Fire Door Safety Week

September 4, 2023

One of the UK’s well-known manufacturers of staircases and doors, Stairways Midlands, is backing the British Woodworking Federation’s Fire Door Safety Week from Monday 25th September until Friday 29th September.

The annual safety week intends to raise awareness of the critical role that fire doors play in saving lives and protecting property in the event of a fire. Stairways, a longstanding member of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) and a BWF Fire Door Alliance Licensed Door Processor Member, is a strong supporter if the week, and will be sharing the BWF’s safety messages across its social media platforms, as well as offering insights from some of its industry experts.

Richard Kowalski, Technical Manager – Door Divisions, Stairways Midlands, said:

“We are proud to be members of the British Woodworking Federation, and pleased to be able to support them in this annual Fire Door Safety week, which shares vital safety messages which can help save lives.”

Added Richard Kowalski:

“Being in this business we know all about fire door specifications and certifications, and we even offer training around installation, because we know this is a common area for errors to creep in which undermine the efficacy of a fire door – but we can’t see what happens to our doors they’re in use. Sadly, we know that a perfect sound fire door can still be undermined in its crucial role, by being propped open for example, or poorly maintained.

“This year’s campaign is a reminder that everyone can play a part in ensuring a fire door performs as it should if there’s a fire. As well as renewing the important messages about ensuring fire doors are properly tested and certified and fitted correctly, this is about what happens next.

“People living and working in buildings where they are relying on those fire doors need to know what to look out for and alert the right people when they spot a problem. If we can educate and empower them, we can help avoid more fire tragedies.”

Research conducted in 2022 by the British Woodworking Federation as part their Fire Door Safety Week campaign ‘Close the Door on Fire’, found that over 30% of those asked believed that a fire door that was propped open with a wedge or a fire extinguisher was safe.

Not only was a propped open fire door incorrectly deemed as safe, but 15% believed that keeping a fire door closed stops it performing, highlighting a lack of understanding around the role fire doors play in the event of a fire.

The Research conducted in 2022 also found that a third of the British public would not report a problem with a fire door. And despite three quarters correctly believing that propping a fire door open stops it performing its role in the event of a fire, almost half wouldn’t take action over a propped open fire door as they wouldn’t know who to report it to.

The issues around fire door safety don’t just exist in high rise, high risk buildings. They are prevalent in pretty much any sector and building type that you think of, from care homes and hospitals to schools and specialist housing. The advice section aims to cover all applications.

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