Library

All of the publications that we share are freely available on the web – we’ve just collated those that we feel you may find helpful.

Please note, although we collate these documents for you, it remains your responsibility to ensure any document you use is the most up-to-date version.

A guide for persons with duties under fire safety legislation (accessible)

This short guide is intended to assist ‘persons’ with duties under fire safety legislation in England to comply with the legislation. Its purpose is to explain the duties in simple, nonlegal language. As such, it is not a guide to completing a fire risk assessment. This Guide will help you to decide the identity of the Responsible Person(s) at any premises. In some cases, there might be more than one Responsible Person. In these circumstances, the Responsible Person must co-operate with each other to co-ordinate their fire safety measures in order to ensure compliance with fire safety legislation.

Check your fire safety responsibilities under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022

This guidance is for people who have responsibilities under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (‘the Regulations’).

You will have such responsibilities if, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (“the Fire Safety Order”), you are a ‘Responsible Person’ (or a person who has some responsibilities) on whom the Fire Safety Order imposes various duties in relation to fire safety in a residential building, such as a block of flats or student accommodation.

Check your fire safety responsibilities under Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022

This guidance explains what responsible persons need to do as a result of changes made to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (‘the Fire Safety Order’) through the Building Safety Act 2022.

If you are a ‘Responsible Person’ on whom duties are imposed under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, find out what new responsibilities you have as the result of amendments made to the Fire Safety Order by Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022.

Fact sheet: Fire doors (regulation 10)

This fact sheet is not guidance and should not be read as such. It is intended to provide information about the regulations to residents and other interested parties.

Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats

This guide was produced in 2011 and summarised the legislation, guidance and best practice at the time of writing, as such it should be viewed as no longer comprehensive. The Home Office is currently working on a revised version of this guide which we intend to publish in early 2022. In the interim, it is continued to be made available to fire safety professionals as it contains relevant and useful information for purpose-built blocks of flats.

Firestopping of service Penetrations

Since the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in the summer of 2017, fire safety has become a major industry focus. Service penetrations in fire-separating elements are in part a minor element of a compartment wall or floor, yet in truth they are one of the most important elements when it comes to ensuring the performance of any compartment wall or floor is maintained.

This document is the result of a collaboration between a number of relevant trade bodies and organisations representing the wider construction and fire safety industries, and it is an example of the collaborative working and acceptance of professional responsibility throughout the supply chain that must become a feature of the industry’s culture from now on.

How to ensure ‘Certifire’ Fire Door Certification is retained when hanging a Certifire-Approved door leaf or making a doorset from a Certifire-Approved door leaf

A fire door is a vital safety device engineered to save lives and property. Its correct specification, fitting and maintenance are the responsibility of each and every person involved in the process from specification to maintenance.

Every component within a fire doorset or fire door assembly can have an effect on the fire performance. Making changes to any of these components, especially the door leaf, can have a significant effect on its fire performance.

By following the guidelines in this document, the “Certifire Approval” documents (CF) for the door leaf can be used as fire test evidence for the door leaf or door set and handed over to the customer or building owner.

Withdrawn: Advice for Building Owners of Multi-storey, Multi-occupied Residential Buildings

Advice for Building Owners of Multi-storey, Multi-occupied Residential Buildings.

This advice recognises that all building owners or those responsible for a building want to ensure their buildings are safe and have existing obligations in this regard.

Whilst this document is now withdrawn, it provides reference to previous requirements and a benchmark standard.

Withdrawn: Advice for Building Owners of Multi-storey, Multi-occupied Residential Buildings – Annex A

Annex A to Advice for Building Owners of Multi-storey, Multi-occupied Residential Buildings, dated January 2020.

This advice recognises that all building owners or those responsible for a building want to ensure their buildings are safe and have existing obligations in this regard. This supplementary note relates to elements of the advice which cover external wall systems, including balconies.

