Nicola John, Managing Director at Fire Door Maintenance (FDM by UAP Ltd), explores why fire door competency must become the cornerstone of building safety — and how FDM is setting a new industry benchmark with practical training, innovative digital tools, and a first-of-its-kind platform that supports accountability and access for all.
Fire safety doesn’t always look heroic. Sometimes, it’s simply a door. Fire doors are one of the most effective forms of passive fire protection we have — and one of the most misunderstood. They sit in buildings across the UK, largely unnoticed, until something goes wrong. When they work, they save lives. But far too often, they don’t.
We know this because the data is telling us. And we know this because Grenfell made it impossible to ignore.
The scale of the challenge
Around three million new fire doors are installed in the UK every year, but the problem isn’t how many doors we’re fitting — it’s how few are being maintained, checked and signed off by people with the right training.
An estimated 600,000 fire doors in the UK need remediation. In housing, healthcare, education, and commercial properties, doors are damaged, misaligned, incorrectly fitted, or simply not compliant. These are the kinds of issues that compromise their performance in seconds.
Since the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force, buildings over 11 metres tall are now required to have quarterly checks on communal fire doors and annual checks on flat entrance doors. Across the UK’s housing stock, that means an estimated 3.5 billion inspections every year — and that’s before factoring in care homes, hospitals, schools, and offices.
Yet the industry isn’t ready. We don’t have enough trained people to meet that demand. In many cases, we don’t even have consistent standards for what a ‘trained’ professional looks like.
Grenfell was not a one-off
The 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower exposed systemic failures in building safety, from cladding to communication. But fire doors played a role, too.
Many of the flat entrance doors failed far earlier than expected. Some lasted just 15 minutes in conditions they were rated to withstand for 30. Some didn’t self-close. Others lacked the appropriate seals. It all meant that smoke poured into common areas and escape routes were compromised.
Subsequent inquiry reports confirmed that several doors installed didn’t match the versions tested by the manufacturer. There were installation errors, design flaws, and oversight gaps.
The tragedy prompted 15 specific recommendations related to fire doors. These included tighter inspection protocols, clearer lines of accountability, and better information for residents. The government accepted them; but, years later, many of these changes remain in consultation.
What’s missing? Competency.
Doors fail when they’re poorly installed. When gaps aren’t measured, seals aren’t replaced, or closers aren’t tested. When installers are rushed, or undertrained, or under pressure to move on to the next job. When checks become tick-box exercises.
Many of the people responsible for inspecting, installing, and maintaining fire doors don’t have specialist training. Some are general contractors, caretakers, facilities staff, or even volunteers. And without the right knowledge, the risk remains.
Fire door safety is being regulated like never before. But unless we close the competency gap, enforcement alone won’t solve this. We need a trained, qualified, and confident workforce that knows what to look for, how to fix it, and when to escalate concerns. And we need to value that knowledge as the frontline safety role it truly is.
The competency pipeline isn’t there yet
The uncomfortable truth is this: the UK does not currently have the training capacity to meet its fire door inspection and maintenance obligations.
And this isn’t just a resourcing issue. It’s about approach. In too many cases, fire door qualifications are basic, fragmented, or outdated. Training is theoretical rather than practical. Courses are focused on awareness rather than hands-on understanding. And when people do complete training, there’s little accountability for how that knowledge is applied in the field.
We need to build a pipeline of fire door professionals — not just paper-qualified inspectors, installers, and maintainers, but skilled individuals who understand why each element of a fire door matters, and how it performs in real conditions.
That means raising the standard of qualifications and designing training that reflects real-world risk. It means shifting from compliance culture to competence culture, where understanding isn’t just assumed but demonstrated.
Competency in fire door maintenance needs to be seen as essential, not optional, starting with the way we talk about passive fire protection and shifting mindsets. Fire doors are life-saving systems and should be treated with the same seriousness as any other emergency measure. That means clear guidance, adequate funding, and appropriate training backed by accountability.
Competency should never be an afterthought. It should be the first question asked when a new door is fitted, or an existing one is inspected and maintained.
FDM is leading this change. Not content with ticking boxes, the team has developed training that goes beyond industry standards — combining theory with hands-on practice to ensure professionals leave not just qualified, but genuinely competent.
To support those already in the field, FDM is developing an easy-to-use app that puts vital information at professionals’ fingertips, bridging the gap between classroom learning and on-site application. And in a first for the industry, it has created a universal platform where individuals can demonstrate their competency on site. This isn’t just a one-off solution, it’s an end-to-end system of support, accountability, and access that the sector has needed for far too long.
