Fire Door Guidance

This section contains articles related to fire doors that are written in plain language for the benefit of the layperson.

Fire Doors Explained
Explains the role of fire doors in a building's fire compartmentation strategy and how they are tested, rated, and certified as compliant with building regulations.

Fire Doors & Disability Access
Provides general guidance on fire door access requirements for disabled persons in the built environment that is in accordance with BS 8300 and Part M of the Building Regulations (TGD M).

Fire Door & Fire Exit Signs
Explains the requirements for fire door signage given in B5 of Appendix B of TGD B of the Building Regulations and fire exit signage that complies with I.S. EN ISO 7010.

EN Standards for Building Hardware
Explains the CE Mark for construction products and how to understand the product classification code.

Fire Door Regulations & Standards
Contains an extensive list of the current Irish, British, and European standards and technical guidance documents that are applicable to fire doors.

Fire Door Maintenance, Replacement & Repairs
Explains how fire doors should be maintained in good operational condition.

BS 9999:2017 states that fire doors should be inspected at least every six months:

In particular, it should be ensured that:

Heat-activated seals and smoke seals are undamaged.

Door leaves are not structurally damaged or excessively bowed or deformed.

Gaps between the door leaf and the frame are not so small as to be likely to bind, or so large as to prevent effective fire and smoke-sealing.

Hanging devices, securing devices, self-closing devices and automatic release mechanisms are operating correctly.

Newly occupied buildings may require more frequent checks in the first year of use. Doors where traffic is high are likely to be more susceptible to damage and should be checked more frequently than other doors in the building, e.g. a door dividing a corridor on a busy circulation route will be used more frequently than a door to a service cupboard.