Can you certify my fire door?
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AM I REQUIRED TO HAVE A FIRE DOOR?
Fire doors are an essential part of any building’s fire safety measures. They are designed to prevent the spread of fire and smoke, providing crucial time for occupants to evacuate safely and for firefighters to control the blaze. However, a common misconception exists about who can certify these life-saving devices.
The role of Fire Door Certification
Fire door certification is a rigorous process that ensures a door meets specific fire resistance standards. This certification is critical because it guarantees that the door will perform as expected in the event of a fire. The certification process involves:
- Designs and Material Testing: The door’s design, materials, and components are tested under controlled conditions to verify their fire resistance.
- Manufacturing Consistency: The manufacturing process is scrutinised to ensure each door produced meets the same high standards as the tested prototypes.
- Compliance with Regulations: Certified fire doors must comply with national and international fire safety regulations, such as BS 476 or EN 1634.
Who Can Certify a Fire Door?
The only entities that can provide certification for a fire door are the manufacturers themselves. Here’s why:
- Testing and Approval: Only manufacturers have the resources to conduct comprehensive fire resistance tests on their doors. These tests are performed in specialised laboratories and must adhere to stringent standards.
- Quality Control: Certification involves ensuring that every door produced matches the specifications of the tested models. Manufacturers implement rigorous quality control processes to maintain this consistency.
- Regulatory Compliance: Manufacturers work closely with certification bodies to ensure their products meet all regulatory requirements. These certification bodies, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Intertek, provide the necessary credentials that validate the fire door’s performance.
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The Role of Fire Door Surveys
While only manufacturers can certify fire doors, other companies such as Next Doors Ltd play a crucial role in maintaining and verifying the fire safety of these doors. Companies offering fire door surveys perform essentials services and should be certified by the likes of BM Trada – these services include:
- Inspection and Assessment: Professionals inspect existing fire doors to assess their condition and compliance with fire safety standards.
- Listing Remedial Works: Based on their findings, they provide a detailed report listing any remedial work required to ensure the door can function correctly as a fire barrier. These recommendations might include replacing seals, repairing hardware, or even replacing the door if it’s beyond repair.
- Remedial Works: Remedial works should then be carried out to ensure the door is fire rated and complies with current regulations. Again, as well as the fire door surveys, the remedial works should be carried out by competant and certified companies.
Limitations of Fire Door Surveys
It’s important to understand that while fire door surveys are vital for maintaining safety, they do not equate to certification. Here’s why:
- Lack of Certification Authority: Survey companies do not have the authority or capability to certify fire doors as this envolves extensive testing and quality control measures that only manufacturers can provide.
- Maintenance vs. Certification: Surveys focus on maintaining and restoring fire-resistant qualities of doors. Even after remedial works, the door is not “certified” but rather “fire rated.” meaning it should perform correctly based on its original certification.
Ensuring Fire Door Safety
To ensure your fire doors provide the protection they are designed for, consider the following steps:
- Purchase Certified Fire Doors: Always buy fire doors from reputable manufacturers who provide certification for their products.
- Regular Inspections: Scheduled regular inspections by qualified professionals to assess and maintain the condition of your fire doors.
- Follow Remedial Recommendations: Act on the recommendations provided by a fire door survey to address any issues that could compromise the door’s fire resistance.
DID YOU KNOW?
Next Doors Ltd are BM Trada qualified, which is the ONLY Fire Door Certification accepted by the government!
We hope that you have gained knowledge in the world of fire safety reading this blog post. Regulations and what you should/ shouldn’t do is very foggy and not easy to understand. However, given our reputable experience and knowledge, we hope we’ve been able to shed some light and help you understand how to become compliant.
If you’d like a Fire Door Survey, please do get in touch with our team to receive a free, no obligation quote.
Servicedesk@next-doors.com
0843 523 1063
Unit 3 Birchwood Trading Estate, London Road, Swanley, BR8 7QD