Whilst this document is now withdrawn, it provides reference to previous requirements and a benchmark standard.

Withdrawn: Advice for Building Owners of Multi-storey, Multi-occupied Residential Buildings – Supplementary Note

Supplementary note to Advice for Building Owners of Multi-storey, Multi-occupied Residential Buildings, dated January 2020.

This advice recognises that all building owners or those responsible for a building want to ensure their buildings are safe and have existing obligations in this regard. This supplementary note relates to elements of the advice which cover external wall systems, including balconies.

Whilst this document is now withdrawn, it provides reference to previous requirements and a benchmark standard.

IFSA Fact Sheet – Smoke Seals

The smoke control performance of a door assembly is defined by the “leakage” which the assembly allows when under a prescribed differential pressure. This leakage test is conducted separately from the fire resistance test and uses pressurised air rather than smoke. The suffix “S” is added to the fire resistance designation when the relevant door assembly has been tested under the conditions of BS 476-31.1 and meets the leakage criteria laid down in the relevant building codes. So “FD30S” for example, means an ambient temperature smoke control door with 30 minutes fire resistance.

IFSA Fact Sheet – Intumescents

Intumescent fire seals play a vital role in fire resisting doors, by expanding and closing the gap around the edge of the door in the event of a fire, not only restricting the passage of fire and hot smoke throughout the building but also applying pressure to the perimeter of the door which helps to resist movement as the exposed face chars and dehydrates.

This fact sheet explains how to correctly replace missing or damaged intumescent fire seals and some of the key items to consider in the replacement process.

ASDMA Fire Door Guide

Few who do not have direct involvement in the design, development and manufacturing of specialised custom-made fire safety doors can directly appreciate and understand how Specialist custom-made fire doors are made to order, to meet a specific requirement requested by a specifier acting on behalf of a responsible project client. They are individually specified products, concerning the full performance package required for the intended application together with the appearance and style required for the project.

Timber fire doors can be of three model types – flush doors and panel doors using bought-in fabricated door core blanks of various types and materials, or joinery doors made with traditional woodworking techniques using solid or fabricated timber-based raw materials, made in factory processes as proprietary constructions, validated by test.

ASDMA Installation Guide

The Architectural and Specialist Door Manufacturers Association was founded in 1990 to represent the custom-made door industry. One of its objectives is the promotion of best practice in the manufacture and installation of the industry’s products.

This guidance paper is designed to be of assistance during the planning and execution stages of contracts that involve installation of custom-made doors. Another guidance paper is available that deals with maintenance and troubleshooting door installations.

Installation of Fire Rated Doorsets

This manual will provide guidance for the preparation, installation and maintenance of a fire rated doorset or door assembly that uses a Falcon Panel Products’ door core or door blank.

Always follow the doorset manufacturer’s installation instructions. This manual is written to compliment general advice from manufacturers, but should not be used in isolation or as a substitute for manufacturer’s installation instructions.

Guidance on CE Marking, Third Party Testing, Assessment and Certification

This Technical Briefing has been written to explain the essential differences between CE marking, third party testing, assessment and certification. It has been written jointly by GAI (Guild of Architectural Ironmongers) and DHF (Door & Hardware Federation).

The CE mark is a legal declaration by a manufacturer that a product complies with one or more European single market directives or regulations. There are some two dozen of these, ranging from medical devices to toys. Products displaying the CE mark must be accepted on the market in all European countries (although national governments retain the ability to regulate how the products are used).

Door Closer Safety – 10 Point Checklist

The UK Government has issued building safety advice for building owners on the measures they should take to ensure their buildings are safe. This advice included specific information on fire doors. In Annex A, which provides advice on assurance and assessment of flat entrance fire doors it states the following:

“It is important that all fire doors, including the compulsory closers, are routinely maintained by a suitably qualified professional. Residents should be made aware of the importance of a working self-closing device on all fire doors which under any circumstances should not be altered.”

