Do you have occupants who have changed their front door?

The front door to a flat in a block of flats with access off an enclosed communal  area is a vital component of fire safety within the design of the building.

The importance of maintaining the fire resistance of front doors to protect the occupants of the building cannot be stressed highly enough. All too often we see that owners and occupiers have replaced their front doors with something that they feel keeps them warmer or improves the appearance of their flat, at the same time little, if any, regard is given to the impact upon fire safety.

The objective of the front door is to protect the occupants of the flat from a fire in the common areas or beyond, or to protect the escape route from any fire situation from within the flats (the most likely place for a fire to start).

This footage courtesy of Dorset Fire & Rescue Service clearly shows the difference between a fire rated door and a uPVC door. It takes just 10 minutes for serious deformation of the door to occur and 12 minutes for complete failure to occur.

If you have flats within your blocks with a uPVC or non-standard doors installed this could have a serious impact on the occupants and others and may well represent a breach of legislation and building codes of practice.

For independent advice and impartial fire risk assessment contact us on 0203 478 7347.