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Our block had its annual fire safety inspection, resulting in the attached email from our strata managers. The fire inspection company will not sign off the building with screen doors fitted to the unit entries, on the grounds that a half open screen door could cause an impediment to someone escaping from the building. This seems to say screen doors are not permitted on any entry door in any unit block. Our concern is that a lockable screen door acts as a security if someone knocks on your door and you don’t know who it is.
Does anyone know if this is a regulation statewide, or is this just an interpretation by one company?
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It may be there are more serious issues than the screen doors potentially being an obstruction for residents fleeing a fire.
If the access doors are fire-rated then having screen doors installed may encourage residents to leave their fire doors open, rendering them useless.
And if you think that’s overstating the issue, check out this story from last year which shows the devastating effect of one door in one apartment being left open while the resident rescued his children from a fire. How bad was it? How about 19 dead and 32 hospitalised. If the door had been closed, most of those other residents would have survived.
Maybe your front door isn’t part of your fire protection. But if it is, then a screen door is both dangerous and redundant.
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Jimmy
You are so correct, the screen doors create two problems. Block or restrict egress and act as a chimney if there is a fire. The claim that they assist with security is a load of nonsense….. I have attended many strata buildings in NSW, the screen doors are left open…. Swinging in the breeze, How is this considered “added security”? They are ugly, rarely do they match… And compromise the fire safety of the door frames.
Fire & Rescue NSW do provide some advice on the issue. YES, It is only advice. F & R NSW do note that the security door are an added issue if the occupant is injured, emergency services can’t get into the unit.
My understanding, for Qld at least, is that security or screen doors installed when the legislation regarding this didn’t exist, or allowed them at the time, and they are okay to keep. Our annual checks only look at the door proper (including closure integrity, locks, and peep holes and other things they won’t pass). Old screens are not considered and though dangerous for the reasons stated above, can be easily busted or sawn through by the Firies so they let the older one be. That suits me as with all the recent break-ins I’m happy for another layer to be between me and them.