As part of the Fire Kills campaign, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) supported Fire Door Safety Week (22-26 September 2025)...
...and encourages building managers, landlords, and other persons in control of buildings in Warwickshire to continue checking the operation and condition of their fire doors.
Fire doors are a critical feature of a building’s fire safety arrangements and play a key role in reducing fire and smoke spread and protect people within the building and, as such, correct specification, installation, maintenance, and management can be the difference between life and death for building occupants.
Fire doors can protect lives but only if they are working properly, so WFRS is sharing tips on how to check the safety of fire doors in buildings to reduce the risk of a fire spread.
- Check for certification - Is there a label or plug on top (or occasionally on the side) of the door to show it is a certificated fire door?
- Check the gaps - Check the gaps around the top and sides of the door are consistently less than 4mm when closed.
- Check the seals - Are there any intumescent seals around the door or frame, and are they intact with no sign of damage?
- Check the hinges - Are the hinges firmly fixed (three or more of them), with no missing or broken screws?
- Check the door closes properly - Open the door about halfway, let go and allow it to close by itself. Does it close firmly onto the latch without sticking on the floor or the frame?
Residents or other building users are encouraged to report any defects or concerns they have about fire doors within buildings where they live or work. In the first instance, defects or concerns should be reported to the landlord, building owner or person in control of the building. However, should the concerns continue then they should be reported to WFRS using the online concerns portal (WFRS Contact Form or contact us via telephone on 01926 423231)
Councillor Dale Bridgewater, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Fire said: “Fire doors play a key role in keeping you safe in buildings you live in, work in and use for leisure. For fire doors to do their job effectively they must be subject to an appropriate system of maintenance. I would encourage any persons in control of a building in Warwickshire to ensure they have a system in place to check and maintain fire doors.
“If you’ve seen a damaged fire door or know of a flat entrance door that hasn’t been checked for fire performance, report it to your landlord or building manager straight away and if you see a fire door propped open, make sure you shut it - a fire door cannot work when open.
“The Fire door safety week website has lots of useful tools and information to support anyone needing to check and maintain fire doors.
“There are just five simple steps to check the condition of a fire door so I would urge everyone across Warwickshire to check any fire doors in their property or the homes of loved ones. It only takes a few moments, and you could save a life.”
For more details, visit www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk.