Fire doors - external assessment

[Newkid]

Hi all, 

is there anyway you can tell a flat front door meets FD30S regs from an external assessment only? How confident would you be in your assessment? 

[Neil Ashdown MAFDI]

Contact a suitably experienced and competent fire door inspector. They would be sufficiently confident in their decisions and be able to support their decisions with evidence or, in the case of a nominal or notional door, with valid reasoning.

[Newkid]

Thank you but if someone is carrying out an FRA, are there any specific giveaways that tell us it is a fire door such as minimal gaps between the door and the frame, the door being solid when knocked on etc 

[Mike North]

If the door has not been altered in any way, has a label from an accredited scheme, and has gaps of 2 – 4 mm all around then it is probably a fire door, but there is no guarantee that the installation is correct

[Newkid]

Do you measure the gaps around the whole of the door i.e. sides and top and bottom? 

[AnthonyB]

On 24/09/2024 at 11:58, Newkid said:

Thank you but if someone is carrying out an FRA, are there any specific giveaways that tell us it is a fire door such as minimal gaps between the door and the frame, the door being solid when knocked on etc 

Well hopefully the FRA training or ongoing CPD/additional training should have touched on this, but the government small flat block guide gives some handy non sales generating tips to looking at fire doors, with the larger blocks guide stating where and when different ages and types of doors can be accepted.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-your-small-block-of-flats-safe-from-fire

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-in-purpose-built-blocks-of-flats