Competence - Not Compliance Alone

Nicola John, Managing Director of FDM Training & Development, explains why fire door inspection schemes should remain independent and why quality training sits at the heart of building safety.

Fire door inspection schemes are becoming more common as the industry responds to tighter regulations and growing scrutiny. It can be tempting to think that joining a scheme is the only way to demonstrate competence and ensure safety, but the reality is more nuanced.

The most effective schemes accept recognised training from any provider. They look at competence as a whole, reviewing...

A BURNING ISSUE - FIRE SAFETY & SOCIAL HOUSING

Three years on from regulations, landmark data reveals 65% of social housing fire doors fail safety standards

Sentry Fire Safety Group (Sentry) today published the findings from its comprehensive nine-month investigation into the safety of social housing fire doors across England. The report, A BURNING ISSUE: The Reality of Fire Door Safety in Social Housing, reveals systemic shortcomings in fulfilling the requirements of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. It highlights a clear gap between the intent of post-Grenfell fire safety legislation and reality – a gap that leaves residents exposed to avoidable risk.

Based on Freedom of Information (FOI) data from 88% of...

Rethinking Fire Door Safety

Sue Corrick of Allegion UK discusses a dangerous inconsistency in fire door safety and how Allegion’s team of experts are supporting professionals by closing knowledge gaps.

Whether it’s boiling the kettle, charging your phone or changing a lightbulb, it’s second nature to be cautious when handling a potentially dangerous object. We learn these habits early and it helps foster a culture where the risk of common appliances, technologies and commodities are routinely recognised. However, there’s another everyday item that often gets overlooked and doesn’t receive...

Digital Inspection Records: Bringing Control to Fire Door Compliance

Contactless Check Solutions (CCS) is the longest-established digital fire door data platform in the UK. Supporting over eight million fire door inspections, CCS provides operational insight for organisations managing fire door compliance across complex estates.

Fire door inspections generate large volumes of safety-critical information. The challenge is not collecting data...

PYROGUARD INVESTS IN INDIA WITH NEW MANUFACTURING PARTNERSHIP TO SUPPORT GROWING DEMAND FOR FIRE-RATED GLAZING

Pyroguard, the world’s leading independent provider of fire safety glass, has established a new manufacturing partnership with South Glass in India as part of its strategic expansion to support increasing demand across India and the Middle East.

This investment reinforces Pyroguard’s long-term commitment to the Indian market and strengthens its operational presence in the region. The collaboration will enable shorter lead times and enhanced local technical and sales support, while ensuring full compliance with Indian building and fire safety standards alongside Pyroguard’s globally recognised performance benchmarks.

With a dedicated manufacturing base in India, Pyroguard will be better positioned to collaborate closely with...

Sustainable Timber Fire Doors: Why Material Choice Matters

Across social housing, education estates and local authority buildings, sustainability now sits alongside compliance, performance and cost in fire door specification. The material within the doorset, specifically its core, influences both environmental

impact and long-term performance. It shapes how the door performs in everyday use and in the event of a fire.

Timber fire doorsets offer clear sustainability benefits...

Collaboration is key to driving fire safety, says Fire Aware

Supply chain partners working closely together across multiple sectors can help ensure our buildings are safe for those moving about in them, says growing safety body Fire Aware.

Collaborating on issues including legislation, supply of products and new innovations can all help to create a safer outcome across many sectors facing challenging times, it says.

CEO Gavin Skelly...

PAS 2000:2026 and the end of the “Frankenstein doorset”

The publication of PAS 2000:2026 “Bringing safe construction products to market”, marks a significant shift in how construction products are assessed, specified and justified across the UK housing sector. While the Code of Practice applies to all construction products, its implications are particularly important for residential and multi-occupancy projects, where the need for demonstrable safety, compliance and accountability continues to intensify.

At its core, PAS 2000 moves the industry away from assumptions and fragmented evidence towards clear, verifiable proof that products are safe for their intended use. For specifiers and responsible persons, product claims can no longer be taken at face...

Safety is now a duty of care across multiple sectors, says Fire Aware

The cultural change needed to bring about a shift in fire safety starts with a recognition of a duty of care by all of those responsible across multiple sectors, says growing fire safety body Fire Aware.

Everyone involved in the design, construction, maintenance and letting of the built environment needs to understand that they have an obligation to fire safety even if their business is not directly connected with fire specialisms...

Data Driven Fire Door Safety

Sue Corrick of Allegion UK reviews the expanding role of digital information in building safety and how its use is transforming fire door hardware from passive fire protection to an active data source.

Data drives informed decisions, and in the built environment, the role of information is growing. Where fire safety is paramount to building design, the adoption of digital practice - combined with modern legislation - proceeds to have a greater impact on standards and is reshaping the landscape as we know it.

Before the tragic events of the Grenfell Tower fire, the fire door safety...

How the new project data standard ends the ‘reporting fatigue’ of fire door inspections

For fire safety managers and building compliance officers, the monthly reporting ritual is a well-known source of fatigue. You pull fire door inspection records from one system, maintenance logs from another, and compliance documentation from a third. You spend hours, sometimes a day, massaging mismatched data into a spreadsheet, only to find the figures rarely line-up.

In the context of fire door safety, fragmented data is more than an administrative burden, it’s a potential risk. When records are siloed, the gap between a defect being spotted and a door being repaired widens.

The Government’s Programme and Project Data Standard, launched by Government Project Delivery (GPD) and the National Infrastructure...

Tradition Meets Tech: How Joinerysoft’s Journey Mirrors the Evolution of Fire Door Compliance

Fire door manufacturing is no longer simply a matter of skilled joinery — it is a matter of provable compliance.

In recent years, the regulatory landscape surrounding fire safety has tightened significantly, with greater scrutiny placed on accountability, traceability and demonstrable compliance throughout the supply chain. Further regulatory changes are anticipated, reinforcing the need for manufacturers to evidence that their doorsets remain within tested and certified parameters...