New year, new fire legislation
As of the 23rd January 2023, new fire safety regulations and legislation for building owners and managers of high-rise residential buildings came into effect in England.
These are important steps in strengthening existing fire legislation and now is the time to take action and review your fire risk assessments, to ensure you – and your buildings – are fully compliant.
It Is now a legal requirement for those responsible of a multi-occupancy residential building with at least seven storeys and/or 11 metres in height, to have systems in place for the regular checking of fire doors. This includes carrying out quarterly checks of all fire doors (including self-closing devices) in common parts, as well as annual checks of all flat entrance doors, (including self-closing devices) that lead onto a building’s common parts.
The new guidance iterates that the new regulations apply to:
Parts of the building that are used in common by the residents of two or more domestic premises (e.g., communal corridors and stairways)
Flat entrance doors
The walls and floors that separate any domestic premises from other domestic premises, plant rooms, etc, or from parts of the building that are used in common by the occupants of two or more domestic premises
Plant rooms and other non-domestic areas of the building, such as tenant halls, offices, laundries, gymnasia and commercial premises
External walls of the building, including doors or windows within an external wall, and attachments to an external wall (e.g., balconies)
The updated Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 have been made under Article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and state that the responsible persons of high-rise residential buildings will be required to implement these changes as of 23 January 2023. The full government guidance can be found here.
Fire doors are the key to compliance and compartmentation in the event of a fire; fire doors (and their surrounding fixtures) play a vital part in protecting lives and your property.
Often subject to damage due to misuse or general wear and tear, regular inspection and maintenance is now a legal requirement to ensure your building retains its fire resistance.
It is our duty of care to protect, so let Helix FMS take care of this for you. Surveys, remediation or installation – we do it all, as part of our services and when our qualified experts carry out a fire door service, rest assured, you can be confident that you, your building and your tenants will be fully compliant and protected – that's our commitment.
Get in touch with our experts, here.
