Fire Door Inspection

Why Fire Door Inspections Are Required

Fire doors are active life safety components. A fire door that cannot close properly — or that fails due to damaged seals, missing hardware, or incorrect installation — provides zero fire resistance. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a clear duty on the responsible person to maintain fire doors in effective working order. Inspections are the mechanism for demonstrating that this duty is being fulfilled.

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced additional specific requirements for multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres in height, requiring responsible persons to inspect communal fire doors at least every three months and flat entrance fire doors at least annually.

What a Fire Door Inspection Covers

A thorough fire door inspection examines every component of the fire door assembly:

• Door leaf — condition, fire rating certification (third-party mark or test evidence), signs of damage, distortion or unauthorised modifications
• Frame — secure fixing, condition, certification, signs of movement or damage
• Intumescent seals — present, undamaged, correctly installed around all four edges
• Smoke seals (cold seals) — present and intact where required by design
• Gaps — measured with feeler gauges: maximum 3 mm on sides and top, maximum 8 mm at the bottom (to BS 9999)
• Self-closing device — functioning, adjusted correctly so door closes fully and latches
• Hinges — minimum three hinges, secure, correct fire rating
• Glazing — fire-rated glass where fitted, intact beading, no cracks
• Ironmongery — handles, latches, hold-open devices all fire-rated and correctly installed
• Signage — "Fire Door — Keep Shut" signage present and legible on both sides where required

Who Should Carry Out a Fire Door Inspection?

Inspections must be carried out by a competent person — someone with sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to identify defects and assess fire door performance. The British Fire Consortium defines competence through its EAL Level 3 Fire Door Inspection qualification, which is the industry-recognised standard.

Third-party accreditation schemes such as FDIS (Fire Door Inspection Scheme) and BM Trada Q-Mark also define inspector competence. Using an accredited inspector provides the responsible person with a defensible record of due diligence.

How Often Are Inspections Required?

BS 9999 and published government guidance recommend:

• At least annually for all fire doors in non-domestic premises
• Every 6 months for high-traffic doors (main entrance, staircase, corridor)
• After any building works, flooding, fire event, or significant impact
• Quarterly for communal fire doors in multi-occupied residential buildings over 11m (Fire Safety England Regulations 2022)

Common Fire Door Failures

In practice, the most frequent defects found during fire door inspections are: damaged or missing intumescent seals, excessive gaps at the door edges (especially the bottom), self-closing devices that do not fully close the door, and doors that have been propped open or had non-fire-rated ironmongery fitted after installation. Any of these defects will compromise the door's fire resistance.