FIRE DOORS - MONTHLY USER CHECK SHEET & AIDE MEMOIR - UCL

UCL Fire Technical Note - TN014

Fire Safety Technical Guide

FIRE DOORS - MONTHLY USER CHECK SHEET & AIDE MEMOIR Fire doors in your building - what you need to know: Prohibited - to wedge open, obstruct or interfere with a designated fire door; Prohibited - to obstruct an automatically closing fire doors; Prohibited - the use of fire extinguishers to prop open fire doors; Vison Panels - should not be covered up or obscured particularly in doors from inner rooms, laboratories, equipment rooms or doors on circulation routes; Prohibited

Prohibited automatic door openers for Mobility Impaired Persons (MIP) on critical fire doors - fire doors protecting escape routes or stair enclosures being fitted with automatic door openers for accessibility where these devices place occupants at risk because they do not remain closed allowing some to enter escape routes - seek UC Fire Safety Manager advice before purchase and installation; Mandatory - blue signs on fire doors are a legal instruction to keep doors closed; Mandatory - doors that form workplace safety devices and systems must be subject to suitable system of inspections and maintenance;

Mandatory

Mandatory - fire doors should to be inspected weekly / monthly depending on their use and the results of the inspections recorded complete with any actions taken to repair them if damaged; Departments - to undertake regular checks of their doors keep simple records and ensure that faults are reported and repairs status followed up with Estates; Fire door ‘Hold Open’ devices that operate on activation of the fire alarm - may be acceptable in certain locations or certain doors;

Acceptable

Fire door ‘Hold Open’ devices - are expensive and may need to be paid for by the department; Doorgards - may be used in certain limited areas to hold fire doors open but not on stairs see advice from UCL Fire Safety Manager first;

Definition of a Fire Door - means a door assembly, which is designed to hold back fire and smoke for a designated period, and has been tested under conditions for door assemblies described in British Standard 476: Part 22.

1.0. Introduction 1.1.

Fire doors are an important safety feature of any building in which people work or visit, as they offer resistance to the spread of fire and smoke limiting its effect.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Date Last Amended: Dec 15 1. Issued by the – Fire Safety Manager, UCL Estates, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT - This guide is to be regarded as a general statement of requirements and is in addition to relevant British Standards or any other instructions received from the Local Fire or Building Control Authorities.


They are particularly important elements of fire protection on escape routes and as such, the Heads of Departments are to ensure regular checks of the fire doors on a premises and monitoring their condition for effective operation.

2.0. Maintenance 2.1.

Departments can assist in maintenance of critical fire doors carrying out regular inspections by given a unique number to each fire door. The maintenance inspection period should be appropriate for the building and an assessment of the door usage, location, and footfall or on routes being used by trolleys for example: 

Weekly check - busy traffic routes with hundreds of openings per day;



Monthly check - traffic routes and main entrances and corridor doors;



Quarterly check - doors to student rooms in residences;



Annually check - office or plant room service risers etc.

3.0. Inspection 3.1.

Inspections of fire doors should include checking the following features: 

See Table 1 - a guide on what to look for when checking fire doors;



See Table 2 - for a record of repairs and action taken of find a fault or problem;



See Table 3 - for a record of fire doors in the premises or department;

4.0. UCL Maintenance Request Contacts 4.1.

UCL Estates Help Desk Submit a ‘Maintenance Request’ stating fire door to be repaired as a priority through: Tel: 020 7679 0000 / Ext: 30000 Emergency Repairs Only

The UCL Estates Customer Service Centre

4.2.

Email:

[email protected]

Web:

www.ucl.ac.uk/estates (see customer service centre)

At other locations not served by the Customer Services Centre report the defects as per your local works services repair contacts or arrangements.

5.0. Fire Door Signs 5.1.

All fire doors MUST be signed using one of the following standard signs (preferably in rigid plastic/metal screwed to the door):



Sign, Colour & Pictogram

Description, Uses and Conventions 1. ‘Fire Door Keep Shut / Closed’ - positioned at eye level, on both faces of each fire doors leaf that are fitted with a self-closing device - include any ½ leafs which should also be signed in addition to the main door leaf. Note - on fire rated glazed partitions & doors, FDKS signs may not be practicable or visually acceptable - suggest ‘FDKS glazed manifestation’ used instead. 2. ‘Fire Locked Shut’ - used on fire doors that are not fitted with self-closing devices (for example cleaner’s cupboard, some types of stores, plant rooms & service risers) - sign fixed to outer door face, at eye level. 3. Automatic Fire Door Keep Clear - used on doors connected to ‘fire door hold open devices’ that release the doors on activation of the fire alarm system. Signs to be placed on the visible open leaf at eye level when the door is held open by device; this is to avoid obstructing the fire door on being released automatically. 3a. Provide a fire door keep shut’ sign on the door leaf facing to the wall at eye level when held open.

