Fire Door Safety Week
Residents are being urged to play their part and help keep fire doors in their buildings working safely to help save lives.
Closing a fire door can save your life
This important message is being shared with residents as part of Fire Door Safety Week, which takes place from 23 to 27 September 2024.
The annual campaign is designed to engage and educate people living in shared buildings on the critical role of fire doors.
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.
Fire door inspection
Lambeth Council’s priority is ensuring that everyone living in our buildings and using our communal areas are kept safe and secure in the event of a fire.
We’re also calling on residents to play your part in keeping your neighbours safe. Please don’t prop open fire doors, close them behind you and report any damage to us immediately.
As part of our ongoing commitment to ensure people are better protected and feel safe in their homes, we are currently inspecting all communal fire doors in buildings over 11m in height to make sure they meet the latest government legislation.
The regulations require us to complete quarterly communal door inspections and annual checks on flat entrance doors in buildings taller than 11 metres.
Residents will have their communal fire doors replaced or upgraded, where required, as part of a rolling annual programme.
Our financial commitment
We’ve spent over £18m on fire door replacement in the past 3 years with a further £6m to be spent on fire door replacements this year alone and aim to continue the same level of commitment for the next 4 years.
What fire doors do
A fire door is a vital safety device engineered to save lives and protect property. It is therefore important that fire doors are installed correctly and kept in good condition and free from damage.
A fire door ensures that should a fire break out, it can be contained in a “compartment”. This keeps the fire and smoke trapped for a defined period, allowing time for people to get out and make the fire easier to tackle.
Fire doors help save lives in the event of a fire by:
- Withstanding a fire for a period of time. This is normally between 30 and 60 minutes
- Protecting crucial escape routes so that people can escape the building safely
- Automatically closing behind you to form a barrier limiting the spread of the fire and smoke from one part of a building to another
How to keep yourselves and your neighbours safe
- Don’t leave a fire door wedged or propped open.
- Never carry out any repairs or work on your fire door.
- Keep access to fire doors clear and free from obstruction.
- Check your front door closes safely – hold it halfway open, and check the latch engages when you let it go.
- If a fire door doesn’t close, report it to Lambeth Council immediately.
- Never disconnect an automatic closer – the door is useless if it remains open, and it will allow the spread of smoke and fire.
- Don’t remove the kitchen or any other internal fire doors.
- Don’t make new openings in fire doors for cat flaps or letter boxes.
Reporting an issue
Contact us immediately at Fire Safety Team: HMfiresafety@lambeth.gov.uk if you find an issue with the fire safety doors in your building. You can also contact your local fire service for advice.