The British
Woodworking Federation has written an open letter to local authorities claiming
criticising the delay in replacing faulty fire doors.
The federation said
it has chosen to write to councils after the Government recently confirmed that
timber fire doors exceeded the required 30-minute fire performance standard.
The recent results
from MHCLG have confirmed that timber fire doors are high performing compared
to GRP doors, and are readily available. This is contrary to claims from
certain councils that supply cannot meet demand, says the BWF.
The
letter states: "We are very concerned that the
mistakes that led to inadequate fire doors being installed in Grenfell Tower
and elsewhere will persist unless decisive action is taken.
"Kensington and Chelsea Council recently claimed that it has been
unable to replace the 4,000 fire doors within its housing stock due to a lack
of ‘reliable products’. This was closely followed by Brighton and Hove
Council’s announcement that thousands of Manse Masterdor fire doors – those
that have failed 30-minute fire resistance tests – are installed throughout its
multi-occupancy properties but are yet to be replaced.
"These non-compliant fire doors are not being replaced immediately
because councils have had little actionable guidance as to which doors are safe
to use and how replacement costs should be covered. This has been in part due
to the ongoing Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG)
investigation into the burn time of fire doors."
James
Brokenshire, former Secretary of State for the MHCLG announced the results of
the investigation in mid-July, saying that he was “pleased
to report that all [timber fire doors] have succeeded in meeting the required
30-minute fire performance standard”. He went on to say that an expert
panel had “concluded that they do not believe
there is a performance concern with timber fire doors across industry, where
they are purchased directly from the manufacturer and produced to
specification.”
The BWF
letter states that the MHCLG investigation found that all timber fire doors met
required standards, exceeding the minimum 30-minute burn time requirement. This
is in direct contrast to glass reinforced polymer foam filled fire doors – the
type recovered from Grenfell tower, which initiated this investigation - three
quarters of which failed MHCLG tests in results published earlier this year.
"To
suggest that quality, compliant fire doors are not available and ready for
installation is simply untrue and must stop being used as an excuse for
delaying replacement," it adds. "For over 22 years the BWF Fire Door
Alliance scheme has ensured the quality, safety and traceability of fire doors
through third party certification. The scheme’s vision is that every fire
door or fire doorset sold in the UK meets and exceeds required standards
throughout its service life. Of course, correct installation and maintenance
play a vital role."
The
BWF is urging those responsible for the fire safety of
buildings to review the test and certification documents that support the
performance of their fire doors to ensure people’s lives are not put at risk.
