Fire doors are a critical part of any building’s fire safety strategy. They compartmentalise a building, preventing fire and smoke from spreading and protecting escape routes. But fire doors only work if they are properly installed, maintained, and regularly inspected.

What Makes a Fire Door Different?

A fire door is not just a heavy door. It is a complete assembly including the door leaf, frame, hinges, intumescent strips, smoke seals, self-closing device, and signage. Each component plays a role, and if any one is missing, damaged, or incorrectly fitted, the door may fail in a fire.

Fire doors are typically rated as either FD30 (30 minutes fire resistance) or FD60 (60 minutes). The rating indicates how long the door will hold back fire and smoke when closed.

The Legal Requirements

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must ensure that fire doors are maintained in good working order. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 added specific inspection requirements for residential buildings:

• All multi-occupied residential buildings: Annual checks of all flat entrance fire doors
• Buildings over 11 metres: Quarterly checks of all fire doors in common parts, plus annual checks of flat entrance doors

For non-residential premises (offices, hotels, care homes, schools), there is no fixed frequency in law, but regular inspection is a requirement of the Fire Safety Order and best practice is quarterly checks.

What to Check on a Fire Door

A basic fire door inspection should verify:

• The door closes fully into the frame under its own power (self-closer working)
• Intumescent strips and smoke seals are intact and undamaged
• Gaps around the door are no more than 3-4mm
• Hinges are secure (minimum 3 hinges, CE marked)
• The door leaf is not damaged, warped, or has holes
• Glass panels (if any) are fire-rated and properly glazed
• The door is not propped open (unless held by an automatic release mechanism linked to the fire alarm)
• Fire door signage is in place (‘Fire Door Keep Shut’ or ‘Fire Door Keep Locked’)

Common Fire Door Problems

• Doors propped open — the most common and most dangerous issue
• Missing or painted-over intumescent strips
• Broken self-closers
• Large gaps around the door frame
• Unauthorised modifications — cutting, drilling holes, or fitting non-fire-rated letterboxes or cat flaps

Fire Door Awareness Training

Fire wardens should be trained to inspect fire doors as part of their regular checks. Our fire safety training courses cover fire door awareness and inspection techniques.

Our sister company Beacon Fire Protection also provides professional fire door surveys and installation across Cumbria. Contact us to find out more.