Blog Post

Fire safety and locks

Simon G • June 1, 2018

Fire safety for doors and locks

After the recent tragedy in London (Grenfell Tower) it has sadly, but finally come to the attention of Landlords, property owners and tenants alike that their properties and homes must be suitable in case of a fire.
A focal point of the "Fire safety" for us as we are locksmiths will be on the doors and locks that can be installed on a property to ensure it not only keeps in line with fire regulations but will also keep you safe, that's what they are there for. of the property.
We have scoured many .Gov websites including Council websites and Fire brigade websites to collate the information you need as a landlord of a flat or even as a homeowner with a family residing in the same house. As we are focusing on the door this calls into account all items on the door and serving the purpose of withstanding a fire and securing your residence. There are two types of fire doors equipped in different areas of the property depending on number of residents and other variants.
A fire exit door is an external door; it can be left open and does not have to be fire resistant. The purpose of the fire exit door is to allow a quick and un-hindered escape through a well lit door into a place of safety while stopping un-authorised access from the outside.

A fire door is generally an internal door, whose purpose is to

Create/ protect an escape route though a buidling in a fire situation and
Compartmentalise a fire, keep the flames in one area and stop smoke from spreading from one section of the property to the other. Examples of locations of fire doors include stairwells, where they protect the stairs from corridors opening on to them; kitchens/catering facilities, storage areas that house combustible materials such as paper and card and boiler rooms.

1. Easy open from inside locks.
What we consider to be one of the most important aspects of security and fire safety is that tenants/ residents can pass through with ease and without the need of a key. This is very understandable as should a fire break out in the flat/ residence and the door is locked, it's likely that the key will be left in the property somewhere thus locking everyone in a burning building with the main means of escape being locked and the key being somewhere inside the now ablaze property. Very obvious hazard risk but one that is not often noted on properties.
Should a fire break out and the main door of the property has a fire safe lock installed, it will allow all residents and tenants to easily escape the property without the need of a key. There are three main types of Fire safe locks available

Escape mortice deadlocks - These allow escape via knob from the inside, normally installed with a thumb-turn Euro cylinder . These can be fairly cheap to install and can be matched with a number of euro cylinders varying in security thus allowing you to personalise your locks a lot more. We advise these for HMO's or properties with more than 3 unrelated occupants.
Mortice nightlatches - Theses like the image above can be operated from the inside without a key and just by moving the handle up or down, easy escape if a fire break outs. These are normally anti slip which is great for security and most of them are secured to BS 3621 meaning they will comply with your home insurance requirements.
Break Glass locks - These are not very common as they cannot be used on an exit used by the public or on more than 10 residents in one building or at the bottom of stairs. These locks need to have the glass replaced once broken, so again, not necessarily the most effective means of securing and fire safety.

These locks should be installed on all types of fire doors, escape should always be number one priority.

2. The door in general.
If the door is one of a few in a block flats the door needs to be a fire door. What does this mean in practical terms - this means that it needs to hold the fire inside the flat and protect the other flats for as long as possible whilst allowing the tenants/ residents to escape quickly. This may also apply to doors within the property as well, but for this blog post we're focusing on the front door of the flat. This means that the door must be a fire safe door, these can be purchased from most DIY stores and will clearly state the fire safety on the stamp, some are 30-min doors (I.e they hold the fire in for 30 mins), giving other residents in the other flats time to escape. Fire doors will be stamped with F30 or F60 thus indicating the time the door can hold the fire back from the other flats.

3. Door closers.
Door closers must be installed on all fire doors, they will close the door automatically when let go. Again the reason behind this is to make sure that the fire is sealed in a certain part of the property. If the fire is let loose and to do as it pleases it will take down a number of properties in a matter of minutes. The door closer ensures that when people leave the property in a rush, which normally happens when there is a fire, a door closer will pull the door shut behind them and seal the fire in. There are many types of door closers that can be installed on doors, even if you don't have one on the door now it can easily be installed by a locksmith nearby , thus ensuring your property is safe in case of a fire.

4. Door seals.
Ever wondered what that fluffy line, or plastic line down the side of your door does? If you have this on your door chances are it's fire safe. These are special seals that are installed in a groove down all edges of the door that expand in case of a fire ensuring that the fire is well and trully sealed inside the flat and coont spread to the rest of the buliding, geniusly simple. These can also be added onto existing doors so even if you don't have this on your door it can be done with the right locksmith and the right tools.

5. Door hardware.
Screws and hinges should be made from materials that have a higher melting point, i.e not plastic or aluminium. Acceptable materials are Iron ad steel or other high melting point metals, these ensure the door will stay on its hinges in case of a fire and again, keeping the fire in one place for a set amount of time.
These include eye viewers and all metal objects on the door. There should be minimal items on the door as the door is to function as a door, not a wall to hang pictures as these can impede the doors ability to withstand a fire.

For more information on Fire safety and the specifics required on your property check the London fire brigade website for security information check the police website and to check for your nearest locksmith who will help advise on the best security and fire safety measures for your property check for your local locksmith .

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