Supplying door blanks and cores for Fire Door Safety Week
This September, Fire Door Safety Week, the annual, national campaign from the British Woodworking Federation (BWF), is returning to raise awareness of the critical importance of fire doors in saving lives and protecting property.
Around three million fire doors are manufactured, bought, and installed in the UK every year, and the vast majority are made from timber. However, according to the BWF, fire doors remain a significant area of neglect; often mismanaged, they are frequently propped open, damaged, or badly maintained.
The performance of a fire door can mean the difference between life and death, so it’s crucial to understand the factors that ensure a fire door performs as intended. Product manufacture, quality, installation, and ongoing maintenance all have a significant part to play.
What role do fire doors play in fire protection?
Fire doors have two important functions in a blaze; when closed they form a barrier to stop the spread of fire and when opened they provide a means of escape. A well-designed timber fire door will delay the spread of fire and smoke without hindering the movement of people.
Every fire door is required to act as a barrier to smoke and/or flames to varying degrees, depending upon its location in a building and the fire hazards associated with that building. The main categories of fire doors are FD30 and FD60, which offer 30 and 60 minutes of fire protection.
Most wooden fire doors have a solid core made from timber. This core can be built on in multiple ways: timber framing with a laminated outer, plywood or MDF glued to the core without framing, or a lipping around the core followed by a veneer.
Any method can be used if the fire rating is achieved but it is critical that each individual fire door component fulfils its role for a fire door to achieve its function of holding back smoke and fire for a specified time – and ultimately save lives.
Playing our part
Nothing is more important than people’s safety, which is why we are proud to supply high-performance door blanks and cores suitable for conversion to certified doorsets and door assemblies by specialist joiners and fabricators, and all conforming to BS476: Part 22 1987. Our range includes PacifireTM and SAINTYFIRE door blanks.
The future of fire door safety
Those working in the construction industry today, from architects and joiners to housing developers, must adhere to the minimum performance standards outlined in Building Regulations, and statutory requirements within Approved Document B (ADB), which are in place to save lives.
Now the Government is bringing forward fundamental changes in the draft Building Safety Bill that will further improve building and fire safety. It will establish a regulator to enforce new rules and act against those who break them, placing more pressure on construction industry professionals to ensure the materials they use are fully compliant.
Protecting against the threat of fire is one of the most important factors when complying with building regulations, and there is no scope for substitution of quality, tested materials because this may seriously affect the overall performance of a fire door – so contact our experts to see how we can help.
Fire Door Safety Week runs from September 20-26.
