WATCH: The fire door series – certification, installation, maintenance and more

Scroll down for the first in a series of short videos explaining the basics of fire door safety.

Launched to mark Fire Door Safety Week (23-29 September 2019), they take the form of interviews with fire door safety expert and IFSEC Global influencer Hannah Mansell.

Mansell, group technical director at Masonite UK, offers advice on each stage of the process to anyone buying or specifying fire doors, including architects, contractors and clients. Masonite UK is a door manufacturer serving both residential and architectural markets.

Formerly spokesperson for Fire Door Safety Week and technical manager at the British Woodworking Federation, Mansell has played a vital role in shaping technical and safety policy throughout a 20-year career in the doors and joinery industry. She is also chair of the Passive Fire Protection Forum and a trustee of the Children’s Burns Trust.

Below is the first video instalment. Click through to YouTube then you can scroll through the other videos in the series on the right hand side. The other videos cover:

The difference between a fire door and doorset

Manufacturing standards a customer should expect

The testing and certification regime

What you do differently when installing a fire door

Innovation in fire door design and manufacturing

The inspection and maintenance regime

What’s changing in fire safety

The residents’ voice in fire safety

#1. What is the role of a fire door in fire safety?

“Fire safety is never far from the headlines at the moment, and the role of fire doors in protecting life and property keeps coming up as a major issue,” said Mansell. “Fire doors are a critical safety device, engineered as a system to protect building users and the emergency services too.

“However, the current official guidance on fire doors is still not as clear as it could be. So I think it is incredibly important for specifiers, contractors and everyone involved in building safety to build a close working relationship with their fire door manufacturer, and to make the most of the technical expertise we can offer.”

Masonite currently serves around 9,000 customers in 64 countries, and is represented in the UK through the Premdor Crosby, Solidor, Door Stop International and National Hickman brands.

The videos are available on the YouTube channel of fire door manufacturer Premdor, a division of Masonite.

Premdor offers an array of moulded, veneered and laminated fire doors in a variety of styles, colours and wood grain finishes. Fire doors are available in 30-minute (Fireshield FD30) and 60-minute (Firemaster FD60) options. Premdor’s fire rated doors and doorsets are compliant with all relevant British Standards and have been tested in accordance with BS 476: Part 22.

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Grenfell Inquiry must yield “bedrock change” – and soon
After Grenfell: Jonathan O’Neill OBE on how austerity and policy “on the hoof” are hampering progress
Hackitt’s Golden Thread: Fire, facilities and building safety
Fire safety community has to “get on board” with technological changes

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