Fire exit doors: our service in Portsmouth
Our fire exit doors service in Portsmouth is simple: a survey, a fixed quote, certified products and an installation finished to the manufacturer's evidence.
Around Portsmouth, care homes, mixed-use office buildings and purpose-built blocks of flats all depend on fire doors that close, latch and seal. We survey each opening and tell you plainly which doors need work and which don't.
Exit doors in Portsmouth can be fitted with outside access and alarm options that never stop people getting out. Shops, warehouses and schools in Portsmouth each need exit hardware matched to who will use the door in an emergency.
Is every fire exit door a fire door?
Not necessarily. A final exit door leading straight outside often does not need fire resistance, but it must open easily in the direction of escape and be secure the rest of the time. If the exit door also sits in a wall that the fire strategy requires to resist fire, it needs to be a certified fire doorset as well. We check which applies before quoting, so you do not pay for fire resistance you do not need, or miss it where you do.
On a typical job that means:
- Outside access devices and alarmed options
- Commissioning and handover
- BS EN 1125 panic hardware or BS EN 179 emergency hardware
- Assessment of whether fire resistance is required
Which fire door rules apply in Portsmouth?
The rules that apply to fire doors in Portsmouth are England's. The responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 must keep fire doors in non-domestic premises and the common parts of flats in working order; the Fire Safety Act 2021 confirmed that this includes flat entrance doors onto common parts.
Where a Portsmouth block is above 11 metres, regulation 10 of the 2022 regulations means communal doors are checked every three months and flat entrance doors annually on a best-endeavours basis. Replacement doors must also satisfy the Building Regulations, with Approved Document B as the guidance most building control bodies work from.
Which buildings in Portsmouth need fire exit doors?
The need for fire exit doors usually arises in warehouses or offices, and sometimes schools. Each has its own pressures, such as residents at home or a building that must stay open, so we plan the sequence of work in Portsmouth to keep escape routes protected throughout.
The steps on a Portsmouth installation
- Check the fire strategy and who uses the exit
- Select door type, rating and exit hardware
- Order doorset and hardware set
- Remove the existing door and prepare the opening
- Install, seal and weather the doorset
- Test exit operation, closers and security features
Guide prices in Portsmouth
As a guide, budget £1,100–£2,600 per exit doorset with hardware, supplied and fitted, ex VAT for fire exit doors. The figure for your Portsmouth building depends on the number of doors, the rating, the condition of the frames, finishes, hardware and access. We confirm a fixed price after the free survey.
Covering Portsmouth and nearby
Nearby towns we cover include Gosport, Fareham and Ryde. Distance from Portsmouth does not change our guide prices, and the survey and quote are free.
Questions from Portsmouth
Is Portsmouth within your coverage area?
It is. We cover Portsmouth in Hampshire and neighbouring towns such as Gosport. There is no charge for the survey.
Can you work from an existing inspection report for my Portsmouth building?
Yes. Send it over and we can often price straight from it, then confirm on site. We report back against the same door references so you can close actions off.
Which is better, a push bar or a push pad?
Push bars (panic hardware) suit public areas; push pads and levers (emergency exit hardware) suit areas used by trained staff. The choice depends on who will use the door in an emergency.
Do fire exit doors have to open outwards?
Exit doors generally open in the direction of escape, especially where many people use them. Your fire strategy or risk assessment sets the requirement for each door.