Fire door hold-open devices for Bristol buildings
Our fire door hold-open devices service covers all of Bristol, across postcode districts including BS1, BS99 and BS8.
We coordinate with your fire alarm contractor in Bristol so every hold-open releases when it should. Where doors in Bristol care homes, schools or offices are being wedged open, a hold-open device is the safe fix.
Bristol has a mix of buildings, from purpose-built blocks to converted houses and commercial premises. We tailor the programme to the building, not the other way round.
Types of hold-open
Electromagnetic door holders are wall or floor magnets wired to the fire alarm. Hold-open closers combine the closer and the hold-open in one unit. Free-swing closers let the door move freely and close it on alarm. Some battery units listen for the alarm sound; these must be suitable for the alarm system and the building. The right choice depends on the door, the alarm and how people use the space.
Which fire door rules apply in Bristol?
In Bristol, as elsewhere in England, the starting point is the Fire Safety Order 2005: whoever controls a workplace or the shared parts of a residential block must make sure its fire doors work. When doors are replaced, the Building Regulations and Approved Document B set the standard the new work has to meet.
Blocks above 11 metres have a specific routine under regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: quarterly checks of communal fire doors and annual best-endeavours checks of flat front doors. If your Bristol building is a higher-risk building under the Building Safety Act 2022, we confirm the approval route with the Principal Accountable Person before any work is ordered.
The steps on a Bristol installation
- Survey the doors and the fire alarm arrangement
- Choose device type for each door
- Agree interface work with the alarm contractor
- Fit and commission the devices
- Test release on alarm activation
- Record results and hand over
Guide prices in Bristol
If you need a budget figure first, the guide for fire door hold-open devices is £180–£450 per door for the device, excluding fire alarm interface work, ex VAT. We firm that up after a survey, pricing each door separately so you can see where the money goes.
Questions
Do you provide fire door hold-open devices across Bristol?
Yes. We cover all of Bristol. Surveys and written quotes are free.
Is it legal to wedge open a fire door?
Wedging a fire door open defeats its purpose and is likely to breach the duties under fire safety law. A hold-open device that releases on alarm is the safe alternative.
Do hold-open devices need the fire alarm?
Hard-wired devices are released by the fire alarm system. Some battery units detect the alarm sound instead; they must be suitable for the building and its alarm.

