Standards & Regulations
– Compliance with Fire Regulations –
Fire Door Standards and Regulations
Fire doors play a key role in passive fire protection. When correctly installed and maintained, they help slow the spread of fire, smoke and toxic gases, protect escape routes and give occupants more time to leave safely in the event of a fire.
For building owners, landlords, employers, and facilities managers, understanding current fire door regulations is essential. Fire doors must be suitable for the building, fitted correctly, kept in good condition and checked regularly as part of ongoing fire safety management.
What is The Fire Safety Order (Regulatory Reform Fire Safety) Order 2005?
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the biggest single reform of fire safety laws in over 30 years; it simplifies the law for businesses and places a greater focus on prevention.
The law, which came into force on 1st October 2006, consolidates existing fire safety laws which were scattered across more than 70 pieces of legislation. It also places the obligation for fire safety on the employer or ‘responsible person’ for that building or premises. Under the Fire Safety legislation, the ‘responsible person’ for each premise must carry out a risk assessment for fire and take steps to reduce or remove the risk.
In practical terms, this means that fire risk should be managed on an ongoing basis rather than treated as a one-off compliance task. The responsible person should understand how people would leave the building in an emergency, whether the fire doors are suitable for their location, and what steps are in place to help reduce the spread of fire. A suitable fire risk assessment should also look at the whole building, not just one area in isolation. This includes escape routes, communal areas, and any space where fire or smoke could spread quickly.
Fire doors play a vital role in the building’s passive fire protection. This is different from systems such as fire alarms or sprinklers, which respond once a fire starts. Fire doors, compartment walls, fire-resistant glass and protected escape routes all work together to help contain fire and smoke for a set period of time.
The Fire Safety Act and New Fire Door Regulations
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23rd January 2023. In summary. Sections of the regulation make it a legal requirement for the responsible person of high-rise blocks of flats to ensure that all flat entrance fire doors are inspected annually with quarterly inspections of communal fire doors. In any premise where there are two or more sets of domestic property, the ‘Responsible Person’ must provide clear and relevant fire safety instructions and information about the importance of fire doors.
These regulations sit alongside the Fire Safety Act, which clarifies how the Fire Safety Order applies to multi-occupied residential buildings. This includes the structure, external walls, common parts and flat entrance doors between domestic premises and communal areas. These areas must be considered in the building’s fire risk assessment. Together, the Fire Safety Act and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 place a clear focus on responsibility, inspection and resident awareness.
While these specific duties are relevant to multi-occupied residential buildings, the wider principles apply across many commercial property types. Fire doors should be suitable for their location, checked regularly, maintained properly and kept in good working order so they can perform as intended if a fire occurs.
Who is the Responsible Person?
Under Article 3 of the Fire Safety Order (FSO) 2005, the responsible person is the being who has control of the premises, which can include building owners, leaseholders or building managers. The FSO 2005 requires that the ‘Responsible Person’ take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and ensure safe escape, including any visitors. There can be more than one Responsible Person for the same premises, each responsible for the parts they control (e.g. a managing agent for common parts and a commercial tenant for their unit).
In commercial buildings, the responsible person is often the employer, building owner, landlord, or managing agent. In shared buildings, responsibility may be split between different parties. This makes communication important. If issues are identified during fire door checks, they should be recorded, reported and dealt with promptly.
Fire door compliance can be affected by damaged doors, missing smoke seals, faulty closing devices, poor installation or alterations made without proper advice. The responsible person should ensure that people understand the importance of maintaining fire doors. This may include staff, residents, contractors or building users. Fire doors shouldn’t be wedged open, blocked, or interfered with, as this can reduce their ability to protect escape routes and prevent the spread of fire.
– Compliance with Fire Regulations –
Fire Door Standards and Regulations
What is The Fire Safety Order (Regulatory Reform Fire Safety) Order 2005?
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the biggest single reform of fire safety laws in over 30 years; it simplifies the law for businesses and places a greater focus on prevention.
The law, which came into force on 1st October 2006, consolidates existing fire safety laws which were scattered across more than 70 pieces of legislation. It also places the obligation for fire safety on the employer or ‘responsible person’ for that building or premises. Under the Fire Safety legislation, the ‘responsible person’ for each premise must carry out a risk assessment for fire and take steps to reduce or remove the risk.
