Landlords and FMs must create culture of fire safety reporting

Bureau Veritas is urging landlords and facilities managers – particularly those responsible for large multi-occupancy buildings – to create a culture of fire door safety education and reporting to ensure utmost security for tenants.

The call for action by the fire and life safety expert follows new research released this week by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF), as part of its annual Fire Door Safety Week, which found that a third (32 per cent) of the British public would not report a problem with a fire door, potentially putting hundreds of lives a year at risk.

Despite three quarters of people (75 per cent) correctly believing that propping a fire door open stops it performing its role in the event of a fire, 44 per cent wouldn’t take action as they are unsure who to report it to while almost half (49 per cent) do not feel it’s their place or role to do so.

Worryingly, half (49 per cent) of respondents said having a better understanding over what fire doors do and how they work would encourage them to take action.

The BWF states the ‘Close the Door on Fire’ research findings show there is a “clear lack of accountability” over reporting fire door issues and that lives are needlessly being put at risk as a result. Shockingly, 44 per cent didn’t know what constitutes a safe fire door, believing either: a fire door is a normal door covered in fire-resistant paint (13 per cent), a fire door is a normal door but with ‘fire door’ signage (13 per cent), or that any timber door was a fire door (seven per cent).

With fire doors most commonly appearing in residential buildings of multiple occupancy, such as an apartment complex or in commercial office spaces, Bureau Veritas says landlords and facilities managers must prioritise a culture of education and open discussion on the topic of fire safety, for the protection of the building and its occupants.

John O’Sullivan, Fire Safety Technical Director at Bureau Veritas, commented: “Whilst awareness of fire risk in multi-storey buildings has really come to the fore in recent years, following the Grenfell Tower fire and subsequent Hackitt Review, it is clear from the research that too many members of the British public are still unclear of the proper use of a fire door, and the vital importance of reporting any defects.

“Each year, Fire Door Safety Week serves as a timely reminder to landlords, local authorities and facilities managers of the importance of these critical exit routes in the safe evacuation of a building. This year, the focus has turned more towards the responsibilities of tenants in understanding and reporting fire safety hazards, however the onus cannot solely be put upon them.”

Properly fitted and maintained fire doors are critical to the safe evacuation of a building in the event of fire, forming part of the compartmentation of the building and helping to retain the fire in its area of origin. Poorly fitted, damaged or open fire doors allow smoke and heat into the escape routes within the building, which makes it much more difficult to evacuate and puts lives needlessly at risk. It is of the utmost importance that that each building has an asset register of fire doors to ensure it meets compliance requirements which now forms part of the fire risk assessment process.

Fire door checks form part of a building’s Fire Risk Assessment and includes a checklist of 42 items to check on each door, including hinges, damage to the frame or door, checks for gaps and the door’s original certification label. If the door and its unit are found to have defects, they will need to be repaired or replaced as well as being recertified.