Shut the door to keep you safe

Picture of a fire door keep shut sign

Lots of you reading this will have fire doors in your homes. Did you know that keeping fire doors closed can save your life?


What are fire doors?

Fire doors provide a barrier from fire and toxic smoke. If there is a fire it keeps the damage to a small area and buys precious minutes that can save lives.

Where are the fire doors in my building?

Anyone living in a communal building will have fire doors within their home. In a block of flats, you will find fire doors on the stairwells, corridors and on the front doors of the individual flats. Sometimes you may find fire doors inside flats, but this depends on the design and layout of the individual flat.

How do I know if it’s a fire door?

Not all fire doors have a sign to let you know that it is indeed a fire door. However, all fire doors are self-closing. To check the closing mechanism in a fire door, open the door halfway and then let go of the door and see if it closes by itself.

Don’t alter your fire door

Never carry out any repairs or work on your fire door. This can damage it and make it less likely to work properly in an emergency.

  • Don’t drill into your fire door or cut it in any way
  • Don’t paint over the seals on a fire door
  • Don’t replace the handles, hinges or any hardware.

 

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