The government are currently discussing the introduction of Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 which they intend to put not force in January 2023. In summary, the regulations will make it a legal requirement for the responsible person of high-rise blocks of flats to provide information to Fire and Rescue Services to assist them to plan and potentially provide an effective operational response. In addition, in residential buildings over 11 metres high it is now required that all flat entrance fire doors are inspected annually with quarterly inspections of communal fire doors. In any premise where there are two or more sets of domestic property, the ‘Responsible Person’ must provide clear and relevant fire safety instructions and information about the importance of fire doors.
What is The Fire Safety Order (Regulatory Reform Fire Safety) Order 2005?
Under Article 3 of the Fire Safety Order (FSO) 2005, the responsible person is the being who has control of the premises, which can include building owners, leaseholders or managers. The FSO 2005 requires that the ‘Responsible Person’ take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and ensure safe escape including any visitors.
Regulation 38 and Fire Safety Engineering
Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations (England) requires that, on completion of building work or when a building or extension is first occupied, relevant fire safety information is provided to the Responsible Person. This requirement supports the operation of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO), which places legal responsibility for fire safety on the Responsible Person — typically the employer, owner, or person in control of the premises.
The Responsible Person is legally required to manage fire risk within the premises, including maintaining fire safety measures and protecting relevant persons. While competent persons such as facilities managers or fire safety consultants may be appointed to assist, the legal responsibility for compliance with the FSO cannot be delegated. Fire and Rescue Authorities act as the enforcing authority under the legislation.
Regulation 38 is important because it provides the responsible person with the information needed to manage the building safely after construction, extension, or refurbishment work is completed. This might include details about fire doors, compartmentation, fire resisting construction, escape routes, alarms, emergency lighting and other fire protection systems.
This information should make it easier to understand where fire doors are located, what level of fire resistance they provide, and how they should be maintained. It can also support future fire risk assessments and help keep the building aligned with UK regulations.
What This Means for Fire Door Compliance
Once legal responsibilities are understood, the next step is to make sure that all fire doors in the building are correctly installed and properly maintained.
Fire doors are usually required where they help protect escape routes, separate higher-risk areas and slow the spread of fire through a building. This can include communal areas, corridors, stairwells, and flat entrance doors. The exact requirements will depend on the building’s layout, usage, fire strategy and fire risk assessment.
A certified fire door covers more than just the door leaf. It needs to work as a complete system, with the door frame, door hinges, smoke seals, intumescent strips, closing devices, and any fire-resistant glass all working together. If one part is missing, damaged or unsuitable, the door’s fire rating and overall fire performance will be affected.
Common fire door ratings include FD30 and FD60, which provide 30 or 60 minutes of fire resistance. Timber fire doors and steel fire doors can both offer effective fire protection when they’re correctly installed, and the right option will depend on the building.
Ongoing Fire Door Checks and Maintenance
Maintaining fire doors is an important part of staying compliant. Over time, doors can become damaged, closers can stop working properly, seals can come loose, and gaps around the door can change due to general wear or movement in the building.
Regular inspections should check that each fire door closes fully, sits correctly within the frame, and has no visible damage to the door leaf, edges, hinges, seals, or closing devices. Fire doors also shouldn’t be wedged open, blocked or altered in a way that could affect their ability to perform in the event of a fire. If issues are identified during routine checks or a fire risk assessment, they should be recorded and dealt with promptly.
Keeping detailed records of fire door inspections, repairs, and ongoing maintenance can help responsible persons demonstrate that reasonable steps have been taken to comply with UK regulations and current standards.
Fire Doors in Existing Commercial Buildings
In a commercial premises, fire doors play an important role in protecting staff and visitors, as well as stock and equipment. They should be treated as life-safety products, not standard interior doors. Regular checks, required repairs and professional guidance can all support wider passive fire protection measures across the building.
Existing buildings can present additional challenges. Fire doors might have been altered, damaged, poorly maintained or installed before current standards were introduced. In some cases, remedial work might be enough to restore compliance. In others, installing replacement fire doors is the safest option.
Speak to MD Fire Doors About Fire Door Regulations
At MD Fire Doors, we support clients with practical fire door services designed to help buildings remain safe, compliant and fit for purpose. Whether you need advice on fire door regulations or support with fire door installation, fire door inspections, remedial works and ongoing maintenance, our team can help you understand the key next steps.
We work with a range of buildings, including commercial premises, residential flats, and rented property portfolios, and can help responsible persons manage their fire door responsibilities with confidence. If your recent fire risk assessment has highlighted issues, or you’re unsure whether your fire doors meet UK regulations, contact our team for professional guidance and support.
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