Council signs £25m contract to replace fire doors in high-rise blocks

The new and improved fire doors “will improve assurance, reduce reliance on reactive works and support resident safety” according to council bosses, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

Enfield Council is set to spend up to £25million on “self-monitoring” fire doors over the next five years as it looks to improve the safety of its high-rise buildings.

The decision made last Wednesday (29th) will see replacement fire doors installed in flats and communal areas of council-owned buildings and sheltered accommodation over eleven metres in height.

A five-year deal for the works will come “with provision for annual extensions subject to satisfactory performance, up to an estimated contract value of £25m” and will be funded through reserves in the council’s housing budget.

The contract is set to be awarded to Harmony Fire Limited, which describes itself as “a purpose-driven fire safety consultancy with in-house construction capabilities, delivering pragmatic, proportionate fire safety solutions that protect lives and withstand scrutiny”.

The local authority hopes the new type of fire doors will improve on the existing ones in council blocks. A report explained that a “like-for-like replacement programme” using standard fire doors was considered but discounted.

The council said that standard doors, although viable, “rely heavily” on periodic manual inspections, resident access and reactive reporting.

Instead, “self-monitoring” doors with a “digital audit trail” will be installed. The idea is that these doors will provide more timely information on their condition and provide better assurance for safety reporting.

The report argued that, although cheaper initially, standard fire doors are “more labour intensive” and would not “offer the same opportunity to reduce inspection burden, improve targeting of maintenance resources or identify defects between inspection cycles”.

The council says it “must maintain an effective programme for inspection, maintenance and replacement of fire doors across its housing stock”.

The local authority said that an ongoing contract for the self-monitoring doors will provide a “compliant, efficient and lower-risk route to market and enables the council to maintain momentum on a safety-critical programme”.

They added that the new programme “will improve assurance, reduce reliance on reactive works and support resident safety”.

Local authorities are required to take all “reasonably practicable” measures to prevent and reduce the spread of fire and actively monitor the fire safety of their housing stock.

These duties now extend to the structure and external walls of buildings, including cladding and balconies, as well as flat entrance doors in high-rise buildings.

Legal regulations for council-owned buildings were strengthened through the Fire Safety Act 2021 and Building Safety Act 2022.

These measures were introduced by the government following the 2017 Grenfell Tower block fire in North Kensington, which killed 72 people and led to a public outcry for better safety standards.

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