This is a post originally written and shared by Alex Babbage, Senior Commercial Manager at Fireco.

I don’t write blogs. I really like to read them, and I enjoy a lot of the content and learning opportunities that come from reading blogs. Not just fire industry stories, but blogs from different industries, sectors, and hobbies.

But writing one? Never thought that would be me.

At Fireco, we recently started a new venture into fire door services. That includes everything from door inspections, right the way through to installation and third-party accredited remedial works.

You’ll know from your own experiences that whatever line of work you’re in, your eye is always drawn to those types of scenarios in life. I worked at a well-known pizza shop at the age of sixteen and made a judgement on how other companies cut pizza, or how many toppings they have.

I moved into soffits and spent hours walking the street with a craned neck looking at people’s soffits and gutters. You get the idea.

I now live and breathe fire doors. Everywhere I go, I look at doors and assess the compliance, the gaps, the hardware, the state, and the standard. We work in so many highly regulated industries, including education, care, and places of work. These industries are checked, assessed, and visited to make sure that standards are being monitored and best practices (against practicality) are being maintained.

What’s going on?

Recently, I’ve found myself wondering: what’s happened to the hospitality industry?! Particularly hotels.

Is there no method of assessment? No spot checks? No follow-ups on risk assessments taking place?

I stayed at a hotel recently in Lincoln. A country hotel that has been claimed by a VERY well-known international hotel chain. You know the type, plenty of signs around the place to let you know who owns and runs the hotel.

Are these big international companies not doing their due diligence prior to taking on ownership and ultimate responsibility?

During my stay, I was shocked to find corridor doors with gaps big enough to take photos through. The doors have poorly fitted intumescent strips (if at all), most missing or with only half a strip installed, and are usually painted over.

• Were these doors even compliant when they were installed?
• When were they last checked?
• When was a proper assessment done on these doors?
• Has any work been done since they were installed?

I took some photos and retired to my room. As I turned the lights off for bed, a light shone through under my door. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. 

Gaps under the door of 23 mm, gaps around the lock big enough to get my thumb in. Light pouring into a room that should be light-tight, let alone smoke-tight!

The door was never installed correctly. Clearly. No drop seals, nothing to prevent fire from ingressing or breaking out of a bedroom, and it clearly had not been assessed in YEARS.

How can these huge international companies not care about the most basic of elements? How is there no regulation and methods for picking up these faults?!

Of course, fire safety is a bit of a niche; not everyone knows the importance of these items or how to identify if something is wrong. However, every premises is required to have a Responsible Person, and within that role is ensuring the building is safe, even if the checks are completed by someone else.

Are you the Responsible Person in your hotel?

Here are a few things you can look for at a glance to see if your fire doors are compliant:

• Gaps – no less than 2mm, no more than 4mm
• Seals – go the whole way around the door or the frame
• Certification – plugs, stickers, and markings on the door and its hardware
• Glass – original, undamaged, and also with seals
• Closers – self-closes the door all the way into the frame

If just one of these elements is non-compliant, then the whole door could fail at preventing the spread of a fire. 

If you notice anything that doesn’t look right with your door, you can book an inspection with a fire door inspector. They’ll give you a report on the status of your door and you’ll be able to take action to get it fixed if needed. 

Keep your business, your staff, and your guests safe!

If you are worried about your fire doors and would like an inspection, please call Alex Babbage on 01273 320650 or request a fire door inspection