What Are the New Fire Glass and Fire Door Regulations?

Fire Glass and Fire Rated Door Regulations
If you are a leaseholder in a residential building above two levels, it is important for you to know your stuff when it comes to fire safety. You are responsible for all your tenants’ welfare and need to put in place regulations in case of an emergency. A motivating factor towards having more directives in place was the tragic Grenfell Tower Fire, resulting in 72 residents losing their lives due to unresolved building defects and an untrained fire risk assessor.
There are many elements to prioritise in making sure your building is fully prepared in the case of a fire outbreak. The Fire Safety Act is put in place to adhere to these stringent rules and allows tenants to relax in their homes.
Prentice Glass is a family-run and family-driven business, focusing on all areas of glass and glazing. We adhere to all regulations of The Fire Safety Act, making sure our products will protect you in case of emergencies.

The Fire Safety Act 2021

On the 29th of April, The Fire Safety Act was passed into law however, due to the factors needed to satisfy these new regulations, it will not be implemented until 2023. It allows housing associations and landlords to fully assess their withstanding fire safety procedures and confirm that they either pass the regulations or give them enough time to make suitable changes.

Compared to the last Fire Safety Act in 2005, Regulation 38 makes sure that all the fire safety information is handed to the ‘responsible person’ of the letting, allowing them to fully inspect the building and specifically the fire doors in place. This ‘responsible person’ should be either the owner of the building or someone with a degree of control; like a landlord.

It puts in place more safety regulations than there have been in the past; risk assessments, eliminating fire risks to emergency exits and checking every space is equipped with a fire or smoke alarm, to give but a few examples. To check if you are responsible for these actions, find out more information here.

When are Fire Doors Required?

Fire doors should be carefully thought out for any building, flats and apartment buildings. It will vary between the size and number of levels for the building, but all new builds should have fire doors installed.

  • Any new build that has more than three floors needs to have fire doors fitted to every room that leads from a stairwell.
  • Any door going from the home to an integral garage also needs to be a fire door.
  • For blocks of flats, fire doors should be fitted at the entrance for communal areas and between all habitable rooms in flats 4.5m above ground level.

Undergoing new changes for fire doors, Document M states regulations that need to be implemented also by 2023. These include making sure the opening force needs to be a maximum of 30N for the first 30 degrees, then 22.5N between 30 and 60 degrees.

Also, door thresholds should be either chamfered or ramped to accommodate all tenants, specifically wheelchair users. This is to ensure everyone can safely exit the property in case of an emergency.

Fire Resistant Glazing

Fire-resistant glazing is also an important part to ensure safety in homes. The slightest gap between your doorframe and glasswork can cause a fire door to become faulty and therefore, not pass the Fire Safety Act. All components need to be fire-rated, compatible and rattle-free. Glazing panels should indicate to tenants and fire risk assessors that they can provide at least 30 minutes of resistance in the case of a fire; there should be no holes, cracks or sustained flaming in this regard.

It is important to hire a professional for fire-rated doors and install fire glass panels, making sure all safety requirements are adhered to. Here at Prentice Glass, we offer a range of services, covering furniture, safety glass, all the way to balustrades and commercial buildings. We supply frame makeup or glazing mediums that will meet the Fire Safety Act and standards in buildings. Check out our Fire Resistant page here.

For more information on our services, or to receive a quote, fill out our online form and a member of our team will be in touch. Alternatively, give us a call on 020 8994 9001.

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