Fire doors
Fire doors are specially manufactured doors installed on flat entrances and within communal corridors.
As a general rule, if you live in a flat or maisonette and share a communal escape route you will have a fire-resistant entrance door.
When we refer to a fire door, this includes not only the door (or leaf) itself but also the doorframe, seals, glazing, hinges, any hold-open device, and hardware and it's important that they work correctly to be fully effective.
Importance of fire doors
Fire doors are an essential part of the fire safety system and provide critical protection within a building, such as escape routes (stairs and corridors) and places of relative safety, and in separating different fire hazards within a building.
They provide protection against the spread of fire and smoke, giving increased likelihood that occupants of the building can escape to safety.
What not to do
You MUST not alter your fire door in any way, such as painting over seals, cutting vision holes, drilling holes for locks, doorbells and the like or screw or nail anything into the door.
Once the door has been compromised it may need replacing.
If this is the case, and found to be the cause of deliberate damage, we will pursue you for recovery of replacement costs.
You should never disconnect the fire door closer. It's essential to the integrity of the door that it's closed in the event of a fire.
Doors which do not close properly can allow fire and smoke to spread into the corridor with serious consequences.
Also, you MUST ensure that the door has not been propped open or blocked, whether on purpose or by accident.