FIRE DOOR SAFETY WEEK

Fire Door Safety Week is a national campaign managed by the British Woodworking Federation. Many people believe that a fire door can be installed simply like any other door. However, this is not the case. Fire doors are an engineered safety device designed to protect individuals visiting a property. They are essential to building safety, but remain a common area of concern with a lack of knowledge and awareness, often undermining safe specification, installation and maintenance, ultimately putting lives at risk. Fire Door Safety Week is an event that intends to raise awareness of the importance of fire doors.

In a 2014 survey, 45% of people responsible for fire safety in their organisation said that they would not know how to spot a faulty fire door. Only 47% of people surveyed knew that their workplace employed carried out regular fire risk assessments. Many of these people said that they would not know the steps they should follow if their fire alarm was to sound. 28% of all people interviewed did not know that it is illegal to prop a fire door open with anything other than a specially designed device approved by the fire authority. These statistics are highly alarming, since fire doors are one of the most, if not the most important part, of ensuring the safety of your property and the people inside. On average, there are 162 building fires in Great Britain daily, with over 200 deaths on average every year because of fires. However, people do not recognise the importance of fire door safety.

Altogether, we advise everyone including building users, property owners, managers and those responsible for fire safety in their organisation take part in Fire Door Safety week. Gaining a better understanding of the importance of fire doors could mean that you can act in a more knowledgeable manner if you ever experience a fire in your building. This could subsequently prevent a dangerous situation for anyone visiting your building. To find out more about Fire Door Safety Week, visit www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk.