Fire doors are a key element of passive fire protection in UK buildings. Designed to resist fire and smoke, they protect escape routes, slow the spread of fire, and give occupants time to evacuate. Their installation is mandatory under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Building Regulations 2010, and relevant British Standards. Understanding where fire doors are required in a building is essential to ensuring compliance and safeguarding lives and property.
Fire door requirements in residential buildings
In residential buildings, particularly those that fall under the category of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), fire rated doors are required in specific locations to protect escape routes and compartmentalise risks. In buildings with more than two storeys, including converted houses and maisonettes, fire doors must be fitted to rooms that open directly onto a communal escape route. This includes kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms.
Flat entrance doors must be fire-resisting and self-closing to prevent the spread of fire and smoke into communal areas. They should provide a minimum of 30 minutes of fire resistance (FD30) and be fitted with smoke seals and self-closing devices to ensure they function effectively in the event of a fire. Doors to stairwells, riser cupboards, plant rooms, and other shared service areas must also be fire-resisting and, where appropriate, self-closing or kept shut.
Fire doors in commercial and public buildings
Offices, shops, schools, hospitals, and other non-domestic premises must also comply with strict fire safety provisions. Fire doors are essential to the compartmentation of these buildings, dividing areas into fire-resisting sections that slow the spread of fire and facilitate safe evacuation.
In commercial settings such as office buildings, fire doors are required between stairwells and office floors, in corridors that serve as escape routes, and to enclose high-risk areas like kitchens, boiler rooms, server rooms and storerooms.
In schools and other educational settings, fire doors are required to protect escape routes, particularly from classrooms, assembly halls, and science or technology laboratories. Larger premises have fire doors along corridor networks and between different building sections. In hospitals, where patient mobility may be impaired, the role of fire doors is equally vital. They are required in corridors, wards, operating theatres, storage areas, and plant rooms, with automatic hold-open devices often used to allow free movement without compromising fire compartmentation.
Fire doors in industrial and specialised environments
In industrial settings, such as factories and warehouses, fire doors are installed to separate production areas, storage zones, and plant rooms from escape routes and office spaces. The nature of the materials stored or processes carried out within the building will influence the fire rating required, which may range from 30 minutes to 120 minutes or more, depending on the assessed risk and the results of a fire risk assessment.
In environments where large volumes of flammable substances are handled, such as laboratories or chemical plants, fire doors must also resist the ingress of smoke and, in some cases, provide radiation protection. These doors are subject to additional testing and certification under standards such as BS EN 1634-1.
Regulatory compliance and risk assessment
While Approved Document B in the UK government’s building regulations guidance provides general guidance, the actual requirement for fire doors in any given building will ultimately depend on a fire risk assessment carried out in accordance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The assessment should consider the building’s use, size, layout, occupancy type, and the vulnerability of its occupants.
In England, the Building Safety Act 2022 places additional obligations on the owners and managers of higher-risk buildings, particularly in relation to the maintenance and record-keeping of fire doors. It is not sufficient to install fire doors in the correct locations. They must be properly maintained, self-closing, and appropriately signed.
Fire Doors and Building Safety
Fire doors are essential for limiting the spread of fire and smoke and protecting escape routes. Their placement varies by building type, use, and regulatory requirements. Whether in residential, commercial or industrial settings, fire doors must be correctly installed, certified to the relevant standards, and properly maintained to ensure legal compliance and occupant safety.