Fire doors are a familiar sight in workplaces, schools, hospitals, residential buildings and public spaces across the UK. While we pass through them every day, it can be easy to overlook just how important they are.
This Fire Door Safety Week, taking place from 21st–25th September 2026, we want to help raise awareness of the vital role fire doors play in protecting people, property and escape routes in the event of a fire.
What Is Fire Door Safety Week?
The British Woodworking Federation’s Fire Door Safety Week is an annual campaign designed to raise awareness of the critical role fire doors play in saving lives and protecting property.
A fire door is more than simply a door. As part of a building’s passive fire protection, it is designed to help contain fire and smoke for a specified period of time. This can help prevent a fire spreading quickly through a building, protect escape routes and give occupants more time to evacuate safely.
However, a fire door can only perform effectively if it has been correctly installed, properly maintained and used as intended.
Fire Door Safety Is Everyone’s Responsibility
From manufacturers and installers to building managers, Responsible Persons, employees and other building users, everyone has a part to play in fire door safety.
Something as simple as wedging a fire door open can prevent it from doing its job. Likewise, damage to the door, frame, seals, hinges or closing mechanism can affect its performance.
Fire doors and the areas around them should also be kept accessible and free from obstruction. Items should not be stored in a way that prevents a fire door from closing properly or restricts access to an escape route.
If you notice a problem with a fire door, don’t ignore it. Report it to the person responsible for fire safety within the building so that it can be properly assessed and addressed.
What Should You Look Out For?
Fire Door Safety Week highlights five key areas to consider when checking a fire door:
- Certification – check that the door is a certified fire door.
- Apertures – any glazing or other openings should be suitable and correctly installed.
- Gaps and seals – excessive gaps, missing seals or visible damage may prevent the door performing correctly.
- Closers – a fire door should close fully into the frame without assistance.
- Operation – doors should be able to operate as intended and should never be wedged or propped open unless an appropriate approved system is in place.
These simple visual checks can help identify potential issues, but they are not a replacement for inspection and maintenance by a competent professional.
Maintenance Matters
Fire doors are used every day, which means wear and tear is inevitable. Hinges can loosen, closers can become damaged, seals can deteriorate and doors themselves can be damaged through everyday use.
Regular inspection and maintenance are therefore essential.
Building owners and those responsible for fire safety should ensure fire doors are included within their ongoing fire safety management procedures, with any defects investigated and rectified appropriately.
It’s also important that repairs aren’t treated like ordinary joinery work. A fire door is an engineered safety product, and inappropriate alterations or repairs could affect its ability to perform in a fire.
Supporting Fire Door Safety Across the UK
While TP Fire & Security does not directly install or repair fire doors, we understand their importance as part of a building’s wider fire protection strategy.
Where customers require specialist fire door services, we work with trusted third-party contractors to provide access to the appropriate expertise across the UK.
Alongside fire doors, effective fire protection can include fire detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting, fire extinguishers, fire risk assessments and ongoing maintenance – all working together to help protect people and property.
Fire Door Safety Week is an important reminder, but fire door safety matters 365 days a year.
If you are responsible for fire safety within your premises and would like to discuss your wider fire protection requirements, contact TP Fire & Security to find out how we can help.
