Fire door inspection in Thatcham
Halls, clubs and small blocks, and the difference between a fire door and a fire exit.
Get a priceAsk a hall committee which of their doors are fire doors and you will get several answers.
Some will say the one by the stage. Some will say the front. Some will point at the green sign above a door and say that one.
Most are mixing up two different things.
Fire door or fire exit
A fire exit is a door you leave by in an emergency. It should open easily without a key, and it should lead somewhere safe.
A fire door is built to hold back fire and smoke for a set time. It has a closer, seals, a certified frame and a proper door leaf.
Some doors are both. Plenty are only one or the other. A glass door onto a car park can be an excellent exit and no use at all as a fire door.
In a hall, the kitchen door and the door to the boiler room are the most likely to be fire doors. The front and side doors are exits.
Who looks after a hall
That varies. A parish council, a trust, a church, a club, a committee that meets twice a year.
Whoever has control of the building is the responsible person under the 2005 Order. In practice that is often a volunteer who has never been told.
We write the report so a volunteer can use it. Plain English, photos, short.
Scout huts and clubs
These buildings are usually single storey. The risk is not the same as a block of flats, but the doors still matter.
A kitchen opening onto a hall. A store full of chairs and tents. A boiler cupboard. If a fire starts in one of those, a fire door keeps it there.
Small blocks
Thatcham also has blocks of flats. Often two or three storeys, sometimes older ones that have been refitted.
The doors that count are the communal ones and the flat entrance doors. In a block under 11 metres, the 2022 regulations do not set a timetable, but a regular check is sensible.
How we do a small building
We arrive with the gauge, the torch and the camera. We go through each door. We check the label, the gaps, the hinges, the seals, the closer and the glass.
If the building has a mix of fire doors and exits, we say which is which, and we list the exits separately if you want them looked at.
A hall usually takes an hour or two.
Fire authority
Thatcham is in West Berkshire and the fire authority is Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Getting here
We come from Luton, a bit over an hour on a clear run. We plan Thatcham with Newbury where we can.
Questions we get asked
Is the front door of a hall a fire door?
Not necessarily. It is usually an exit. We check which doors in the building are meant to be fire doors.
Can a volunteer arrange this?
Yes. Send us the address and when the hall is free.
Send us the postcode and a rough door count and we will come back with a price the same day.
Get a price