New fire safety campaign

The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) Fire Door Alliance has launched an awareness campaign – Be Certain, Be Certified ­ to highlight the importance of third-party certification of fire doors in improving fire safety standards across the UK.

The campaign aims to address a “clear lack of understanding” over what certification is and the vital role it plays in protecting lives.

Be Certain, Be Certified calls for the adoption of third-party certification of fire doors throughout all UK buildings to raise the standards of fire door safety and help protect lives. It also provides detailed information on fire door safety ahead of upcoming legislation – the Fire Safety Bill and Building Safety Bill – which will strengthen regulation over fire safety for all building types.

The campaign offers guidance and resources to anyone who is responsible for specifying fire doors in any UK building. It also gives expert insight into the third-party certification of fire doors, detailing the testing, verification of product performance and manufacturing process controls undertaken by an independent body.

Helen Hewitt, CEO of the British Woodworking Federation said: “Fire doors play an essential role in protecting building occupants from the spread of smoke and fire and can be the difference between life and death. But there is a clear lack of understanding throughout the supply chain over fire door performance and compliance, which means we continue to see fire doors that are not fit for purpose used across the UK, putting lives at risk.

“Ahead of the biggest changes to fire safety legislation in recent times, through the introduction of the Fire Safety and Building Safety Bills and the proposed technical review of Approved Document B, now is the time for all building owners, landlords and specifiers to ensure that their fire doors meet the correct standards. Only through specifying fire doors that are third-party certified can building owners, managers and occupants have peace of mind that their fire doors will be fit for purpose, in terms of fire resistance and smoke control, and perform as designed in the event of a fire.”