This article discusses fire door compliance changes, explaining why doors that previously passed inspections may now be deemed non-compliant and whether standards have changed over time.
Question: Our small scheme was built around 2000. It has passed all fire inspections, but the most recent inspection indicates many fire doors are not compliant. How can this be? Have Standards changed?
I am Chairman of a small strata scheme with seven lots in a two-story, Class 2 building built in the early 2000s. The building has passed fire door compliance checks for the last two decades without issue.
The recent annual inspection has indicated many of the fire doors (from apartments to internal stairwell) no longer comply with the 10mm gap from the bottom of the door to the floor. How can the doors be compliant for 20 years, and now they are not? The doors have not changed.
The building was certified for occupancy in 2003, so presumably, it met existing fire ratings at that time. Has there been an update to building codes or legislation recently requiring doors to be retroactively brought into compliance?
If the original code was met at the time of certification, isn’t this for the life of the building? There have been no changes to the building in this time, i.e. DA’s or other modifications.
Our committee is concerned we may not need these costly upgrades.
Answer: If the doors have passed since 2003, we must consider what has changed.
It is correct that the fire doors need to comply with the Australian Standard of the day of construction or the manufacturer’s approved design. It comes down to having the baseline data for the building available for the service technician so a correct assessment can be done during routine maintenance. Any changes to a fire safety installation may be completed to a more recent Australian Standard.
If the doors have passed since 2003, we must consider what has changed. How much do the doors differ in size since the last inspection? Has the floor covering changed? Has the service technician undertaken the correct assessment? Some manufacturers have approval for measurements outside the ones set out in AS1905. The service records of the last years may give an indication. To confirm compliance, you may need to source the approval documents from the day of construction.
Most fire doors are made of wood and respond to the weather conditions, i.e. if we had a prolonged period of dry weather, fire doors have been known to shrink a few mm. This may not occur in air conditioned buildings.
This post appears in the October 2023 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.
Stefan Bauer Fire Matters E: sbauer@firematters.com.au P: 07 3071 9088