Fire Door Safety Week, a national safety awareness campaign that was first launched in 2013 in response to a legacy of fire door neglect, celebrates its 10 year anniversary this year.
The campaign, which will run this week (25-29 September), aims to encourage a greater public understanding of the vital role that fire doors play in protecting life and property.
In particular, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the critical role that fire doors play in the devastating event of a fire, ensuring that everyone, from the manufacturers and installers down to building owners and building users, understand their responsibilities when it comes to fire doors.
The campaign also encourages building owners and users to check the operation and condition of their fire doors and have the confidence to report any issues they find that might impact the performance of a fire door in event of a fire.
Taking place from 25-29 September, with a number of events planned through the week, Fire Door Safety Week is owned and managed by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) and is supported by a number of partners, including the Home Office’s National Fire Safety campaign, the National Fire Chief’s Council and London Fire Brigade.
Further reading: Third-party fire door certification decreases despite legislation awareness, according to new research
Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) are also an advocate for the objectives of Fire Door Safety Week, and for third-party certification of the manufacture, installation, maintenance and inspection of fire and smoke doors.
The Federation announced that is has worked in collaboration with BRE to develop a series of 1-day training courses around fire and safety. These comprise of two-module training courses around fire door safety, inspection, and on-going maintenance.
“We are particularly pleased to support Fire Door Safety Week in its tenth anniversary year and continue to stand behind its on-going objectives and the vital role that fire doors play in saving lives and protecting property,” says DHF’s Director of Commercial Operations, Patricia Sowsbery-Stevens.
“It is vital to understand the factors that ensure a fire door performs as intended and the correct specification, maintenance and management can be the difference between life and death for building occupants, as can their use. We continue to urge and encourage those in positions of responsibility to seek the correct training with regards to installation and maintenance.”
