Fire Door Safety Week campaign launched by British Woodworking Federation

The survey, carried out to mark the launch of the British Woodworking Federation’s Fire Door Safety Week campaign – running under the headline ‘Check It, Close It: Protection Starts at the Door’ – found that 38% of Gen Z respondents aged from 18 to 29 feel safe when a fire door is wedged open. Meanwhile, almost three in every ten (ie 29%) also believe that fire doors can be safely wedged open if smoke alarms are present in the building.

In truth, a fire door will only protect people when it’s correctly installed, properly maintained and, importantly, closed. However, the survey findings suggest that many younger adults don’t fully understand this, which could put them at risk in the event of a fire.

While smoke alarms provide a warning sign for building occupants, fire doors are designed to slow the spread of fire and toxic smoke and protect escape routes. If a fire door is wedged open, fire and smoke can spread through a building and potentially compromise escape routes, which allow occupants to evacuate and Emergency Services personnel to enter the premises.

When considering the role of a fire door, 78% of ‘Baby Boomers’ (ie those aged from 62 to 80) and 93% of the ‘Silent Generation’ (people aged over 81) understand that fire doors are designed to slow the spread of fire and smoke and help people to escape a building. Such understanding is significantly lower among the Gen Z grouping, with only 40% of them stating that they understand the role of a fire door.

Despite this, younger adults are paying attention to fire doors in the buildings they use. Almost two-thirds (63%) of Gen Z respondents say they notice where fire doors are located when entering an unfamiliar building, while 59% notice the condition of such doors. This provides a firm foundation for further education around how to identify fire doors correctly and understand the crucial role they play in protecting building occupants.

Fire door education

When considering sources of fire door education, 33% of Gen Z respondents to the survey cite social media compared to other generations where the focus is on workplace training. With a rise in misinformation on social platforms, the findings clearly highlight the importance of providing younger audiences with clear and accurate information from reputable sources on how to recognise a fire door, what it’s designed to do and why it must remain closed.

The need for education is further highlighted by research identifying misconceptions around how fire doors can be identified, with 21% of those Gen Z and Millennials (ie those aged from 30 to 45) surveyed believing that a fire door is simply a door painted red and 22% of Gen Z respondents believing that a fire door is a door painted with fire-resistant paint.  

Helen Hewitt, CEO of the British Woodworking Federation, said: “The fact that more than one-in-three Gen Z adults feel safe when a fire door is wedged open is deeply concerning and creates a dangerous false sense of protection. Any wedged-open fire door cannot fulfil its life-saving role. Fire doors are designed to hold back the spread of fire and smoke, protecting emergency escape routes in order to give occupants vital time to escape and the Emergency Services time to enter a building.”

Hewitt continued: “Fire doors are not ordinary doors and should never be held or wedged open for convenience without using a correctly installed automatic door closer. Only a correctly installed, maintained and, importantly, closed fire door can stop the spread of smoke and fire.”

Further, Hewitt observed: “It’s clear that greater awareness and education is needed so that people of all ages recognise fire doors are a crucial part of the wider system of passive fire protection. By sharing accurate information and increasing visibility on the role of fire doors, we can turn recognition into understanding and action that will improve fire door safety.”

Knowledge gap

The knowledge gap also extends to what people should do when they spot a potential problem with a fire door. Almost half (48%) of Gen Z respondents believe a damaged fire door should be reported, while 45% suggest that poor maintenance of fire safety measures is a concern in public buildings.   

However, when asked why they might not report an issue relating to a fire door, respondents identified a lack of knowledge to spot a problem, uncertainty over who needs to know about the issue and assuming someone else would deal with it as the main barriers.

Insufficient knowledge is the leading barrier for Gen Z (29%) and Millennials (27%), while ‘Baby Boomers’ (30%) and the ‘Silent Generation’ (67%) are most likely to say they would not know who to contact. For Gen X, the most common barrier is assuming someone else will deal with the problem (27%).

Damage, missing components and poor maintenance can all prevent a fire door from working as intended. In the event of a fire outbreak, the consequences can be life changing. Taken together, these survey findings underline the need for greater education on fire doors, how to spot maintenance issues and, what’s more, how to report them for remediation.   

Positively, 79% of the individuals who took part in the survey believe that those responsible for installing and maintaining fire doors should have specialist qualifications or accreditations to demonstrate their skills and competence. This suggests strong public support for fire door installation and maintenance being carried out by appropriately skilled and competent professionals.

Immediate reporting

Helen Hewitt stated: “Building occupants and users should never assume that someone else will raise a concern about a fire door’s condition. Leaving a damaged, obstructed or otherwise poorly maintained fire door unreported could mean the difference between life and death in the event of a fire.”   

In addition, Hewitt explained: “If something looks wrong with a fire door – whether it’s damaged, wedged open or obstructed – then report it immediately and follow up until it’s fixed. Building owners and ‘Responsible Persons’ can help with encouraging a proactive fire safety reporting environment by making reporting processes for their properties clear, accessible and visible.”  

According to Hewitt, fire door safety depends on everyone playing their role – from building users spotting and reporting issues to landlords, building owners and ‘Responsible Persons’ ensuring competent individuals with the correct skills, knowledge and experience complete remediation work.

Supported by the British Woodworking Federation Fire Door Alliance, Fire Door Safety Week was launched by the British Woodworking Federation in 2013 to improve awareness and understanding of the vital role that fire doors play in protecting life and property and to promote industry Best Practice across all building types. This year’s survey findings underline the importance of helping people to move beyond noticing fire doors towards an understanding of how they work, why they must remain closed and what action to take if there’s a problem of any kind.

*Further information is available online at www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk