Fire Door Inspection Checklist: What to Look for and Why
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Fire doors play a crucial role in the safety of any building during a fire emergency. They form a core part of your passive fire protection system. Specifically, they help to prevent the spread of flames and smoke, allowing people to evacuate safely.
By compartmentalising the building, fire doors slow down or prevent the spread of smoke and fire. This structural barrier reduces overall damage to the property. Consequently, it buys vital time for the Fire and Rescue Service to arrive.
Regular fire door inspection is essential to ensure fire doors function properly and provide the necessary protection. As per the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the person in charge of a building must take reasonable steps to protect life. This legal duty includes maintaining fire doors and undertaking regular fire door inspections. Learn about this and more in our comprehensive fire door inspection guide.
Properly functioning fire doors can make a significant contribution to the fire protection of a building, and they can save lives. While it is always recommended to have a professional inspect fire doors, regular checks can also be done by building occupants.
To assist with this, this fire door inspection checklist has been created to help you ensure your fire doors remain in good working order and ready to protect in case of an emergency.
Signage and Labels
Signage plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of individuals during a crisis situation. Fire door signage, in particular, is a strict legal obligation. It is also a highly useful safety feature. It is important to ensure that fire door signage is in the correct place, and you must verify it has not been tampered with.
Emergency exit signs are also essential in directing people to the nearest escape route, and they highlight emergency exit doors. When it comes to fire safety, all fire doors should have a sign indicating their purpose. Certain doors require special labels attached directly to them.
These specific doors may be directly connected to an automatic fire alarm system, or they may protect central building services. The label serves as a constant reminder that these doors are specifically designed to prevent the spread of fire and smoke. Consequently, users should never prop them open or obstruct them in any way.
Signage also acts as a visual reminder to keep fire doors closed or locked. It reminds users to keep items away from them, and it emphasises the importance of these vital barriers. You must install correct signage on both sides of the door. By raising awareness of fire doors and emergency exits through clear signage, individuals can be better prepared to navigate a crisis situation safely.
Check for Proper Certification and Labelling
To begin a fire door inspection, check the certification and labelling first. Look for a label on the top or hinge side of the door leaf. This label indicates a recognised agency has tested and certified the assembly.
The label should also show the door’s fire rating. This rating indicates how long it can withstand exposure to fire and heat. Without proper certification and labelling, the door may not provide adequate protection in the event of a fire.
Fire doors receive an FD rating based on how long they can successfully withstand fire. For example, an FD30 fire door can offer 30 minutes of protection. In contrast, an FD60 fire door can offer 60 minutes of protection.
The standard FD rating is assigned after the door assembly undergoes rigorous stress testing. These tests follow the clear conditions specified in British Standards 476 part 22:1987. The most common integrity ratings include:
- FD30: 30 minutes of protection
- FD60: 60 minutes of protection
- FD90: 90 minutes of protection
- FD120: 120 minutes of protection
Inspect the Door and Frame
When conducting a fire door inspection, it is crucial to thoroughly examine both the door leaf and the frame. Look for any indications of damage or wear, such as warping or swelling. Frame damage or warping can occur over extended periods of time, so you should check it regularly. Additionally, ensure that the fire door frame is firmly attached to the wall and free from any damage.
Inspect the door structurally for cracks, holes, or dents. Check for isolated damage to the frame or hinges as well. Any damage to the door or frame can compromise its ability to provide protection in the event of a fire. Consequently, it is essential to address any issues as soon as possible.
Verify that all seals are correctly installed and intact according to the manufacturer’s instructions. These intumescent seals should show no signs of wear and tear. They must be securely attached to the groove that runs along the door frame, and they must run continuously around the entire door-set.
The only structural exception occurs where the hinges are fitted. In this case, specialized intumescent strips should be installed directly behind the hinge plate.
Intumescent Seals
Intumescent strips are an essential component of fire doors. They actively prevent the spread of smoke and fire from one side of the door to the other. These strips rapidly expand when exposed to heat, creating an airtight seal that helps to contain the fire.
For maximum effectiveness, the strips should be continuous around the door frame, and they must be securely attached to the groove. It’s important to ensure that the strips remain in good condition and are not worn or damaged. Damaged strips can compromise the assembly’s ability to slow the spread of fire and smoke.
