Fire door safety in the spotlight
25/09/2023
Keeping you safe in your home is our number one priority and this week we’re putting the spotlight on the vital role that fire doors play in keeping you and your neighbours safe.
Steve Mather, FCHO’s Director of Assets and Sustainability said: “Fire doors play a vital role in preventing the spread of fire and smoke around a building and all our homes have fires doors fitted where required. To perform as they should, i.e. to resist smoke and fire for a specified time, they must be to the correct standard and be properly installed and maintained.
“As part of our work to continually improve our customers’ homes and provide high quality, safe places to live, in 2021/22 we invested £1.5m in 1,274 brand new communal fire doors in our blocks of flats with three or more storeys.
"Additionally we are completing works to our customers’ homes to improve fire detection as part of our £12m Fire Safety Investment Programme.”
Steve added: “Our team, and third-party fire consultants, also inspect fire doors as part of our regular checks to keep you and your families’ safe in your home. If you’re contacted by us or our contractors to arrange an inspection, please allow us access to your home – it will help us identify any issues that we need to address.”
Throughout Fire Door Safety Week we’ll be sharing advice, tips and information about fire doors on Facebook and Twitter – join in the conversation.
Fire doors Frequently Asked Questions
What does a fire door do?
A fire door ensures that should a fire break out, it can be contained in a “compartment”. This keeps the fire and smoke trapped for a defined period, allowing time for people to follow the correct fire procedures for their building, which could be to evacuate or to stay put, and can help make the fire easier to tackle.
A fire door will be not work effectively if it’s damaged or propped open.
Where are fire doors installed?
In a block of flats fire doors are installed on stairwells and in corridors, and all flat front doors. You will also find fire doors in places where there is a risk of fire, such as bin storage or mains electricity service cupboard. You may also find fire doors inside some flats.
How to identify a fire door
Fire doors in communal and public areas will have a sign on to say it’s a fire door. Flat-front doors and doors inside the flat do not have to have fire door signs on them but you should be informed if they are.
What are the QR codes on fire doors in my building?
The QR codes are unique to each fire door and they allow our specialist teams to record information about the condition of the fire door. You can scan the QR code to see when the fire door was last inspected and also get the door number. If you spot an issue with the door, it’s helpful to share the door number with our team when you report the problem and so we can fix it quickly.
Spot an issue with a fire safety door in your building?
Please report it to us – you could save a life. Get in touch with our Contact Centre on 0161 393 7117 or email servicecentre@fcho.co.uk.
Who inspects and maintains fire doors in your building?
We are legally responsible for inspecting and maintaining fire doors in all our blocks of flats.