163 out of 164 fire doors not compliant says Door Group MD Brian Sofley

Door Group, a unit of ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland, is calling for urgent action to improve fire door standards in educational environments.

This follows new Home Office figures showing a concerning lack of fire safety systems in UK schools, colleges, and universities.

Between the financial year 2022/23, 673 educational buildings in the United Kingdom were affected by fires.

Additionally, 627 of these establishments did not have a fire safety system in place.

Fire doors are essential for safety in buildings, and regular inspections are crucial to meet health and safety measures.

The importance of compliant fire doors

Educational institutions face high traffic levels, leading to misuse and functional issues with doors, resulting in non-compliance.

Door Group emphasises the need for enhanced fire door standards to protect students, educators, and staff.

Robust fire door systems are vital for containing fires, limiting their spread, and ensuring safe evacuations during emergencies.

Brian Sofley, Managing Director at Door Group, highlighted the importance of comprehensive fire safety measures: “Through our fire door inspections service, our BRE qualified engineers have found the level of compliancy in schools to be extremely low.

“In one school, for example, we inspected 164 fire doors and reported that 163 were not fire compliant.”

Fire safety statistics and concerns

Fire Rescue Services attended over 622,000 incidents in the year ending March 2023, a 7.8% increase from the previous year.

Alarmingly, over 1,000 school buildings are believed to contain combustible materials similar to those used in Grenfell, including 923 school buildings and 80 university buildings.

Brian Sofley stated: “The concerning presence of fires in schools stresses the necessity for comprehensive fire safety measures with a holistic approach.

“It’s not just about specifying compliant solutions, they need to be managed correctly with regular inspections and maintenance.

“This information should be accurately recorded, in line with the ‘Golden Thread’ approach outlined in the Building Safety Act.”

Door Group’s commitment to fire safety

Door Group is dedicated to raising the standard of fire door safety in schools, offering comprehensive inspections every three, four, six, or twelve months.

Following inspections, Door Group provides detailed reports with advice and recommendations for necessary improvements to ensure safety and product performance.

If any issues are identified, a tailored repair proposal is issued, which can include replacement doors or a regular maintenance program.

Door Group inspectors, who are BRE-certified, ensure that all fire doors inspected meet necessary standards and regulations.