Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person is the person or organisation with legal responsibility for fire safety within a premises.

Depending on the circumstances, this may be the employer, building owner, landlord, occupier, or another person who has control of the premises.

The Responsible Person must ensure that appropriate fire safety measures are in place and maintained. This includes carrying out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, identifying and managing fire risks, and ensuring that necessary fire precautions are maintained.

Failure to comply with these legal duties can result in enforcement action, significant fines and, in serious cases, imprisonment.

If you have control of a premise, it is important to establish whether you are the Responsible Person and understand the duties that apply to you.

Recent Fire Safety Prosecutions

Regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 applies specifically to the Responsible Person for certain multi-occupied residential buildings in England.

The Regulation 10 fire-door inspection requirements apply where:

• The building contains two or more sets of domestic premises.
• There are common parts through which residents would need to evacuate.
• The top storey is more than 11 metres above ground level.

Where these conditions apply, the Responsible Person must:

• Check fire doors in communal areas at least every three months.
• Use best endeavours to check flat entrance fire doors at least every 12 months.
• Check that self-closing devices are working effectively.
• Record the checks and any action taken to address defects.

What about the flat entrance doors?

A flat entrance fire door is an important part of the building's fire safety and should be maintained in an effective condition. Responsibility for the door should be established between the Responsible Person, building owner/landlord and leaseholder, as applicable.

The Regulation 10 requirements should not be confused with the wider duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which may apply to other types of premises and buildings.

Important: The 11-metre threshold applies to the specific Regulation 10 inspection requirements. It does not mean that fire doors below 11 metres in buildings can be ignored. Fire doors should still be considered and maintained as part of the building's fire risk assessment and wider fire safety duties.

A competent person is someone with the appropriate knowledge, skills, training and experience to carry out a specific fire safety task safely and effectively.

For fire-door inspections, using a suitably competent and independent third party can provide an objective assessment and help to identify defects or areas requiring attention.

3CO can support you by providing independent, competent fire-door inspections, helping you meet your responsibilities and maintain effective fire safety standards.

If a fire and rescue authority identifies fire safety deficiencies, it may provide advice or take formal enforcement action under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (as amended).

There are several levels of action:

Informal advice – For minor issues, an inspecting officer may provide verbal advice and ask the Responsible Person to take corrective action.

Non-statutory notice – For more significant deficiencies that do not present a serious risk, the authority may issue a written notice identifying the issues and the action required.

Alterations Notice – May be issued where premises present a serious risk to relevant persons, or where proposed changes to the premises or its use could create such a risk.

Enforcement Notice – May be served where the Responsible Person has failed to comply with the Fire Safety Order or relevant fire safety regulations. The notice will identify the breach and specify what must be done to remedy it and by when.

Prohibition Notice – The most serious form of statutory enforcement. It may be served where the risk to relevant persons is so serious that the use of the premises, or part of it, should be prohibited or restricted. A prohibition notice can take effect immediately.

Failure to comply with a statutory notice is a criminal offence and may result in prosecution and significant penalties.

The key message: enforcement action is intended to secure compliance and protect people from fire risk. The Responsible Person remains responsible for ensuring that identified deficiencies are addressed.

1. Contain Fire – Fire doors help compartmentalise a building, limiting the spread of fire and protecting escape routes.
2. Control Smoke – Smoke can spread rapidly through a building. Properly installed and maintained fire doors help restrict the movement of smoke and hot gases.
3. Provide Valuable Time – Fire doors are designed and tested to provide fire resistance for a specified period, helping to slow the spread of fire and giving occupants more time to escape.
4. Protect Escape Routes – By limiting the spread of fire and smoke, fire doors help keep designated escape routes safer and more usable during an emergency.
5. Limit Property Damage – Effective fire compartmentation can help contain fire and smoke to a smaller area, potentially reducing damage to the building and its contents.
6. Support Legal Compliance – Fire doors form an important part of fire safety arrangements in many buildings. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (as amended) requires the Responsible Person to ensure that appropriate fire precautions are provided and maintained.

A fire door only provides the protection it was designed to provide when it is correctly installed, maintained and kept in effective working order.

Smoke is often underestimated during a fire however it is the main killer in many fire-related incidents. At 3CO Fire Protection, we understand the critical importance of protecting against smoke as well as flames.

Not all Fire Doors are created equal when it comes to smoke protection. Many standard Fire Doors may not effectively prevent the spread of smoke that’s why we offer specialised upgrades to enhance the smoke protection capabilities of existing Fire Doors.

Upgrading existing Fire Doors is a more affordable option compared to replacing them entirely. 3CO can enhance your smoke protection at a fraction of the cost of installing new Fire Door sets.

Smoke is often underestimated during a fire, yet it can spread rapidly through a building and presents a serious risk to life.

Effective fire doors can help restrict the movement of smoke as well as fire.

Not all fire doors provide the same level of smoke protection. Where an existing fire door set is suitable for upgrading, additional measures such as smoke seals may improve its ability to restrict smoke spread.

At 3CO Fire Protection, we can assess existing fire doors and identify where improvements may be required. Where suitable, upgrading components can be a more cost-effective option than replacing an otherwise serviceable fire door set.

Protecting against fire means protecting against smoke too!

At 3CO Fire Protection, we provide two levels of Fire Door Surveys: Non-Intrusive and Intrusive. Each survey is designed to provide an appropriate level of assessment depending on the condition, age, construction and requirements of the fire doors.

Non-Intrusive Fire Door Survey
A non-intrusive survey is a detailed visual inspection carried out without removing components of the fire door set. Our surveyors assess the accessible elements of the door, frame, seals, hinges, closers, glazing, gaps, signage and other relevant components to identify visible defects or concerns.

Intrusive Fire Door Survey
An intrusive survey includes all checks undertaken during a non-intrusive survey, with additional inspection of concealed or inaccessible elements where required. This may involve carefully removing architraves or other components to inspect areas such as intumescent protection, frame construction and linear gap seals.

Where minor disturbance is necessary, this will be carried out as carefully as possible. Any damage caused by the survey process will be reported and, where agreed, made good following the survey.

Our surveys provide a clear assessment of the condition of your fire doors and help identify defects, maintenance requirements and areas requiring further investigation or remedial work.

3CO Fire Door Survey Description

• Fire Door Surveys – Non-intrusive and intrusive surveys to assess the condition, performance and compliance of fire doors.
• Fire Door Upgrades – Upgrades to improve fire and smoke protection where appropriate.
• Fire Door Installations
• Maintenance Plans
  • Bronze – Essential fire door maintenance
  • Silver – Enhanced protection and maintenance
  • Gold Flame – Comprehensive fire door protection and peace of mind
  • Homeowner – Affordable fire safety for your home
• Remedial Works – Repair and replacement of defective fire door components.
• Golden Thread Digital Reports – Clear, accessible records of fire door information and works.
• Installation & Maintenance Certification
• Certified Fire Door Inspections