Fire Door Safety Week

1 Background
2 Fire Door Safety Week 2025
3 Previous Fire Door Safety week campaigns
4 Related articles on Designing Buildings

[edit] Background

Fire Door Safety Week was launched in 2013 by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) in association with its industry scheme the BWF Fire Door Alliance to address the widespread neglect of fire doors, which were failing to provide essential fire and smoke protection. The annual campaign aims to educate building occupants and those responsible for fire doors on their correct use, installation, and maintenance, thereby reducing preventable tragedies and ensuring they perform as designed in a fire. It raises awareness of the critical role that fire doors play in saving lives and protecting property in the unfortunate event of a fire, where everyone plays their part in ensuring a fire door performs as it should in the tragic event of a fire, from the manufacturer through to the building users. The campaign is owned, managed and run by the BWF and supported by a number of partners, including the Home Office’s National Fire Safety campaign, the National Fire Chief’s Council and London Fire Brigade.

Research conducted in 2022 found that a third of the British public would not report a problem with a fire door. And despite three quarters correctly believing that propping a fire door open stops it performing its role in the event of a fire, almost half wouldn’t take action over a propped open fire door as they wouldn’t know who to report it to. See explanation video here.

Further research conducted in 2023 by the British Woodworking Federation as part of their Fire Door Safety Week campaign ‘Recognise it, Report it’, found that over half (57%) of the UK public couldn’t spot a problem with a fire door, leading to a failure to report issues. The survey of 2,000 UK adults found that while awareness over factors that might prevent a fire door performing properly in the event of a fire is high, the majority of people couldn’t identify a faulty fire door. Knowing what to look out for and what to do if you spot a problem might just save a life. See explanation video here.

In 2024, Scotland’s Fire and Rescue Service reported a 766 per cent increase in battery-related fires since 2018., with resulting average insurance claims involving lithium-ion batteries exceeding £50,000. Many fires are initiated by human behaviour such as overcharging, using damaged batteries or using unregulated chargers.

The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) is warning that the surge in lithium-ion battery fires from e-bikes and e-scooters – combined with poor fire door maintenance – could put lives and property at risk across the UK. New research, carried out by BWF to mark its Fire Door Safety Week campaign ‘Fire Travels Fast’ revealed a sharp rise in public concern about the fire risks posed by lithium-ion batteries, particularly those found in e-bikes and e-scooters, with over half (59%) of owners saying their fire risk fears have grown since getting one.

[edit] Fire Door Safety Week 2025

New research, carried out by BWF has revealed a sharp rise in public concern about the fire risks posed by lithium-ion batteries, particularly those found in e-bikes and e-scooters, with over half (59%) of owners saying their fire risk fears have grown since getting one. As a result BWF's 2025 Fire Door Safety Week campaign is ‘Fire Travels Fast’ and runs from 22-26 September, 2025 to find out more about the campaign visit https://www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk/

Nearly half of people (46%) have spotted fire door problems in their workplace with: 1 in 5 people charging e-bikes/e-scooters at work. Only 13% reporting workplace fire door faults – despite widespread problems. 1 in 10 people having experienced or know someone who experienced a lithium-ion battery fire.

Helen Hewitt is CEO at the British Woodworking Federation said of the 2025 campaign, which is the 12th Fire Door Safety Week: "This year, the campaign will confront emerging fire risks, particularly from lithium-ion batteries, which are now commonplace in homes and workplaces. From laptops and e-bikes to vapes and power tools, the risk is increasingly visible – and yet often overlooked...Raising awareness of the fire risks these batteries pose, the 2025 campaign will share new research to help uncover the number of devices in properties across the UK, charging habits and how property owners and managers are responding. We’ll also be sharing insight to help property owners, managers and residents mitigate fire risk by ensuring their fire doors remain fit for purpose and that any issues are reported and quickly addressed."