At Isoler, we believe that safety isn’t optional – it’s built in. Fire Door Safety Week gives us an important opportunity to focus attention on one of the most effective, yet often overlooked, fire safety measures: the fire door.
Fire doors are more than just a way to close off a room. They are a vital line of defence in slowing the spread of fire and smoke, protecting escape routes, and ultimately saving lives. But these doors can only perform their role if they are correctly installed, properly maintained, and regularly inspected.
Why Fire Doors Matter
When a fire breaks out, time is critical. A well-fitted and well-maintained fire door can hold back flames and smoke for long enough to keep evacuation routes clear. This delay gives occupants the time they need to escape safely and allows emergency services a chance to respond.
Fire doors also help limit damage to the building itself by containing fire in one area, preventing it from spreading unchecked. In public buildings, housing, care facilities, offices, and schools, fire doors are not just a regulatory requirement – they are a vital part of everyday safety.
Common Issues with Fire Doors
Unfortunately, fire doors are too often compromised by problems that reduce their effectiveness. We frequently come across the following issues:
- Gaps that are too wide between the door and its frame.
- Doors that fail to close properly because the closer is broken or misaligned.
- Damaged or missing intumescent and smoke seals.
- Fire doors being propped open for convenience.
- Lack of regular inspections and maintenance.
Any one of these faults can mean the difference between a fire door that does its job and one that fails when it is needed most.
What You Can Do
Even if you are not a fire safety professional, there are simple checks that building owners, managers, and occupants can carry out:
- Test whether fire doors close firmly onto the latch by themselves.
- Check the gaps around the door. They should generally be no bigger than the thickness of a £1 coin.
- Look at the seals around the edges of the door to ensure they are intact and undamaged.
- Inspect hinges for wear and tear, ensuring they are secure and complete.
- Never wedge open a fire door.
These basic checks are not a substitute for professional inspections, but they do make a difference and can highlight problems before they become critical.
How Isoler Helps
At Isoler, we provide expertise across every stage of fire door safety.
- Installation and Maintenance – ensuring doors are fitted correctly from the start and kept in good working order throughout their life.
- Compliance Inspections – carrying out thorough checks so that building owners and managers can be confident they meet the necessary regulations and standards.
- Training and Consultancy – equipping teams with the knowledge they need to recognise issues and understand their responsibilities.
Fire doors are just one part of a much wider fire safety system, but their role is fundamental. We work with clients across housing, healthcare, education, commercial, and public buildings to make sure this vital line of defence is never overlooked.
Final Thoughts
Fire Door Safety Week serves as a reminder of how important it is to take fire safety seriously. But for us at Isoler, this focus is not confined to a single week of the year. Ensuring that fire doors are correctly installed, maintained, and inspected is part of what we do every day.
We believe that safety is not an optional extra. It has to be built in from the beginning and maintained throughout the life of a building. Fire doors exemplify this principle: they may seem ordinary, but when a fire starts, they are one of the most effective protections we have.
A fire door is not just a door. It is protection, it is time, and it is safety. This Fire Door Safety Week, we encourage everyone to look more closely at the doors around them and to take action if something does not look right. We are here to provide the expertise and support needed to make sure fire doors, and the wider fire safety systems they are part of, are ready to do their job. If you’re in need of some support, please get in touch with our team today.
