Safety Alert - Fire Doors
News
Posted on Wednesday 18 February 2026
There have recently been a number of fire doors that have been tampered with or damaged.
There have been recent incidents of tampering with fire doors to either wedge them open or to prevent them from latching. Recent examples include door wedges blue-tacked to the floor to prevent a fire door closing and a piece of card used to stop the latch engaging.
Fire doors form an integral part of the compartmentation of a building, by delaying the spread of fire between areas and protecting the escape route. Damaging fire doors or preventing them from closing will enable the spread of fire, smoke and toxic gases in the event of an fire.
Any wedges or items found blocking fire doors should be removed immediately if possible to do so, and it should be checked that the fire door can close again. If there is a repeat issue of tampering with fire doors, it should be reported on the SOLAR accident reporting system and the Head of Department should be informed.
Any damage that cannot be fixed should be raised on Planon for action by Estates.