1125 is needed is a compliance failure, regardless of the opening action of the door.
The fire exit doors along the routes of the escape must always be kept free of obstructions both in front of and behind the doors. This responsibility is put upon the Responsible Person, and to what extent this is addressed is part of the fire risk assessment and the fire safety management procedures.
Third-Party Certification and the Golden Thread
As of October 2023, the Building Safety Act 2022 implemented the ‘golden thread’ concept for higher-risk buildings. It is now a legal requirement for the records of all of the safety-critical components of a building, including fire doors, to be accurate and up to date. This includes, for buildings within the scope of the legal requirements, the evidence of the specifications, certifications, installations, and maintenance records of all fire doors within the building.
For all other buildings, regardless of whether they are considered higher-risk, having this type of documentation in the event of a fire safety enforcement action or insurance claim provides the best risk defense. This fire safety defense includes Certifire-certified doorsets, BS 8214-compliant installation records, and six-monthly inspection records.