Fire Door Safety Week
Fire Door Safety Week provides an opportunity to remind the general public that fire doors save lives and protect buildings. Fire doors are designed to withstand fire for a certain amount of time. This prevents the fire from spreading to other areas, allowing occupants to escape a building safely and limiting the damage caused.
Not only do fire doors help prevent the spread of fires but they also control the spread of smoke, which can be just as dangerous and is a common cause of death in fires.
With fire doors playing such a key role in saving lives, it is surprising that almost half of the UK population wouldn't take action over a propped open fire door despite three quarters correctly identifying that a propped open fire door will not work in the event of a fire. Additionally 57% of the UK population wouldn't be able to spot issues with a fire door.
It is recommended that fire doors in flats be routinely checked for faults at least every three-months to ensure they are in good working order. Using an inspection system along with a "Fire Door Inspection Record sign can highlight and remind responsible persons to conduct examinations regularly.
Every fire door should have an appropriate "Fire Door Keep Shut" sign. Fire door signs help identify which doors should be used as part of a fire evacuation plan and which doors should remain closed or locked.
Additionally utilising signage such as "Fire Door - Do not obstruct", "Fire Door - Do not leave open" or "Fire Protection Door - Do not obstruct" can help remind viewers / occupants to respect the importance of Fire Doors within their building.
In the event of a fire, clear, concise and visible safety signage is critical to help a successful evacuation. When a fire is detected, there can be a lot of panic, noise and smoke, so ensuring safety instructions are clearly visible (especially in darkened conditions) can prove the difference between occupants reaching safety or not.
Photoluminescent (glow in the dark) signs offer an effective and affordable solution. We use UltraBright to ensure the signage we provide will be brighter for longer than most alternatives in the market, far exceeding the requirements of PSPA Class C ratings.
Fire Door Safety Week provides toolkits to help check for faulty doors and suggests to check for 1. Certification, 2. Apertures, 3. Gaps and seals, 4. Closers, 5. Operation, but we'd like you to add one more to that list, 6. Safety signage.
Key Regulations and Standards
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO): This legislation places the responsibility on the "responsible person" to ensure fire safety measures, including adequate signage, are in place. In Scotland, similar regulations are outlined in the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: Fire Door Guidance: This guidance came into force in January 2023 and implements many of the recommendations made to government from Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Amongst other things, it outlines the role of fire doors and notes that should be in good repair and in good working order.
BS 5499: This multi-part British Standard outlines the design, location, and use of fire safety signs, including fire door signs. Adhering to this standard ensures that fire door signs are consistent and easily understood.
BS EN ISO 7010: This regulation provides a design directive with a list of compliant graphical safety symbols to ensure consistency. BS EN ISO 7010:2020+A3:2022 details the meaning and look of safety signage.
Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996: Amongst other things, this regulation sets out the colour schemes for safety signage. It also includes reference to the above-mentioned BS EN ISO 7010.
These standards are in place to ensure consistency and effectiveness in conveying essential life safety information, and to provide guidance for the responsible persons and duty holders.