Fire Door 'Inspector' v 'Maintainer'

Two LinkedIn posts caught my eye earlier today, both from highly respected certified Fire Door Inspectors: Dennis Munday Dip FD, MAFDI  and Elliott Brown   There is ongoing confusion about the differences between a certified Fire Door Inspector and a certified Fire Door Maintainer, particularly regarding their responsibilities and accountability.

Much of this stems from Fire Door Maintenance firms advertising fire door “inspections” when, in reality, they are offering pre-remedial surveys, not full compliance inspections. This distinction is critical for Responsible Persons (RPs), as it determines who is legally responsible for fire door compliance.

A certified Fire Door Inspector undergoes extensive training and examinations and holds Professional Indemnity and Public Liability insurance, ensuring they can take full responsibility for compliance assessments. They thoroughly assess fire doors in existing buildings, checking the performance, compatibility, and maintenance status of all components within a fire-resistant door assembly.

Formal certification for Fire Door Inspectors is available through FDIS (Fire Door Inspection Scheme by the BWF), Blue Sky (a UKAS-accredited third-party certification scheme), and ABBE (Level 3 Award in Fire Door Inspection).

BM TRADA does not certify fire door inspections but offers a Fire Door Maintenance course focused on remedial work. Certified Fire Door Maintainers are trained to conduct an 8-point fire door “survey” before carrying out maintenance. However, BM TRADA clearly states that a full fire door inspection requires specialist expertise beyond what can be covered in a maintenance training course.

Fire Door Maintenance Schemes do not provide certification for upgrading doors to improve fire resistance or determining a fire resistance period. If a fire resistance period must be confirmed, this must be assessed by a certified Fire Door Inspector before any maintenance begins.

A Fire Door Maintainer is discouraged form assessing past modifications or determining if previous maintenance, alterations, or damage have affected the door’s fire resistance period. In contrast, a certified Fire Door Inspector has the Skills, Knowledge, Experience, and Behaviours (SKEB) to classify the likely fire performance of a given door assembly and provide a fully informed compliance assessment.

Some Fire Door Maintenance Schemes recommend that RPs accept the maintainer’s approach, with the client assuming full responsibility. A certified Fire Door Inspector, however, takes full responsibility for their assessment and approach, backed by their SKEB and insurance cover.

Ensuring fire door compliance is a legal obligation that demands the right expertise. A certified Fire Door Inspector has the qualifications, experience, and insurance to take full responsibility for compliance, while a Fire Door Maintainer is trained specifically for remedial work.