6.0. All Fire-Resisting Doors Should Be: (a).

Close fitting to the frame with a maximum gap of 5mm, but 3mm is the accepted working gap and hung by a minimum of 1½ pairs of all metal;

(b).

Fitted with an effective self-closing device that is capable of closing the door tight against the stop, overcoming the resistance of any latch or lock provided;



Table 1 - Fire door walk around aide memoir - user copy: ITEM

Door Fully Closing:

Door Closer Operation:

OBSERVATIONS

ACTIONS

(1). Does the fire door full close & shut tight by use of its own Self Closing (SC) Device?

(1). Yes - the fire door working & effective;

(2). Does the fire door slam shut with force?

(2). SC device requires adjusting to dampen closing action;#

(3). Fire door does not close fully? Is the door self closer fixed to door and frame securely?

Is it slow to close or restricted?

(3a). The self-closing device requires adjusting;#

Has the door dropped on its hinges?

(3b). Yes - requires adjusting;#

(1). Has the door closing arm been separated from the fame?

(1). Reaffix;#

(2). Is there any oil leaking from the door SC device?

(2). New closing device required;#

(1). Is the door handle functioning correctly? Door Handles:

Door Seals:

Glazing in Door:

Door Hinges:

Door Hold open Devices:

Doors Wedged Open:

(2). Are they loose or missing? (3). Can the door be opened without the use of a key, if on an escape route in direction of travel to the fire exit?

Take appropriate action as necessary, including reporting to maintenance as a priority repair;#

(1). Does the door have intumescent seals around the top and 3 edges (not the bottom of the door) or in the doorframe?

(1). Found on new doors, older fire doors may just have 25 mm (1”) doorstops in lieu;

(2). Are the fire seals in good condition, not missing or damaged?

(2). If damage or missing must be repaired;#

(3). Does the door (or frame) have cold smoke seals in the form of brushes or a rubber strip? Are they in good condition, missing, damaged?

(3). If damage or missing, then they must be repaired as a priority#

(1). Is the glazing the fire door loose, does it rattle or is it broken? (2). Are the Vision Panels in the door clear and unobstructed to provide safety to door uses on both sides of the leaf?

(1). Yes - requires repairing;# (2). Vision Panels are provided for safety on circulation routes, inner rooms, hazardous routes Labs etc and remaining clear & unobstructed;

(1). Does the door leaf have 3 or more Hinges?

(1). A requirement for a fire door is that it must have a minimum of 3 steel hinges;

(2). Are they loose or screws missing?

(2). Hinges need to be repaired to make door close fully shut and insure door integrity;#

(1). Electromagnetic hold open not working; units damaged or not holding door etc.

(1). Yes - requires repairing;#

(2). Dorgard Fitted and not holding door open;

(2). Check Dorgard maintenance documentation see fire safety on the web www.ucl.ac.uk/fire/documents TN016/017

It is an offence under both Reference A & B to interfere with safety equipment (fire doors or firefighting equipment);

Remove obstruction report persons (if known) to a superior. Only an Approved Device complying BS5839 may hold open a fire door.

# = requires Work Service to be submitted to have repaired. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Date Last Amended: Dec 15 4. Issued by the – Fire Safety Manager, UCL Estates, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT - This guide is to be regarded as a general statement of requirements and is in addition to relevant British Standards or any other instructions received from the Local Fire or Building Control Authorities.


Table 2 - ‘Specimen Door Check Record Sheet’: Note: each fire door placed on the register will need to be identified with a reference number such as Ground Floor - G/1; First Floor - 1/1; Second Floor 2/3 etc. Date

Door Number

Faults & Remedial Action

Name & Signature

24/6/05

G/2

Leaking oil from overhead door closer - Maintenance Request submitted 28 Jun 14 Ref: 12345

J Bloggs

24/6/05

1/4

Intumescent strip missing from edge of door Maintenance Request submitted 28 Jun 14 Ref: 12346

J Bloggs

24/6/05

2/4

Checked and found serviceable – No Action

-

J Bloggs

J Bloggs J Bloggs J Bloggs


UCL Fire Technical Note - TN014 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Table 3 - ‘Specimen Fire Door Register’ Door No:

Location

Door Resistance (in Minutes)

G/1

Ground Floor corridor o/s Room G06

30 minutes

1/2

First Floor Corridor to Lab 123

30 minutes

Smoke Seal / Intumescent Strips

Single or Double Swing

Door Closure?

Door Hold Open Mechanism?

Glazing?

S/S =Yes I/S = Yes

Double Swing

Floor Closure

No

Yes

I/S = Yes

Single Swing

Over Head

Yes (Dorgard)

Yes

See TN015 for a word version

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Date Last Amended: Dec 15 6. Issued by the – Fire Safety Manager, UCL Estates, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT - This guide is to be regarded as a general statement of requirements and is in addition to relevant British Standards or any other instructions received from the Local Fire or Building Control Authorities.

FIRE DOORS - MONTHLY USER CHECK SHEET & AIDE MEMOIR - UCL

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