Fire safety in Queensland is something that has evolved and been developed over the last few decades. The result a fire can have on a building can be devastating effects, not only to the building itself, but also to its occupants. A fire door is designed to contain a fire to one area of the building and prevent it from spreading, and also give people the opportunity to exit the building. Fire door requirements are there to protect human life and minimize the effects a fire can have on a building.
There are strict guidelines in place governing fire resistant doorsets. These requirements ensure that when a new building is constructed,the fire rated doors, frames and hardwareare installed as tested by the CSIRO, equally important are the certificates and compliance tags stating that the doors has been tested to AS 1905.1 and the schedule of evidence listing all fire rated doors and hardware installed in the building.
It is vital that fire door and frames are inspected as required by the Australian Standard AS 1851.17 and the Qld Development Code MP6.1.The interval ranges from every 6 months to every 12 months depending on the classification of the building.
Failure to do so may result in heavy fines issued by QFRS. Even worse if a fire was to occur it would void the building insurance, and the owners/body corporate may be found personally responsible if inspections have not been carried out as required.
Fire doors can easily become non-compliant when the doors’ integrity has been modified. Often this is caused by unqualified / unlicensed people making adjustments / alterations to fire door, such as installation of a non-fire rated lock, removal of the door closer, dead bolts, hook, chain and hold open devices, etc.
Ifunqualified / unlicensed people work on a fire door, they may not only be rendering the door
non-compliant, they are also exposing themselves to hefty fines, and may even void their public liability insurance making them personally liable.
Generally most people have littleor no knowledge of fire door requirements, thereforeit is important that fire door inspections are carried out on a regular basis as required. What seem to be the smallest modifications to a fire door can have the most devastating effect on the whole building in the case of a fire.
If you are unsure about any fire door requirements in your building, please give Scanline Fire Doors a call to arrange a Fire Door Inspection on 1300 302994