Fire Prevention and Control Measures

Approved Document B, Fire Safety: Appendix B Fire Doors: Table B1: Provisions for Fire Doors:

6. Affording access to an external

escape route - FD 30

Fire Safety Legislation and in particular the Fire Precautions Act 1971 and Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 (as amended), do not deal specifically with the requirements for fire doors. They are concerned generically with safe means of escape in the event of fire via emergency routes and exits. The legislation is supported by Codes of Practice and there is further guidance to be found in the Building Regulations 2000 and Approved Document B.

What is required in any given instance depends on an assessment of the risks to occupants should a fire occur.

It is necessary to consider both escape route doors and final exits.

Escape route doors:

Doors on escape routes will need to be fire doors if they are protecting an escape route.

· All fire doors are to be fitted with an automatic self-closing device but they are not required for fire doors to cupboards and service ducts, which are normally locked.

Final exits:

Final exits are to be not less in width than the escape routes they serve, and comply with the following:

· Be sited to allow rapid dispersal of people from the building;

· Have direct access to a street, passageway walkway or open space;

· Final exits are to be clearly marked, particularly when the exit from a stair that continues down, or up, from the point of final exit;

· Are to be clear of any risk of fire or smoke in a basement;

· Are to be clear of openings to such things as transformer chambers, refuse chambers, boiler rooms and similar hazards.

As final exit doors will lead to a place of safety and lead from a protected stairway etc, there is no requirement that they should be fire doors as there is no requirement that they provide fire resistance. Such doors would not need to be fitted with self-closing devices. If the fire risk assessment determines that the final exit door does require fire resistance properties then it ought to be fitted with a self-closing device, however this would be unusual.

Kevin Bridges Dip2.OSH, MIOSH

Associate

Regulatory Unit, Litigation

Osborne Clarke

2 Temple Back East, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6EG

DX 7818 Bristol

direct dial: 0117 917 4044

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e-mail: mailto:kevin.bridges@osborneclarke.com

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or http://www.osborneclarke.com/whatwedo/hns.asp for the regulatory unit

Regulated by the Financial Services Authority for investment business

Bill, in short I would say no, closers are not required on final exit doors. As once you have left the building the assembly point should be far enough away as there is no risk this is why external doors are not usually fire rated.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

Legislation doesn't mention door closers.

From the building regulations

http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2000/20002531.htm#sch1

External fire spread

B4. -

(1) The external walls of the building shall adequately resist the spread of fire over the walls and from one building to another, having regard to the height, use and position of the building.

L1. Reasonable provision shall be made for the conservation of fuel and power in buildings by: -

(a) limiting the heat loss through the fabric of the building;

It is open to interpretation by the local authorities in their enforcement. Obviously the spread of smoke and fire through an open internal door is a severe risk, but if there is no risk of fire spreading from one building to another i.e it is seperated by a suitable gap then the same requirements for door closers wouldn't apply.

But does legislation demand door closers on external doors?

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

As you say internal doors have closers to prevent spread of smoke and flame. The main risk of having an external door without a closer is that it might fan a fire and cause smoke to spread more rapidly in other parts of the building.

Other risks are that the smoke could be sufficiently contained outside the exit to cause a problem to those who have escaped (if you have poor safe areas) or that fire may spread to flammable materials outside the building.

Another consideration is that open external doors have a big affect on building efficiency and security. You might want to fit closers just to keep the internal environment at the desired temperature and allow locking mechanisms to engage.

sturner at lasius dot com

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

I appreciate that all internal fire escape doors should have door closers fitted to prevent the spread of smoke and flames.

What about final escape (external) doors. Do these need door closers to be fitted under current legislation?