Fire Door Installation, Accreditation, and Ongoing Checks

[Guest Alan Row]

We are an owner-occupier Residents' Management Company (RMC) of a four-flat Victorian townhouse built in 1895 and converted in the 1960s into Basement, Ground, First & Second floor flats.  A recent Health, Safety, and Fire Risk Assessment failed the Ground, First & Second-floor flat entrance doors two of which have fanlights, one glazed and the other an opaque sheet material, and the following was sent out by the RMC. 

 

RE: FIRE SAFETY IN YOUR RESIDENCE — YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

Under current legislation, the RMC are responsible for fire-safety within the communal areas of the building. As a tenant however, you are responsible for managing fire safety within your residence. This means that in line with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, we collectively have a duty to ensure the fire safety of the building, and we must therefore co-operate and communicate with each other accordingly.

As part of this duty we would like to draw your attention to the following:-

• If you are aware of any previous alterations within your residence, or if you have planned any that may affect the fire integrity of the building (e.g.compartmentation breached by pipework or electrical trunking) please inform us immediately

• Ensure that the main entry door to your residence meets the requirements of BS EN 1634-1:2014/BS 8214:2016, and is half-hour fire rated, and is fitted with a self-closing device and intumescent strips & cold smoke seals.

• Ensure that you are aware of the emergency plan guidance for the property. For further useful advice on how to prevent fire in your residence please contact your local fire authority for the leaflet ‘Fire Safety in The Home’.

It is in everybody’s interest to do all we can to reduce the risks to health, possible loss of life, and property damage posed by fire. With your continued cooperation and general fire awareness, we can keep any potential risk as low as possible.

 

A Certified Fire Door Installer a carpenter with over 'two decades of experience' has provided quotations of £950 that is less than 50% of competing quotations from other Accredited installers. 

 

The invitation to carry out the work was thus: 

Good evening xxxxxx.

I am a sole trader and quite busy .

I will provide a FD30s firedoor with a smoke seal.

Two fire rated sash locks, wrapped in intumescent 

Fire rated hinges 

Intumescent hinge pads behind the hinges on the door and frame 

Self closing overhead door closer 

Hardwood threshold 

Door painted white both sides this can be changed to a colour of your own choice 

A record of installation will be issued for your managing agents complaint to the new laws and regulations .when I receive the final payment. 

Please find attached your quote 

 

Initially, the RMC had assumed that all such fire safety work would automatically have to be inspected by an independent 3rd party but further reading reveals this is not the case.  The subject of Fire Door Installation, Accreditation, and Ongoing Checks the closer you get to its application looks like a potential dog's breakfast. And suggests a potential for future failure at the next periodic Fire Safety check if we are not careful. How could the RMC best address this given what appears an area of some risk to the unwary?   

[Neil Ashdown MAFDI]

If you engage a sufficiently competent fire door inspector/consultant beforehand they will be able to inspect the existing flat entrance door and issue a report on its current compliance status including a list of defects and recommended remedial actions. You can then engage your carpenter to carry out the works or supply and fit a new door on the understanding that payment will be released after sign-off by the competent inspector/consultant.

A list of fire door inspectors can be found at https://afdi.org.uk/category/find-a-fire-door-inspector/ 

[Guest Alan Rowe]

Thank you for the advice and lead