Fire door specifications for your home

Homeowners are beginning to take fire safety a great deal more seriously. Increasingly, people are realising that it makes sense to apply the same risk management principles where you l, as you would find in modern workplaces.

This means making sure that you have well fitted domestic fire doors. A fireproof interior door, for example, is specially constructed to make it harder for flames, fumes and smoke to spread around your property. You also need to be sure that firefighters can gain swift access to tackle a blaze.

The law on fire doors for homes

There is complex legislation on this topic, that is constantly under review. It particularly aims to manage risks for multi-occupant properties such as flats and apartments.

However, it can vary according to factors such as whether you have a detached or terraced home, as the risk of fire spreading to neighbouring dwellings is different.

This blog aims to provide some of the key points to consider.

How domestic fire doors work

Without the correct specification for an interior door – and door frame – in your home, you have a far greater risk of fire spreading, leading to potential loss of life, a reduced ability to extinguish it and far greater damage.

Correctly installed, your fireproof internal door should completely seal off the flames, fumes and smoke into as small an area as possible. The materials and construction of your domestic fire door, the way it sits in the frame, should allow you at least 30 minutes and potentially up to two hours, to escape from your home.

Places where domestic fire doors are vital

New and renovated properties that are three or more storeys high (including loft conversions) should have doors that can withstand fires for at least 30 minutes – this is known as FD30 fire doors.

If a two-storey building has an attached garage, a fire door should be fitted to separate the garage off. In a shared property, it’s recommended that fire doors of at least FD30 are fitted between separate living spaces and to compartmentalise communal areas.

If you have a room leading to a fire exit stairway, this too should have a fire door fitted. There are also rules on whether properties with multiple residents need self-closing devices fitted to fire doors.

If you would like more help and advice on fitting domestic fire doors in your family home or multi-occupant building, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Enfield Doors

Our team of experts is always on hand to guide you and give you sound and pragmatic advice based on years of experience and successful installations.

If you would like further information on our company please click here, or please contact us and we will respond as quickly as possible. We look forward to helping you.