Passive fire protection, UK wide
Fire Door Surveys
A fire door only protects people if it works. Fire doors hold back fire and smoke, protect escape routes and give people time to get out. Wear, damage and poor maintenance can stop them doing that, often without anyone noticing. AL23 Safety carries out fire door surveys across the UK so you know yours will perform when it counts and you stay compliant with the law.
What is a fire door survey?
A fire door is more than a leaf
A fire door survey is a detailed inspection of every fire doorset in your building. A doorset is a complete set made up of the door, frame, seals, hinges, closer, glazing and other ironmongery. Every part has to work together for the door to do its job.
We check the condition, installation and performance of each door against the relevant standards and the manufacturer's specification, then flag anything that could compromise its fire resistance. Most surveys are carried out on a non intrusive basis.
Anatomy of a doorset
- Door leaf
- Frame
- Intumescent strips
- Smoke seals
- Hinges
- Closer
- Glazing and vision panels
- Locks, latches and ironmongery
The legal picture
A legal duty, with set inspection intervals
Keeping fire doors in good working order is a legal duty, not just good practice. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 added specific intervals from 23 January 2023.
Every 3 months
Communal fire doors
Including self closing devices, in residential buildings with a storey over 11 metres.
At least yearly
Flat entrance doors
On a best endeavours basis, in those same buildings.
About every 6 months
Workplaces and commercial
Good practice and more often in busy, high traffic settings such as hospitals, schools and care homes.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person must keep fire doors properly maintained. It applies across England and Wales, with equivalent law in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In any residential building with two or more dwellings and shared common parts, residents must also be given information on why fire doors matter and how to use them.
What we inspect
Every part of every doorset
Our qualified inspectors assess every fire doorset, including:
- The fire resistance rating and correct identification of the door
- The condition of the leaf, frame and any vision panels
- The gaps around the door and at the threshold
- Hinges, closers, locks, latches and other ironmongery
- Intumescent strips and smoke seals
- Signage and manufacturer markings
- Self closing and hold open devices
- Glazing type and installation
- Any damage, warping or poor fitting
What commonly goes wrong
Small faults, serious consequences
Fire doors fail more often than most people expect, usually for small but serious reasons. The faults we find most often include:
- Gaps between the leaf and frame that are too wide
- Missing or damaged intumescent strips and smoke seals
- Non fire rated letter plates or ironmongery fitted to a fire door
- Worn or failing hinges
- Cracked or loose vision panels
- Self closers that do not pull the door fully shut into the frame
Any one of these can stop a door holding back fire and smoke for the time it was designed to.
Your report
A register you can act on
After the survey you get a clear, prioritised report that includes:
- A full register of your fire doors, each given a unique reference
- The condition and compliance status of every door
- Photographic evidence of any defects
- Clear, prioritised recommendations for remedial work
- A record you can keep to show your inspections and actions
Where required, we can also mark each door on annotated floor plans so you can see your fire door compliance at a glance.
When to book a survey
Consider a survey if
- You are the Responsible Person for a building under UK fire safety law
- You manage a workplace or a multi occupied residential property
- Your fire risk assessment has raised concerns about your fire doors
- Your doors have not been inspected in the last six to twelve months
- You simply want to be sure your building is safe and compliant
We carry out fire door surveys in all kinds of settings, including housing, healthcare, education, commercial and high rise buildings.
Part of a bigger picture
A door is only as good as the wall around it
A fire door works alongside the compartment walls and floors around it so a door is only as effective as the construction it sits within. For a full picture we often recommend pairing a fire door survey with a fire compartmentation survey. We offer both, separately or together.
Why AL23 Safety
We do not just see a door
Because we have in-house fire engineering capability, our inspectors see how that door fits into your compartmentation, your escape routes and your overall fire strategy, not just the door in front of them.
You get honest, practical reports written in plain English, clear on what needs doing and what to prioritise. We work with building owners, facilities managers, housing providers and duty holders right across the UK.
Book a fire door survey
Do not wait for an incident to find a defect
If you are responsible for a building, do not wait for a fire risk assessment or an incident to find out your fire doors are not up to standard. Talk to us and we will give you a clear picture and a clear plan.
Common questions
Answers, up front
Cannot see your question? Get in touch and we will answer it directly.
Contact usA fire door survey checks that the fire doors in your building are correctly specified, fitted and maintained so they perform as intended in a fire. We record any faults and the remedial work needed.
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