While it’s legally acceptable for intumescent strips to have up to 5 layers of paint over them, it’s best to avoid painting over them whenever possible. This practice maintains their peak expansion capabilities.
In the UK, this rule does not originate directly from standard primary legislation like an Act of Parliament. Instead, it is anchored in the formal British Standards and Codes of Practice, which carry strict legal and compliance weight under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Specifically, the maximum of five coats rule is defined in BS 8214: Code of practice for timber-based fire door assemblies.
What the British Standard Actually States
To begin, BS 8214 explicitly outlines the strict guidelines regarding overpainting passive fire protection components:
- Fire-Only Intumescent Strips: The standard notes that you can apply a maximum of five coats of conventional oil-bound paint or varnish to a standard, fire-only intumescent strip without significantly damaging its ability to expand when exposed to heat.
- The Thickness Limit: Industry guidance derived from these tests specifies that the total cumulative paint film thickness must not exceed 0.5mm.
- The Absolute Exception for Smoke Seals: Under the exact same standard, you must never paint over a cold smoke seal, such as a brush, fin, or plastic flipper. Painting over a smoke seal hardens the material, rendering it entirely useless at blocking toxic gases during the initial stages of a fire.
How This Applies to You Legally
If a fire risk assessor or inspector flags painted-over strips on your premises, they are assessing them against BS 8214 compliance.
Consequently, if a building’s fire doors have undergone multiple redecorations over the years, the paint film thickness will eventually breach this five-layer barrier. When this threshold is crossed, the paint creates a solid, hard shell that prevents the intumescent material from swelling to seal the frame gap. Under the law, this constitutes a failure by the designated Responsible Person to properly maintain passive fire safety measures.
Ensure the Door Closes and Latches Properly
During a fire door inspection, it is crucial to check that the door is able to close tightly and latch securely on its own. A properly closed door should fit snugly against the frame without any gaps or spaces that could allow smoke or fire to pass through.
The latch should also engage fully and hold the door firmly in place. If the latch is loose or does not engage properly, the door will not prevent the spread of fire and smoke effectively, putting occupants at risk.
The “Big Swing” and “Little Swing” Test
To ensure the overhead door closer functions reliably, you must test its mechanism from different distances. A door closer must overcome the friction of the door latch from any position. Consequently, you should perform two distinct physical checks:
- The Big Swing Test: Open the fire door fully to an angle of roughly 90 degrees and release it. The door closer should pull the door closed smoothly and latch it firmly into the frame.
- The Little Swing Test: Open the door slightly to a distance of approximately 15cm, which is around 6 inches, and release it. The door closer must still exert enough force from this narrow angle to shut the door completely and snap the latch securely home.
If the door fails to latch during either check, the overhead closer requires immediate mechanical adjustment or replacement.
Clearances and Gaps
To ensure the safety of occupants in case of a fire, it is crucial to inspect fire doors for any excessive gaps or spaces between the door leaf and the frame. These gaps can allow toxic smoke and fire to spread, putting lives at risk.
A standard gap gauge should be used to measure the clearance around the entire perimeter of the door, including the top, sides, and bottom:
- Top and Sides: Ideally, the gaps around the top and sides of the door should be less than 4mm: specifically 3mm plus or minus 1mm.
- Bottom Clearance: The gap at the baseline bottom must be less than 10mm: specifically 8mm plus or minus 1mm.
It is also important to check for any gaps or spaces around the door hardware, such as the lockset or hinges, as these can also compromise the door’s effectiveness.
If excessive gaps are found, intumescent strips, such as 1mm thick graphite coloured strips, can be installed to safely narrow the gap. It is important to note that adding wood to the door edges is not acceptable. However, adding certified intumescent strips is a compliant solution.
Hardware and Accessories
In addition to checking for gaps and spaces, it’s important to verify that all of the door’s hardware and accessories are in perfect working order. This includes the lockset, latches, hinges, and any other mechanical components necessary for the door to function properly.
Make sure that the door closes and latches securely. Check that the hinges are properly attached, ensure they are not loose, and verify they operate entirely as intended. Pay careful attention to any wear and tear. Look specifically for any metal fragments, dark grey dust, or worn hardware, as this must be replaced immediately.
