Fire doors

rebeccak

I live on the top (fourth) floor of a block of flats (which is a converted Victorian house). Following recent events, we've all been sent a letter (which is a very generic letter which has gone out to all the properties managed by the same managing agent) saying we'll be getting a fire safety visit at some point but in the meantime they are issuing some standard safety information. Part of this is that we have a legal responsibility to ensure that our individual flats have a fire-resistant front door. Presently all flats have the same door which were the ones fitted at the time it was converted to flats and I don't think any of them are fire doors.

I have a few questions about this:

1) From previous fire assessments, the whole building is flammable ie it was not designed as separate flats that could contain a fire within them - It is one big house with timber flooring. Would fire doors be beneficial in containing/slowing down the spread of a fire in such a building?

Although I live in my own flat, most of them are rented out and I can say with 100% certainty that some of the landlords will definitely not be willing to spend any money to fit fire doors - and this includes for some flats which are directly next to the only stairway/escape route from the building so:

2) Is there, as the letter we have received states, a legal requirement for them to do this?

3) Is the purpose of fire doors to stop fire getting into the flat or to prevent it from blocking off escape routes? (I've seen some websites saying that there is no need for a fire door if your flat is on a lower floor - but obviously fire escaping from those flats into the stairwell/entrance would block off the exit for everyone else on the higher floors.)

Doozergirl

1) When was the house converted? Building regulations have for some time insisted upon fireproofing between flats (not sure when this was introduced, certainly prior to 2002 which was our forst conversion) but there are certainly early examples where no additional work has been undertaken between floors. A fire door may not help too much with the burning aspect, but I'd still rather have one as it will stop a degree of smoke, which is most likely to affect people.


2) Not if the regulations didn't require them at the time, but yes if they did.

3) Both. One door will contain a fire within its location and several doors ensure a protected escape route.

rebeccak

Thanks for your reply. It was converted in the early 90s.

Norman_Castle

I live in a flat in a Victorian hose converted in the 1970s. About 10 years ago all of the front doors to the flats which were fitted as fire doors in the 70s had to be replaced with the current standard fire doors. I believe this was a legal requirement.

Although your house was built as a single property its possible work would have been done to improve fire safety such as double boarding ceilings. This will help contain a fire.

Fire doors help contain fires within a property and help to protect people in individual flats.

http://www.cieh.org/uploadedFiles/Core/Policy/Publications_and_information_services/Policy_publications/Publications/National_fire_safety_guidance_08.pdf

Doozergirl

A quick google suggests that fire separation requirements were already in place before Part B in 1991. Fire detection was added to it in 1991.

another_casualty

I've just moved into a an old house (1900 ish) converted into 4 flats.
I'm on the ground floor . Every door is a fire door . Big plus.
I received an email from the mgt co. Regarding fire safety etc. Today.
All good stuff .