Fire door safety

Communal and flat entrance fire doors play a vital role in keeping residents safe. In the event of a fire, they are designed to slow the spread of flames and smoke, protect escape routes and help keep people safe while they evacuate or remain in their homes, depending on the building’s evacuation strategy.

Fire doors only work when they are in good condition and used correctly. To help keep your home and building safe, please follow these essential rules:

  • Never wedge a fire door open: Propping open a fire door allows smoke and flames to spread quickly.
  • Keep communal areas clear: Fire doors in hallways and stairwells must stay unobstructed so residents can escape safely.
  • Do not alter your front door: Flat entrance doors are certified fire doors. Replacing handles, adding cat flaps or installing unapproved letterboxes can affect their fire protection.
  • Report faults immediately: If a door does not close fully on its own, or if you notice damaged seals, gaps around the frame or damage to the door, please contact our Repairs team as soon as possible.

Smoke inhalation causes more fire-related injuries and fatalities than burns. When a fire breaks out, burning materials such as plastic, fabric and furniture can produce poisonous gases, including carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide. These gases can cause disorientation or unconsciousness after only a few breaths.

The seals around your flat entrance door are designed to expand when heated, sealing gaps around the frame. This helps stop smoke and gases from spreading into communal hallways and keeps vital escape routes clearer for you and your neighbours.

You can do a quick safety check of your flat entrance door and communal doors in just a few seconds:

Check the automatic closer: open the door halfway and let it go. It should shut firmly on its own and latch securely.

Check the seals: look at the edges of the door. The strips or brush-like seals should be intact and not damaged or painted over.

Check the gaps: the space between the door and frame should be very small – around 3mm to 4mm, or less than the width of a standard £1 coin.

Wandle carries out regular fire risk assessment checks in our buildings, including checks of communal fire doors and flat entrance doors where required. These inspections are completed by our compliance team and specialist contractors, with additional checks carried out in blocks of certain heights. However, residents should still report any faults they notice straight away so we can investigate and arrange repairs.

If the Repairs team identify that your flat entrance fire door needs replacing, your address will be referred for replacement. Our contractor will contact you to arrange a survey. Fire doors are made to measure and usually take 4–8 weeks to manufacture. Once your new door is ready, the contractor will contact you directly to book the installation.

Kitchen fire doors are usually available off the shelf, so they can normally be handled through the repairs process. In some cases, Repairs may use a contractor to complete the work.

Thank you for helping keep yourself and others safe by making sure our fire doors remain functional and effective.

Convo

Next page