/// Passive fire protection in Islington
Islington is full of Georgian and Victorian terraces that were divided into flats long before today's fire safety rules, alongside mansion blocks, council estates and offices around Angel and Old Street. Our office is on City Road, EC1V, so most of the borough is close by.
The common thread in Islington buildings is age. Doors have been painted over, planed down and re-hung for decades, and services have been added and rerouted through floors many times. That's where the fire safety gaps tend to hide.
Fire doors in Islington
Period flat front doors often look solid but were never fire doors, or have been altered so they no longer perform. We check every door against what it should be, explain plainly which ones can be repaired or upgraded and which need replacing with a certified fire door, and record it all in an inspection report you can give to your fire risk assessor.
Fire stopping and compartmentation in Islington
In converted buildings the floor between flats is often the only fire barrier, and it is full of old pipe runs and cable holes. Basement and ground-floor meter positions are another common problem. We fire stop service penetrations and compartment meter cupboards so each flat is properly separated.
What we check in Islington buildings
- Original panelled front doors: whether they are fire doors at all
- Gaps at the head and sides after years of planing and repainting
- Floors between flats: holes around soil pipes, gas pipes and cables
- Basement meter cupboards and the doors in front of them
- Communal stair doors: closers, latches and smoke seals
Rules that apply to Islington buildings
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Requires a fire risk assessment for the common parts of blocks of flats and all non-domestic buildings, including flat entrance doors since the Fire Safety Act 2021.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
Over 11 metres: communal fire doors checked every three months, flat entrance doors yearly (best endeavours).
BS 8214:2016
The code of practice for specifying, installing and maintaining timber fire door assemblies.
Nearby areas we cover: Hackney Camden City of London