BWF Fire Door Alliance Fire Doors and Doorsets – Best Practice Guide

BWF Fire Door Alliance: The leading authority on fire door safety A fire door is a vital safety device engineered to save lives and property. The correct specification, supply, fitting and maintenance are critical and the responsibility of each and every person in the process.

It’s only when a fire breaks out that the consequences of poorly manufactured or fitted fire doors are known. This Best Practice Guide has been prepared by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF Fire Door Alliance) Fire Door Scheme. It is the complete reference source for everything that you and your customer need to know about third party certificated timber fire doors and doorsets.

A Guide for Selecting Flat Entrance Doorsets

Following the tragedy of Grenfell Tower in June 2017, several not for profit organisations with expertise in doorsets and fire safety have come together to provide guidance that will explain what to look for in a flat entrance doorset, how this relates to latest advice supplied by Government (MHCLG) and why third-party certification of fire doorset manufacture, installation and maintenance is a critical part of fire protection.

This guidance only applies when specifying, purchasing, or installing new doorsets.

Door Chains and Limiters

The need for a specification for door chains, limiters, etc. arose because such products were increasingly being referred to in other standards, codes of practice, and such, but there was no official guidance to indicate what level of performance they should achieve.

The first version addressed this need but was far too complicated with up to 5 grades in each category, whereas all that specifiers wanted it seems, were simple pass/fail criteria. This latest version does not have any grades, nor does it have requirements for suitability for use on fire/smoke doors, or corrosion resistance. As a result, it is easier to understand and the cost of testing is considerably reduced.

Door Viewers

For many years now, door viewers have been referred to in standards, codes of practice, etc but without any official guidance to indicate how well they should perform or how their performance should be measured. This Technical Specification was written to address those issues and provide manufacturers and specifiers with a means to distinguish “fit for purpose” products from cheap “look-alikes”.

TS 002 has been available on the dhf website since November 2005 and whilst there does not appear to be a strong enough case for a British Standard, interested parties within the security industry continue to show support and it is in response to those interests that this revision has been prepared.

Enhanced Specification For Doorsets

Specification for enhanced lifetime & severe duty performance of hinged and pivoted doorsets.

This performance specification does not replace any existing performance specification. Approval against the requirements of this performance specification was possible from 2010.

Door and Window Bolts

This dhf best practice guide is one of a series addressing the major issues that should be considered when specifying, ordering or using the products it describes. It aims to provide the read with a concise document which includes a summary of relevant sections from the new European product standards.

Door Co-ordinator Devices

This dhf best practice guide is one of a series addressing the major issues that should be considered when specifying, ordering or using the products it describes. It aims to provide the read with a concise document which includes a summary of relevant sections from the new European product standards.

Controlled Door Closing Devices

This dhf best practice guide is one of a series addressing the major issues that should be considered when specifying, ordering or using the products it describes. It aims to provide the read with a concise document which includes a summary of relevant sections from the new European product standards.

Electromagnetic Locking Devices

This dhf best practice guide is one of a series addressing the major issues that should be considered when specifying, ordering or using the products it describes. It aims to provide the read with a concise document which includes a summary of relevant sections from the new European product standards.

Panic and Emergency Exit Devices

This dhf best practice guide is one of a series addressing the major issues that should be considered when specifying, ordering or using the products it describes. It aims to provide the read with a concise document which includes a summary of relevant sections from the new European product standards.

Specifying Security Hardware for Doors

A guide for security and building professionals, installers and locksmiths produced by dhf and The Glass and Glazing Federation.

Members of the dhf Building Hardware Group have been working with the authorities to set new lock performance standards and quality marks for products that resist attack. The Glass & Glazing Federation (GGF) say all glazed doors must be glazed in accordance with the relevant part of the Building Regulation or Standards in relation to safety glazing. This guide provides an at-a-glance summary of both the new and existing standards that cover door security, along with a description of the products available that meet those standards.