Safety campaign targets dodgy fire doors in care homes

New research published to coincide with Fire Door Safety Week, which runs from 15-21 September 2014, has revealed continuing high levels of ignorance about fire safety among many building owners and managers.

Against the backdrop of a series of prosecutions in the care home sector over recent years and increasing scrutiny on fire safety in social care settings, fire doors are an increasingly important element in the design, construction and maintenance of care homes.

When respondents with formal responsibility for fire safety in their organisations were asked if they were fully aware of their legal obligations, almost half (46.5 per cent) said they either did not know what they were or admitted they were unclear. A similar proportion (45 per cent) say they really would not know how to spot a dodgy fire door – one of the most critical passive fire protection features in the buildings we use every day.

John Fletcher, manager of the British Woodworking Federation’s BWF-CERTIFIRE Scheme which, together with the UK’s Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS), is behind the organisation of Fire Door Safety Week, says: “Dodgy fire doors are usually just one of many signs of fire safety negligence, but actually they’re a relatively easy one to spot and do something about.

“We provide extensive support and guidance for care home managers and other building owners, including free seminars, training presentations, fire door fact cards and advice videos.

“We are calling on everyone to look again at the buildings you and your relatives live, stay and work in, and to report dodgy fire doors to the property manager or owner.“

Fire Door Safety Week aims to raise awareness of the critical role of fire doors, drawing attention to specific issues such as poor installation and maintenance, and encouraging building owners and users to check the operation and condition of their fire doors and to report those that aren’t satisfactory.

In the process, the campaign hopes to engage and educate people, helping every property owner to understand the correct specification, supply, installation, operation, inspection and maintenance of fire doors.

Among almost 100 organisations supporting Fire Door Safety Week this year are the Government’s Fire Kills campaign, the Association for Specialist Fire Protection, the Fire Brigades Union, Chief Fire Officers Association and the Fire Industry Association.

The Fire Minister, Penny Mordaunt, said: “I very much welcome this sector-led approach to promote appropriate use of fire doors: this is the perfect opportunity for owners and occupiers to check their own fire doors and make sure they are in good, safe, working order. Spread awareness, not fire.”

There are about 3 million new fire doors bought and installed every year in the UK, the vast majority made from timber. Fire doors are often the first line of defence in a fire and their correct specification, maintenance and management can be the difference between life and death for building occupants.

However, they remain a significant area of neglect, often the first thing to be downgraded on a specification and mismanaged throughout their service life, propped open, damaged and badly maintained.

Following on from Fire Door Safety Week, FDIS is also running free seminars for care home and other building owners around the country. They will take place in Newton Abbott and Lincoln this month, Coventry and Tamworth in October, West Drayton in November and Cardiff in December. For more information email info@fdis.co.uk