FDM recently launched a new Level 3 Diploma in the Inspection of Fire Resistant Doorsets — the most comprehensive qualification of its kind in the UK. Developed in partnership with GQA Qualifications and the National Skills Centre, the diploma blends legislative understanding with real-world application, offering 313 guided learning hours across 12 units.
Crucially, it includes onsite assessments featuring different types of doorsets, carried out by FDM assessors based at the specialist facility — the UK’s first practical training centre. It’s a step towards professionalising the industry, giving learners the time, tools, and environment they need to build confidence and competence that goes with them beyond the classroom, to the sites they work on. It marks another chapter in FDM’s work to close the competency gap, with more to come.
What good looks like
Competency in fire door safety isn’t just technical — it’s behavioural. It’s knowing the difference between a minor defect and a critical failure, or when to raise a flag. And it’s having the confidence to challenge decisions that compromise safety.
That takes more than a one-day course. It takes structured, experiential training, delivered by people who understand the risks, the regulations, and the realities of managing buildings day to day.
It also takes consistency. Not every site is the same, but the standard we work to should be.
Five things the industry needs next
The post-Grenfell regulatory landscape has brought long-overdue attention to the role of fire doors in protecting life and property. But while new legislation has set out clear expectations, turning those into everyday reality on the ground is a different challenge altogether. Too many buildings still fall through the cracks, and too many professionals lack the clarity, training, or accountability needed to get it right.
If we’re serious about change, it’s time to move beyond good intentions. To meet the expectations set out by recent legislation, and to do right by the lessons of Grenfell, we need action on five fronts:
- Mandatory minimum qualifications for anyone installing, inspecting, and maintaining fire doors.
It’s no longer enough to rely on experience alone. The complexities of fire door design, installation, and compliance demand a recognised level of technical knowledge. Minimum qualifications would provide a clear benchmark, reassuring residents and regulators alike that work has been carried out to a consistent, high standard. Without that, we’re gambling with safety.
- A centralised register of competent fire door professionals, accessible and transparent.
Right now, it’s hard to know who is truly qualified to carry out fire door work. A single, up-to-date register that is independently verified and publicly accessible would help housing providers, building owners, and residents identify professionals they can trust. It would also help to drive up standards across the industry by rewarding those who invest in their training and accreditation.
- Standardised training frameworks recognised across the UK.
We can’t build a safer industry on a patchwork of inconsistent training routes. Clear, nationally recognised frameworks are essential in ensuring everyone is working to the same level, and that qualifications mean the same thing and carry the same weight wherever you are in the UK. Whether we’re talking about inspectors in Lanarkshire or installers in Leeds, the baseline of knowledge should be consistent.
- Investment in training capacity — particularly for housing providers and social landlords.
There’s no point mandating qualifications and training without giving people the means to access them. That’s especially true for stretched teams in housing associations and local authorities, where capacity and cost are often barriers to upskilling. If we’re serious about raising standards, we need to make sure the training is there — and that it’s affordable, accessible, and scalable.
- Clear enforcement structures so that failure to meet inspection, installation, and maintenance duties carries real consequences.
The post-Grenfell landscape has seen new rules and responsibilities introduced, but too often, enforcement is vague or inconsistent. We need clear lines of accountability and a willingness to act when things go wrong. Without robust enforcement, legislation risks becoming a box-ticking exercise — and residents remain at risk.
The longer we wait, the greater the risk. We can’t afford a situation where lives depend on doors, and no one knows who signed them off. These five areas aren’t optional upgrades: they’re essential foundations for a culture of competence and accountability. And they need to happen now.
Bracing for change
The sector has made progress. But progress is not enough.
We’ve seen what happens when standards slip. We’ve heard the stories, read the reports, seen the footage. We know how quickly smoke spreads; how many minutes matter. So, there’s no going backward: only forward.
That means building an industry where competence is the norm, and where people are trusted because they’re trained — not just because they’ve been doing the job for years. Where fire doors are recognised for what they are: the last line of defence between a fire and the people inside. And where those responsible for safety are never left to guess. The stakes are too high for ambiguity, shortcuts, or silence.
We owe it to every resident, every building user, and every family affected by fire to get this right. That starts with people who know what they’re doing — and have been given the tools, training, and time to do it properly.
