Tell me about fire doors

[JohnD]

1) what's the purpose of a fire door?

2) does it fulfil that purpose if it's open?

You know the answers as well as I do.

 

[Sunshine12]

I know the answer. What I’m saying is not everyone closes every door every night & every time they go out. Especially kids/teenagers. I wouldn’t close my bedroom door because I wouldn’t hear the baby cry. Plus it gets so hot.

My opinion is there should be additional smoke alarms.

The requirement for self closers has been removed because people used to wedge the doors open so how likely is it they are going to close every door every day & night?

 

[^woody^]

I see Woody. So it’s actually down to the individual BCO whether he thinks it meet the regulations? So what are the actual regulations?

Yes just like the mundane things such as a damp course, its the BCO's job to inspect and interpret the requirements.

The actual regulations will say something like "the occupants building must be safe from fire and have early warning of a fire", so they wont be much help to you. People have then interpreted what can meet this (say referring to various standards or tests) and they have gone into the Approved Document, and other people will have done something different but demonstrated that their way met the requirement.

 

[^woody^]

I know the answer. What I’m saying is not everyone closes every door every night & every time they go out. Especially kids/teenagers. I wouldn’t close my bedroom door because I wouldn’t hear the baby cry. Plus it gets so hot.

My opinion is there should be additional smoke alarms.

If you fit a whole house sprinkler or mist system and detectors, then you can take all the doors off. Its about dealing with the fire in various ways, not one way - risk based not rigid.

 

[Sunshine12]

WISH I had put smoke detectors everywhere before all plastered!!!

 

[Sunshine12]

Well I’m going to keep the existing frames, hang fire doors with both intumescent strips and smoke seals. And FR hinges. And of course keep the mains linked detectors on landing hall & kitchen.

I hope that will be enough to satisfy BC.

I’m not going to change the frames to 25mm stops.

 

[Sunshine12]

Woody I agree, maybe it’s just my particular BCO. But i feel that telling me to ‘add fire doors’ isn’t enough.

BC should be advsing people to add alarms, sprinklers & doors. Or at least explaining the options rather than just the FD30 requirement cited on the plans

 

[^woody^]

Woody I agree, maybe it’s just my particular BCO. But i feel that telling me to ‘add fire doors’ isn’t enough.

BC should be advsing people to add alarms, sprinklers & doors. Or at least explaining the options rather than just the FD30 requirement cited on the plans

No, building control are not a design service, they should be just checking whatever design you submit or whatever work is carried out on site.

You should be instructing suitable professionals to design your conversion and advise you how to achieve compliance, and no one should be relying on the building control officer doing their design for them - else as you have found out you just get one recommendation, and no alternatives.