Check that any automatic closing devices, such as door closers or spring hinges, are functioning correctly, and ensure they close the door completely from any position. If any hardware or accessories are damaged or not working properly, they should be repaired or replaced immediately to ensure the door’s effectiveness in the event of a fire.
“Hold Open” Devices
“Hold open” devices are designed to hold the door open in normal conditions and automatically release it, allowing it to close firmly in the event of a fire or fire risk. These can be either hard-wired into the building’s main alarm system, or they can be sound-triggered by a local alarm.
It is vital that as part of your regular maintenance, the link to the fire alarm or sound trigger is tested frequently to ensure the door releases reliably. Again, look out for wear and tear, and ensure the unit is securely attached to both the door and frame.
Door Closers
Door closers are an essential requirement on any fire door that must be designated to be keep shut, so it’s vital that these mechanical devices are regularly checked and maintained. Check that the fire door closer carries a valid CE or UKCA mark, ensuring it is securely fixed to both the closer body and the frame. Verify that all the fixings from the door closer body into the door are present and tight.
Hinges and Intumescent Protection
All fire doors should have 3 to 4 hinges fitted, depending entirely on the material of the door. Installers must mount them using all of the originally provided screws. Changing the screws to non-rated alternatives or leaving empty slots would be noted as an inconsistency, and it will be flagged directly on your fire door inspection report.
Hinges take most of the physical wear when it comes to doors, so check closely for metal fragments, oil leakage, and other signs of mechanical fatigue. Fire door hinges should be clearly marked with a CE or UKCA mark, and they must be suitable for the specific FD grade of the door, such as FD30s.
Typically, hinges are installed 200mm from the top and bottom edges of the door, with the middle hinge being fitted equidistantly between them. Note that a 4th hinge is traditionally fitted to a metal fire door: typically 250mm below the centre of the top hinge. Again, intumescent pads must be fitted directly behind the hinges, rather than fitting the metal plates directly onto the raw wood.
Mortice locks and latches must also be fully fitted with wraps of intumescent protection to maintain the integrity of the fire door core.
Some fire doors are in constant daily use. In contrast, others are designated for use only in an emergency. Should the fire doors in your care feature emergency exit devices, these must also be CE or UKCA mark marked to ensure they have the correct accreditation, and they must be tested regularly. Fire doors of any kind should never be secured, chained, or blocked in a way that would stop them from being opened instantly.
Glazing
When it comes to glazing, it’s important to inspect the glass regularly for any signs of physical damage such as chips or cracks. If any damage is found, the panel should be replaced immediately by a specialist. The intumescent seal around the perimeter of the glass and on both sides should be completely continuous, and the glazing beads must be securely fixed and undamaged.
For doors with glazing sections below 1500mm, fire-rated safety glass is an absolute legal necessity. Fire-rated glazing not only helps prevent heat transfer but also compartmentalises fires, making it crucial to ensure it’s in good condition.
Fire-rated glass can successfully withstand temperatures over 900°C, while normal window glass cannot handle anything above 120°C before shattering. Although not as common as standard steel or wooden fire doors, Pilkington Pyrostop® glass fire doors are gaining popularity as a more aesthetically pleasing option for internal doors.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you’ve found this guide useful in helping you to understand how to undertake a basic inspection of a fire door. Responsible Persons and landlords of certain residential and commercial buildings must undertake fire door inspections under a more stringent legislative regime. As a result, we recommend that all Responsible Persons and landlords get used to this increased inspection requirement and bring in professional fire risk assessors as soon as practicable.
If you want to protect your workplace, avoid hefty legal non-compliance penalties, and ensure your team gains the practical skills needed to keep your premises safe, finding the right training path is your next step.
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To help you meet your explicit duties under UK fire safety regulations, choose the training programme that best fits your operational requirements:
- For On-Site Workplace Teams: If you need to qualify your staff as legally compliant workplace wardens, book our classroom-based Fire Warden Training Course. We run regular monthly sessions at our dedicated facility in Cheshire, or we can deliver private training at your premises nationwide.
- For Individual Staff Members: If you need a flexible solution for remote staff or standalone workers needing refresher training, enrol them directly in our accredited Fire Marshal Training Online Programme.
Please get in touch with our team today if you have a specific safety training requirement not listed on our site. We will do everything we can to accommodate your organization’s compliance goals.
