Increasingly the industry throws around more and more confusing acronyms: FDI, FRA, BSA, FSR, BSR, EWS... if we struggle to keep up, I'm sure there's a lot of residents that find this very overwhelming!! Hopefully we can help explain some of these terms and why they are such a hot topic at the moment.
Fire Safety and Grenfell Tower
Very few people have not heard of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017. This highlighted the extreme risk of a poorly maintained, unsafe building where all parties lacked proper accountability. Five years later, we finally saw the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) and Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (FSR). This legislation has brought immense and long overdue improvements to the safety of residential buildings around the country, albeit with the unfortunate effect of increased costs for many leaseholders.
New Key Roles
To clarify some key terms at the beginning, the new legislation added some new roles in relation to high rise buildings (exceeding either 11m or 18m in height):
AP - Accountable Person, an entity with some form of legal responsibility in relation to building safety for the property.
PAP - Principal Accountable Person, the primary AP whose responsibility is in relation to the structure of the building.
BSR - Building Safety Regulator, a new branch of the Health & Safety Executive responsible specifically for fire safety in high rise and high risk buildings.
FDI... FD why?
Fire Door Inspections (FDI) have been a generic part of fire safety requirements since the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Unfortunately, many of the people responsible for buildings have not arranged formal or regular checks, which leaves many buildings with doors that are not fit for purpose. The FSR2022 brought in a formal and specific requirement for the AP (or Responsible Person) to undertake regular FDI and record them, and of course to ensure any defects are remediated.
When is a fire door not a fire door?
As the joke goes, when it's ajar!! A fire door is only reliable for the rated time of protection if it is in good condition, including all of the accompanying fittings and the door set. It must also be able to close by itself, so that it won't be left (I'm sorry) ajar. Things that need to be checked include:
Is the door material suitable? Is the door rated for 30 (FD30) or 60 (FD60) minutes fire resistance?
Does the door have a functioning door closer, that shuts the door fully when not in use? It doesn't count if you have to close it the last few inches - you probably wouldn't have time if there's a fire!
Are there intumescent strips around the sides and top of the door or frame? Are they free of any damage or paint? These strips swell when they heat up, forming an effective smoke seal and keeping you safe for longer.
Are the gaps between the door and frame / threshold within tolerances? If they are too big, smoke and fire can creep through.
Have appropriate fire rated hinges been fitted? Are there enough for the door? Have enough screws been used to secure them?
Do you have a letter box or a peephole? If so, this should also be fire rated, otherwise it is a window through your door for fire to sneak in.
So how can I help?
If your building is well managed, you shouldn't need to do anything. Your manager should contact you to arrange a Fire Door Inspection (for all doors in your building, not just your flat) and you simply need to cooperate with them to facilitate the inspection by a competent individual. This is a statutory measure designed to keep residents safe, so the more residents that can allow the checks the safer the building is as a whole.
And what next?
The FDI is only the first part of the requirements. Hopefully the majority of checks will simply confirm the compliance and safety of the doors, but if there are any defects then they must be rectified. This can be anything from replacing the hinges or fitting intumescent strips, but could extend to replacing the entire door. In the majority of cases, the leaseholder would be responsible for the cost of repairs and maintenance of the door, but it is always important to check if the freeholder might be responsible or if there are applicable Leaseholder Protections to cover the cost. Your manager should be able to advise you of the details for your specific property.
Improved safety
The important thing to remember is that the new legislation has been applied to directly improve the safety of apartment buildings across the country. While this adds extra obligations to residents, managers and building owners, it will help to save lives from future incidents. If you need any help or advice in meeting your obligations or understanding the requirements, please get in touch with our helpful team on 0330 2295 999 or via info@lovepm.co.uk today.
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