The need for a continued and urgent focus on fire door maintenance, inspection and replacement programmes is essential, as highlighted by the BWF’s recent research. Lorient offers an expert fire door inspection service to help local authorities and housing associations comply with regulations.
A fire door acts just as any other door in normal service, in a fire it takes on a critical role — to save lives and protect property. It does this by holding back the spread of fire and smoke through a building for a designated period, giving time for building occupants to escape. However, fire doors can easily become damaged when they are in regular use; which may affect their performance in the unfortunate event of a fire. It is therefore essential that fire doors are inspected, maintained and replaced to ensure that they are fit for purpose.
In 2006, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 came into force in England and Wales; transferring the responsibility for Fire Safety from the fire authorities to whoever has day-to-day control of building premises — this is known as the ‘Responsible Person’. This person must take steps to reduce the risk from fire; consider how to contain a fire should one break out and ensure people can escape safely. They also need to be able to identify a Competent Person i.e. knowledgeable, qualified professional who can undertake preventative and protective measures, such as Fire Door Inspections, if they’re not confident to do so. Compliance with the RRO is a legal requirement. Failure to comply with RRO is a criminal offence and can lead to prosecution, large fines and even imprisonment.
The British Woodworking Federation, through their Fire Door Safety Week campaign, recently undertook some research into the status of fire door maintenance, inspection and replacement programmes across local authority owned and managed housing in the UK. The BWF stated: “With the UK lockdown period forcing many people to spend more time at home, people without fit for purpose fire doors have been put at risk. There is a need for continued and urgent focus on ensuring the safety of all building occupants whether in local authority or privately-rented accommodation, workplaces or other building types.”
Operating across the UK, Lorient offers a professional and expert fire door inspection service.
Lorient Fire Door Inspectors are fully qualified under the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS); and have been assessed by Warringtonfire, an independent third party. Certificated to carry out the inspection of a building’s fire doors; Lorient Inspectors use an app to record findings throughout the survey. A detailed report is provided covering the condition and functionality of the fire doors on the premises; with necessary remedial action required.
