Earlier this year the Metropolitan Police informed government
that a fire door installed at Grenfell Tower designed to resist
fire for up to 30 minutes - as required by building regulations
guidance - failed after approximately 15 minutes when tested by the
police.
Government immediately sought advice from its independent expert
panel to see what action was required, and have undertaken further
testing and investigations focusing on composite flat entrance fire
doors manufactured by Manse Masterdor - a company that has not been
trading since 2014.
The expert panel has concluded there is a performance issue with
these Manse Masterdor fire doors, which do not consistently meet
the 30 minute fire resistance standard. Nevertheless, the National
Fire Chiefs Council has advised the expert panel the risk to public
safety remains low. They point out that fire protection in a
building is developed using a range of measures so a failure of one
protection measure - such as fire doors - should not significantly
change the overall safety of residents. In addition, all doors
provide essential protection in a fire if they are properly
closed.
Based on this advice, the expert panel are now advising that
owners of buildings with this type of door should review their
building's fire risk assessment and consider how quickly these
doors should be replaced. The expert panel has published guidance
to assist building owners.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is
writing to customers of Manse Masterdor identified in the company's
records as having been supplied with these doors. It is also
looking at the wider fire door market and intends to test fire
doors from other door suppliers.
In the meantime the Government's Expert Advisory Panel on
building safety published an advice note on 16 May 2018 for owners of
residential flats who may be concerned about the fire and smoke
resistance performance of flat entrance doors.