The Role of Fire Doors in Protecting Tenants
Keeping residents safe is always the number one concern when it comes to social housing. Fire doors offer a huge part of that protection. They are built to slow the spread of fire and smoke, giving people the vital minutes they need to escape. Despite this, it can be so easy to forget just how important they are, until something goes wrong.
Why Fire Doors Matter
Fire doors aren’t like ordinary doors. They’re designed and tested to withstand fire for a specific amount of time – most commonly 30 or 60 minutes. This extra time can save lives, protect escape routes and help emergency services reach people faster.
In busy housing blocks, shared corridors and multi-storey buildings, one well-fitted fire door can be the difference between a contained incident and a full-scale fire.
The Role of a Fire Door in Social Housing
Social housing needs to cater for a lot of different things; from large numbers of residents, to their varying household needs, as well as high-traffic areas. Because of this, reliable fire doors in social housing are essential. They help maintain compartmentation – splitting a building into fire-resistant sections – which is a core requirement in social housing fire safety.
Who is Responsible?
Fire safety is a shared effort, and fire doors play a central part in this. Landlords and housing associations must make sure fire doors are installed correctly, kept in good condition and are regularly inspected. Tenants also have a role to play; making sure not to prop open doors, remove closers or block fire exits.
A fire door can only protect people if it’s allowed to do its job.
Common Issues Found in Social Housing
There are several common issues that can be found during regular checks, including:
- Fire doors wedged or propped open
- Missing signage
- Faulty or removed self-closing devices
- Damaged or missing intumescent seals
Any one of these faults can weaken the door’s overall performance, and in many cases, remove protection from fire altogether!
Fire Doors from Enfield Doors
At Enfield Doors, we make bespoke fire doors, acoustic doors, and complete doorsets for trade customers across the UK. We work closely with housing associations, local authorities, and contractors to supply fully certified doors that help keep residents safe, secure, and comfortable.
Because everything is made in-house — from frames and screens to ironmongery — we can create doorsets that are perfectly tailored to each project. That means no site delays, every door fits as it should, and compliance is easier to maintain.
Fire door compliance can seem complicated, but it’s something we deal with every day. Whether you’re refurbishing, replacing doors in communal areas, or specifying doorsets for new developments, our team can guide you through the options and requirements.
If you’re working on a social housing project and need advice or the right doors, give us a call on 020 3199 5849 — we’re here to get it right, first time.
