Fire Door Safety Week
The British Woodworking Federation’s Fire Door Safety Week aims to raise the awareness of the critical role that fire doors play in saving lives and protecting property in the unfortunate event of a fire.
Everyone plays their part in ensuring a fire door performs as it should in the tragic event of a fire, from the manufacturer through to the building users, and knowing what to look out for and what to do if you spot a problem might just save a life.
Fire Door Safety Week 2024 - A False Sense of Safety
A survey of 2,000 adults found that despite an 18% increase in fires across NHS trusts—averaging nearly four fires daily—52% of people still consider hospitals the safest due to their fire prevention measures.
The survey, conducted as part of this year’s British Woodworking Federation’s Fire Door Safety Week campaign, which runs from 23rd – 27th September, focuses on the theme ‘A False Sense of Safety’. The campaign aims to bridge the gap between perceived safety and actual fire risk, encouraging the public to engage in fire safety awareness and report any fire door issues, regardless of location or the assumption that fire safety is someone else’s responsibility.
Recognise it, Report it
Research conducted in 2023 by the British Woodworking Federation as part of their Fire Door Safety Week campaign ‘Recognise it, Report it’, found that over half (57%) of the UK public couldn’t spot a problem with a fire door, leading to a failure to report issues.
The survey of 2,000 UK adults found that while awareness over factors that might prevent a fire door performing properly in the event of a fire is high, the majority of people couldn’t identify a faulty fire door.
Would you know how to spot a faulty fire door and who to report it to?
Would you report a problem with a fire door?
Research conducted in 2022 found that a third of the British public would not report a problem with a fire door.
And despite three quarters correctly believing that propping a fire door open stops it performing its role in the event of a fire, almost half wouldn’t take action over a propped open fire door as they wouldn’t know who to report it to.
Our handy video explains what you should be looking out for when it comes to a fire door – would you know if it will perform properly and save your possessions or your life in the event of a fire?
Looking for advice?
The issues around fire door safety don’t just exist in high rise, high risk buildings. They are prevalent in pretty much any sector and building type that you think of, from care homes and hospitals to schools and specialist housing. The advice section aims to cover all applications.
The Fire Door Safety Week Toolkit
The Toolkit is a collection of resources to help check for faulty doors and poor installation, including the 5 Step Fire Door Check. Plus, there are a wealth of resources to help you get involved with the campaign – from poster downloads to sharing our short campaign films.
5 things to check for fire door safety
1. Certification
2. Apertures
3. Gaps and Seals
4. Closers
