Fire Door Safety week 14th-20th September 2015
Pledge your support to improve fire door safety
For those that don’t know already, it is Fire Door Safety Week next week. An event which addresses some really important fire safety issues that most people wouldn’t even know existed, that’s why JB Kind feel it is essential to support.
The purpose of Fire Door Safety Week, which runs between 14-20 September, is to raise awareness of the importance of fire doors as a key element in protecting buildings, and their occupants, from the dangers of fire and to encourage everyone to keep a look out for fire doors that might be putting lives at risk.
We can sometimes take the subject of fire safety in our public places for granted and it’s not until something bad happens that we start to question why? Just think, every public building will require some fire doors and how many times have you seen a fire door propped open to let in air on a hot day or to create more open space. So when you’re next at the leisure centre, theatre, museum or even at work take a good look at the fire doors whilst you’re walking around – they can usually be identified by a blue circular badge stating ‘Fire Door, Keep Shut’.
The initiative uses the persona Theodore Firedoor and his Facebook page www.facebook.com/theodorefiredoor to uncover fire doors that may fail in a fire. Film footage and photographs can be uploaded to highlight poorly fitted and maintained fire doors. You will see examples found in hotels, hospitals and other public places across the UK. We’re helping to spread the word and encourage everyone to keep their eyes open whilst out and about and to take photos or a video of any fire doors that look mis-fitted, damaged or just plain dangerous.
Tips on how to check fire doors are correctly fitted
Listed below are some tips on what to look out for and there is plenty more fire door safety advice on the Fire Door Safety Week website and Twitter feeds.
Five things that you might find which make a fire door unfit for purpose:
- Shut that door: Doors that don’t close properly – they can’t keep the fire out if they don’t shut!
- Mind the gap: Doors that have a gap between them when they close – this won’t stop the passage of smoke.
- Be mindful of maintenance: Fire doors will need maintaining to ensure that they stay safe and up to scratch – look out for excessive wear and tear.
- Strange sounds: If the fire doors are making odd noises when they open and close, this may well be a sign that they are not fitted properly and won’t protect you if the worst happens.
- Suspect hinges and screws: If you’ve got an eye for detail then you might spot poorly fitted hinges or even screws that are missing. Although small, they’re a vital component for a fire door.
For more information on how to fit a fire door correctly, watch this helpful video Top tips for installing a fire door
No-one can afford to cut corners with fire doors. To find out more log on to www.firedoorsafteyweek.co.uk and you’ll find lots of information, events to attend and a downloadable toolkit, if you want to get involved. You can also follow @FDSafetyWeek and use #firedoorsafetyweek.
Fire Door Safety Week’s primary focus is on organisations that have commercial buildings. However, it’s just as vital for individuals to be protected properly in their homes. Generally we don’t think about the possibility of installing fire doors in our houses but it’s really worth considering – there’s no reason you wouldn’t want to protect your family from fire. Why not read our blog from last year which helps to answer some of the most common questions related to Do I need fire doors in my home?