At a Glance
The UK fire door requirements apply to the complete door assembly, including the door, frame, seals, hinges and hardware. The responsible person must ensure suitable fire safety measures are in place, while competent people should carry out installation and maintenance. Fire doors must suit the building, location and fire risk assessment and be regularly inspected.
Contact us now to discuss your commercial fire door requirements and speak with our specialists about compliant, secure and cost-effective solutions tailored to your building.
Understanding Fire Door Requirements for Commercial Premises
No matter what type of business you have or what industry you belong to, the building you operate from needs to provide a safe environment for employees, customers and visitors. Part of managing a commercial premises means considering what could happen in an emergency, including how people would leave a building during an unforeseen event or how risks such as fire could be contained.
Commercial fire doors form an important part of a building’s wider safety measures. When correctly specified and fitted, they can help contain fire and smoke, protect escape routes and even limit the spread of fire between different areas of the building.
For business owners and managers, this makes it crucial to understand how fire door requirements apply to their premises. The type and location of the fire door needed will depend on factors such as the building’s use, its layout and the findings of the fire risk assessment.
At Doorway Services, we have put together this brief guide to explain the key fire door requirements for commercial premises that businesses need to understand when installing and maintaining fire doors.
UK Fire Door Regulations Explained
Who Can Install Fire Doors?
For commercial premises in England, fire safety legislation places responsibility for fire safety on a “responsible person”. This can be the employer, owner, landlord, occupier or another person who controls the premises. The person is responsible for carrying out and regularly reviewing the fire risk assessment and ensuring appropriate fire safety measures are in place. However, this responsibility is different from physically installing a fire door.
Where a fire door needs to be installed, replaced or repaired, the work can only be carried out by a competent person with the appropriate skills, knowledge and relevant experience. Doorway Services can provide that assistance by offering fire-rated door installation, maintenance and repairs along with any other professional support related to commercial doors.
Correct installation involves more than fitting the door into its opening. This is why we at Doorway Services offer complete fire door assembly, including the door leaf, frames, hinges, seals, glazing, closing devices and compatible hardware. We ensure they are correctly specified and installed to perform as intended.
What Are Internal And External Fire Doors
According to FD ratings, in the event of a fire, an internal fire door is supposed to divide a building into different compartments so that multiple escape routes are available.
Contrastingly, an external door used as a final exit provides a way for people to leave the building safely during an emergency. Whether the door also needs to be fire-resistant depends on where it is located and its role in the building’s fire safety plan.
Additionally, the external door should have a clear sign indicating it is an exit and there should be an easy way to open from the inside.
Fire Regulations In Commercial Buildings
In commercial buildings, both horizontal and vertical escape routes are considered.
A vertical escape or evacuation refers to evacuating everyone inside a commercial building using flights of stairs. On the other hand, a horizontal escape or evacuation involves moving people away from the fire horizontally, towards a fireproof area of the building without leaving the floor they are on.
Fire doors in a commercial building must be fitted with these routes in mind. The required fire resistance of a door depends on factors including its location, the building’s use and the findings of the fire risk assessment.
How Fire Door Frames Work
The frame of a fire door is important for its functioning. Therefore, the frame and other components of a fire door should be compatible with the door’s required fire performance. Intumescent seals can be fitted around the edges of a suitable fire door to help seal the gap between the door and frame when exposed to heat.
For timber fire-resisting doors, UK government guidance generally recommends a 2mm to 4mm gap between the door leaf and frame, although you should always follow the manufacturer’s specifications. How to Maintain Fire Doors
According to UK fire door regulations, fire doors in commercial buildings should be inspected and maintained regularly to ensure they function properly in a fire.e. Checks can identify visible damage, problems with door closers, damaged seals, issues with hinges or changes to the door’s fit within its frame. Where a defect could affect the door’s fire performance, it should be addressed appropriately.
The frequency and extent of checks should reflect the building, how the doors are used and the findings of the fire risk assessment. Where a defect could affect the fire door’s performance, a competent person should carry out appropriate maintenance or repair.
Doorway Services provides commercial door maintenance and repair services, including ongoing maintenance contracts. Routine door maintenance helps businesses keep fire-rated doors in good condition and respond quickly when wear, damage or operational faults occur.
For Installation, Maintenance and Servicing of Fire Rated Commercial Doors, Contact Doorway Services
With this guide to fire door requirements, you should now have a clearer understanding of how fire doors form part of the wider fire safety arrangements and follow the steps you need to take in accordance with UK fire door regulations.
The appropriate fire-rated commercial door will depend on your building, its use, the door’s location and the findings of your fire risk assessment. At Doorway Services, we offer a wide range of fire-rated commercial doors, maintenance services and repair services to support businesses and meet your requirements. Still questioning what the requirements of a fire door are? To learn more, contact our professionals today or explore our range of services.