Fire Door Safety Week commemorates Great Fire of London
Fire Door Safety Week is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet, with cross industry support and a growing army of high profile backers contributing to a range of activities and creative plans that also commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, the event which gave rise to the ‘fire door’.
The award winning campaign, which runs from 26 September – 2 October 2016, aims to raise awareness of the critical role that fire doors play in protecting property and saving lives and to stamp out bad practice.
Run by the British Woodworking Federation and the BWF-Certifire Fire Door Scheme* the campaign focuses on helping those responsible for building specification, installation and maintenance/management of fire doors and highlights the risks that unsatisfactory fire doors present to property and lives.
This year particular focus will be on the high risk areas of Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMO), private rented, council and social housing, sheltered housing and care homes.
Support for the campaign has already been pledged from South Wales, West Midlands and London fire and rescue services, as well as a significant number of companies in the door and hardware industries.
It is also backed by the Government’s Fire Kills campaign, the Fire Sector Federation, the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), Children’s Burns Trust and the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers.
Hannah Mansell, BWF-Certifire scheme manager^ and Fire Door Safety Week spokesperson said:
“From April 2014 to March 2015 there were 28,200 dwelling fires in England alone. Deaths from these fires contributed to nearly two thirds of the total fire fatalities in that time frame. This is why we continue to campaign for changes in legislation and to educate people on the importance of fire doors. A properly installed fire door can save your life.”
Housing landlords need to be fully informed of their responsibilities under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and to understand the correct specification, supply, installation, operation, inspection and maintenance of fire doors. Building owners, facilities and estates managers have a legal duty to appoint a ‘responsible person’, who is accountable for the fire safety in the building that they own or manage, to ensure that the fire doors installed comply with current legislation.
Research by The Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) found that more than £450,000 in fines was issued to the landlords and managers of HMOs during 2015, as well as a number of custodial and suspended sentences.
Hannah Mansell continues:
“Last year was a resounding success for Fire Door Safety Week with 129 organisations pledging support and many running events. This year we want to build on that momentum by encouraging even more fire services, local councils and stakeholders to get involved and help us to spread the fire door safety message.”
A number of supporters have already begun arranging events to take place during Fire Door Safety Week, including Arnold Laver, Gerda, Vetrotech, ASFP, PFPF and Lorient UK. London Fire Brigade is also working with BWF-Certifire to deliver a fire door safety conference to its fire safety teams across London on 29 September 2016.
* BWF-Certifire evolved into BWF Fire Door Alliance in 2017.
^Peter Clifton took over from Hannah as BWF Fire Door Alliance Scheme Manager in 2019