Friday 18th September, 2026
Illustration by TEAM Safety Services Ltd.
Fire Door Safety Week, taking place this year from 21st–25th September, is an important reminder of the role fire doors play in protecting people, property and escape routes.
But fire door safety isn't something that should only receive attention during an awareness week, or when an inspection is due.
Fire doors are used every day. They can be damaged, altered, obstructed or incorrectly maintained, and seemingly small changes can affect their ability to perform as intended in the event of a fire.
This Fire Door Safety Week, we're encouraging organisations to look beyond the inspection itself and ask a bigger question:
What are you doing to manage your fire doors throughout the year?
Here are some practical areas to consider.
1. Know what you're looking for
You don't need to be a fire door specialist to recognise that something might need further investigation.
When carrying out day-to-day visual checks around your premises, look out for obvious signs of damage or deterioration, including:
If something doesn't look right, report it rather than waiting for the next formal inspection.
2. Check that doors can actually close
One of the simplest things you can observe is whether a fire door closes properly.
Where a fire door is fitted with a self-closing device, it should be able to close into the frame from an open position without being prevented by an obstruction or fault.
Everyday activity can introduce problems. Furniture may be moved, flooring replaced or objects positioned in the path of a door.
Make checking fire doors part of routine building management rather than something considered only at inspection time.
Illustration by TEAM Safety Services Ltd.
3. Don't ignore the inspection report
A fire door inspection shouldn't end when the report arrives.
The findings need to be reviewed, understood and, where necessary, acted upon.
Consider:
What issues have been identified?
Which require priority action?
Who is responsible for arranging remedial work?
When will that work be completed?
How will completion be recorded and verified?
A report sitting in a folder doesn't resolve the risks identified within it. Having a clear process for assigning, monitoring and closing actions helps turn inspection findings into meaningful improvements.
4. Look for recurring problems
If the same problems keep appearing, consider why.
A fire door that is repeatedly wedged open, for example, could indicate a wider operational issue. Staff may be moving equipment through the area frequently, the door may be inconvenient for normal building use, or people may simply not understand why keeping it closed matters.
Rather than continually correcting the behaviour, identifying the reason behind it may help you find a more effective solution.
Inspection findings can therefore provide useful insight into how fire safety is working in practice – not simply whether individual components pass or fail.
Illustration by TEAM Safety Services Ltd.
5. Consider the impact of building works
Maintenance and refurbishment can unintentionally affect existing fire-safety measures.
Installing new access-control equipment, locks, signage or other hardware on or around a fire door should be carefully considered.
The same applies to the wider compartmentation of a building. New cables, pipes and services passing through fire-resisting walls or floors can create penetrations that need to be appropriately managed.
Good communication between contractors, facilities teams and those responsible for fire safety can help prevent essential safety measures being inadvertently compromised.
6. Help your people recognise a problem
Fire Door Safety Week is also a useful opportunity to improve awareness across your organisation.
The people who use a building every day are often well placed to notice when something has changed.
Employees, residents and building users don't need detailed technical knowledge, but they can be encouraged to recognise obvious warning signs and know how to report them.
Consider using Fire Door Safety Week to share a simple internal reminder about:
Creating a culture where people feel responsible for reporting problems can add another layer to your organisation's fire-safety arrangements.
7. Keep records and follow up
Good record keeping is an important part of effective fire-safety management.
Keep appropriate records of inspections, identified defects, remedial works and subsequent checks.
This doesn't just provide an audit trail. Over time, records can help identify recurring issues, problem areas or doors that may require more frequent attention.
Most importantly, make sure actions are followed through.
Identify - Record - Assign - Resolve - Review
Make Fire Door Safety Week a starting point
Awareness campaigns are valuable because they encourage us to stop and consider risks that can easily become part of the background of everyday building management.
But the real value comes from what happens afterwards.
Use Fire Door Safety Week as an opportunity to walk around your premises. Look at your fire doors. Review outstanding inspection actions. Speak to the people responsible for your buildings. Remind employees and residents what they should report.
And then keep those conversations going after the week has finished.
Because effective fire-door management isn't a once-a-year exercise.
Illustration by TEAM Safety Services Ltd.
How TEAM Safety Services can help
If Fire Door Safety Week has prompted you to review your organisation's current arrangements, TEAM Safety Services can help you understand where you stand and what action may be required.
Our experienced fire-safety professionals support organisations across a wide range of sectors with services including Fire Door Inspections, Fire Risk Assessments, Fire Strategy, Fire Safety Consultancy, Fire Safety Training, PEEPs and RPEEPs, resident engagement and fire-safety eLearning.
From identifying potential risks and providing clear recommendations to improving fire-safety knowledge across your organisation, our focus is on helping you move beyond simply completing a compliance exercise towards actively managing fire safety.
This Fire Door Safety Week, take a closer look at the doors you pass through every day.
They may be easy to overlook, but when they're needed, their role couldn't be more important.
Need support reviewing your fire-safety arrangements? Get in touch with TEAM Safety Services to speak to our experienced team.
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