How fire doors and closers contain a fire in high-rise buildings
How fire doors and closers contain a fire in high-rise buildings
A fire door only protects a building when it is shut, which is why the self-closing device is so important. After the Grenfell Tower Inquiry found failed and missing closers, this article looks at why they matter and why concealment offers a safer alternative.
Why do fire doors matter?
Fire doors save lives. They hold back fire and slow the spread of flames, smoke and toxic gases, keeping a building’s compartments sealed off from one another.
What does the self-closing device do?
A fire door only works if it is closed. That is the job of the self-closing device. London Fire Brigade guidance is clear on this: the closer brings the door shut so it can do what it is designed to do, hold back fire and smoke.
What did the Grenfell Tower Inquiry find about fire doors and closers?
The Phase 1 report found that ineffective fire doors let smoke and toxic gases move quickly through the building. Closers were a key part of the problem: “One important reason why fire doors failed to perform their essential function was the absence of effective self-closing devices, some of which were broken or had been disabled or removed.”
The Phase 2 report went further. It confirmed the tower’s apartment front doors had not met the fire resistance standards set out in Approved Document B, and that many closers either failed to work or had been removed entirely.
What makes a concealed closer safer for multi-occupied residential buildings?
Samuel Heath has been making concealed fire door closers for several decades, as a safer alternative to the traditional overhead closer.
The Grenfell Inquiry identified damaged and removed closers as a reason fire doors fail. A concealed closer answers that directly. When a closer is damaged, the fire door fails with it, and that is a risk to life.
Overhead closers sit in plain view and are therefore an easy target for vandalism. A concealed closer sits hidden between the door and the frame, where it cannot easily be removed or tampered with.