We recently received the following question from a lot owner about apartment fire regulations. Peter Berney, Solutions in Engineering has provided the following response.
Question: What are the rules on fitting a security door to the front entrance door of a unit? Does this breach apartment fire regulations?
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What are the rules on fitting a security door to the entrance door of a unit? Does this breach apartment fire regulations?
A while ago in our NSW strata building, another owner and I got permission to fit security mesh doors to our balconies. However, the other lot owner also had one fitted to their entrance door which was not part of the permission.
The fire safety inspector objected but somehow this owner (who happens to be on the committee) and the Strata Manager, buried the issue. That Strata Manager has now left. My query is whether that’s legitimate in NSW?
In case of a fire, doesn’t that hamper firefighters entering the unit? Will that affect the insurance of the building in any way?
Answer: The NSW Fire Brigade recommend against security doors being fitted and for good reason as they would hamper the fire and rescue services.
The NSW Fire Brigade recommend against security doors being fitted and for good reason as they would hamper the fire and rescue services. Also the ‘ideal’ of compartmentalisation would be lost as the fire could either start in the unit and then easily spread as it’s not being contained within the unit it started and/or enter the unit because the fire door may not be shut resulting in what could have been a preventable disaster. I can’t think of any legitimate reason to fit a security door in front of a fire door, other than to allow ventilation meaning the fire door is open meaning it is now rendered ineffective.
However in saying that and with the EP&A Regs 2000 Division 7 in mind, I do not know of any specific regulation that states unit security doors are not to be installed and I do not know if this would affect the building insurance but if this was my scheme that is the first question I’d be asking the insurers before fitting any door in front of a fire door.
Please see this FactSheet from NSW Fire and Rescue: Safe living in high rise buildings:
“The front door of your apartment should be a certified fire resistant door. Making alterations to the front door can make it unsafe in the event of a fire. Check with your building management before making alterations.”
This post appears in Strata News # 173.
Read next:
Peter Berney
National Business Development Manager
Solutions in Engineering
T: 1300 136 036
E: peter@solutionsinengineering.com
This article is not intended to be personal advice and you should not rely on it as a substitute for any form of advice.
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Are all units required to have a fire door? our block is a 1960’s and only have ordinary wood doors that actually do not fit correctly, our body corp[orate are very loath to spend any money on anything if they can avoid it. Is the fire door the owners or strata’s responsibility?
Hi Beverley
Thanks for the question. We have received the following comment back from Peter Berney, Solutions In Engineering:
The requirements or otherwise of fire doors is clear. They must be maintained as approved at the time the building was passed for occupation. Either at the time of construction or renovation, unless the council has issued an improvement order at a later date.
In this case, if the building was approved without fire doors and no council improvement order exists, there is no requirement for them to be installed now. We would however strongly recommend that the existing doors fit and operate correctly. If any need to be replaced they must be replaced like for like.
Entry doors are generally the responsibility of the Strata as they are considered an essential part of the building.
Our building in Sydney dates from 1964, and our fire review in 2007 required every fire door to the units to have the closers. Civil Fire are very assiduous in ensuring all the closers work as directed in order to issue the annual certicate!
My building dates from 1972. Are the doors to each Unit, which are fire rated, obliged to have automatic door closers on them?
Hi Owen
We have received the following reply back from Peter Berney, Solutions In Engineering:
Yes they need to be self closing as detailed in AS 1851 Section 12 Table 12.4.3.1.
” I can’t think of any legitimate reason to fit a security door in front of a fire door….””
Really? How about security? Not being allowed to improve the locks etc. on a fire door (most entrance fire doors belong to the Strata) means that the only way to get additional security is to install a security door. Of course, this may or may not be objected to by the fire officer, but no legitimate reason? I don’t think so.
Tony Page