September 21 to 25 is Fire Door Safety Week.
Fire safety remains a consideration for building owners, designers, specifiers and facilities managers, says ASSA ABLOY Door Group, an arm of the physical security product multi-national. Statistics from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show that Fire and Rescue Services attended 39,859 building fires in England in the year ending March 2026.ย Building fires accounted for 23 per cent of all fires attended, highlighting the continued importance of ensuring fire doors are correctly specified, installed and maintained to help support fire safety in buildings, the firm says.
In March 2026, revisions were made to BS 8214:2026 Fire-resisting and smoke-control doors: Practical considerations concerning specification, design and performance in use. The new code of practice provides updated guidance to help those responsible for fire doors make informed decisions around their specification, installation and maintenance.
The firm points to the standardโs broader scope, and while the previous edition focused primarily on timber-based fire doors, BS 8214:2026 extends its guidance to doorsets made from a wider range of materials, notably timber, steel, aluminium and composite constructions. The updated guidance is intended to support those involved in the design, specification, installation and maintenance of fire doors, helping to address knowledge gaps and support effective performance throughout a doorsetโsservice life.
The revised standard also places greater emphasis on the performance of the complete doorset, highlighting the importance of ensuring that individual components, including the door leaf, frame, hinges, seals, glazing, closing devices and associated hardware, are compatible and work together as part of the tested and approved assembly.
Locking systems and associated hardware are also considerations when specifying a complete doorset. The revised guidance reinforces the need to consider smoke-control performance where required, helping to minimise the risk of smoke spread through a building. Smoke inhalation is a leading cause of death in fires, underlining the importance of considering both fire resistance and smoke control when specifying fire doors.
The updated standard aligns with the wider focus on accountability and the management of safety-critical information introduced through the Fire Safety Act 2021 and Building Safety Act 2022. It also supports the industry’s continued focus on maintaining clear information throughout the lifecycle of safety-critical building products.
The firm offers an Opening Studio app, which captures information from initial specification through to installation and product in service. By supporting the traceability of product information throughout a doorsetโs lifecycle, the app can help building managers access and manage important information at stages of a project, the firm adds. Door Group offers testing and maintenance services. Its maintenance packs include quality and safety checks that can be carried out at regular intervals according to individual requirements, providing guidance aligned with BS 8214:2026. The firm is encouraging building managers to use the updated standard as an opportunity to review fire door specification, installation and maintenance practices, helping to improve fire safety and support accountability across the building lifecycle.
Kevin Campbell, Sales Director at ASSA ABLOY Door Group, said: โThe revision to BS 8214 reinforces the need for fire doors to be correctly specified, installed and maintained, with the performance of the complete doorset considered throughout its service life.
โUnderstanding how individual components interact and ensuring that the correct, compatible hardware is specified is essential to achieving the required level of performance. BS 8214:2026 provides valuable guidance for those involved in the design, specification and management of buildings, helping them make informed decisions that can reduce risk and support better fire safety outcomes.
โFire Door Safety Week provides an important opportunity to raise awareness of these issues and share knowledge across the industry. At ASSA ABLOY Door Group, we believe that providing the right knowledge, products and technical support is an important part of improving fire-door safety and helping to protect people and buildings.โ
