Fire Doors Save Lives

Fire protection should be a priority for any homeowner or business. The sheer amount of damage that can be caused when a fire breaks out, and the speed that the flames and smoke travel can kill within minutes. As well as having a smoke detector installed and fire escape routes planned, fire doors are an absolute essential to save lives and property.

When fire doors are installed they can limit the spread of fire and smoke around a building. In the worst case scenario, when a fire has actually broken out, a fire door will help to contain the smoke and fire damage to one room, rather than have it destroy the entire building. The destruction caused by fire is almost unparalleled, so incorporating fire doors as a preventative and risk-limiting measure as part of your safety plan is vital.

In a 12 month period between 2011 and 2012, a total of 272,000 fires were attended by the fire service in the UK, 44,000 of which were in dwellings. And much as it is important to protect property, equipment and documents, these can nearly always be replaced. It is far more important to keep people’s personal safety in mind, and installing fire doors to save lives should be the primary concern. There were 380 fire-related deaths during that same period of time in 2011 – 2012, over half of whom died as a result of being overcome by gas, smoke or toxic fumes.

This is why it is particularly important for fire doors to have seals which prevent the spread of smoke and fumes, as well as resist the progress of the fire itself. They can make a real difference to the chances of survival of the people inside a building because they offer individuals a much longer period of time to safely make their escape before they are overcome by fumes or trapped by fire.

To fulfil the legal requirements for fire doors, the installation must be sufficient to withstand the effects of a fire for an absolute minimum of 30 minutes. Options which can contain fires for longer periods of time are also available.

It is also important to make sure that members off staff, or residents in a home, are made aware of the steps that must be taken to ensure that fire doors work correctly. If safety doors are installed but are held open with door stops, or if equipment prevents them from closing properly, then they are rendered pointless. Fire doors should be clearly labelled and kept free from obstacles which could interfere with their operation. They should only ever be bought from reputable suppliers and fitted by experts who understand how they work. Once fitted, they should never be tampered with by non-experts because this can make them less effective and seriously limit the protection they are supposed to offer.

While planning for the possibility of fire is not a task that many people would relish, it is so important for somebody to take responsibility for this. Using fire doors which meet safety standards, providing training on their use, and having smoke alarms fitted and exit routes pre-arranged can all make the difference between life and death. A fire, and its smoke and fumes, can start and spread in a matter of minutes, and everybody knows that if they play with fire, they will almost certainly get burned.