ProQual Level 5: Fire Door Inspection Template Walkthrough

Introduction: The Anatomy of a Compliant Inspection Report

Welcome to this Knowledge Provision Task for Unit 3: Inspecting and Testing of Fire Resisting Door Installations. As a Level 5 practitioner working towards your ProQual Diploma, your ability to physically inspect a door is only half of your competency. The other half is accurately, legally, and comprehensively documenting your findings.

Under the UK’s Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO), the ‘Responsible Person’ relies entirely on your documentation to prove they are maintaining their building’s compartmentation strategy. A poorly filled, vague, or inaccurate inspection report is not just a vocational failure; it is a legal liability. If a fire occurs and a door fails, your inspection report will be scrutinized by the Fire and Rescue Service or in a court of law.

This task utilizes the “Step-by-Step Template Demonstration” methodology. Below, I have provided a comprehensive Assessor Model of a Completed Fire Stopping Inspection Report, specifically tailored to dynamic fire stopping assemblies (fire doors). We will dissect a completed model line-by-line. This guide will ensure you understand the UK regulations governing these checks, know the precise procedural benchmarks required, and avoid common reporting errors that plague amateur inspectors across various workplace environments.

A. Knowledge Guide: Step-by-Step Template Demonstration

Evidence Category Targeted: 2. Work Products

Specific Evidence Type: Completed Fire Stopping Inspection Reports (Adapted for Fire Door Assemblies)

Below is a standard, industry-recognized Fire Door Inspection Report Template. It has been filled out for a simulated inspection in a large, multi-use commercial office block. Read the completed fields (in bold) and deeply study the Assessor Commentary that follows each section.

SECTION 1: Asset Identification & Environment Context

  • Inspector Name: John Doe (Certificated Level 5 Inspector)
  • Date of Inspection:24th October 2026
  • Building/Site: Nexus Commercial Tower, Manchester.
  • Asset ID / Door Reference:FD-L3-014
  • Specific Location: Level 3, Cross-corridor dividing North Wing Open Plan Office and Main Evacuation Stairwell B.
  • Required Fire Rating:FD60S (60 Minutes Fire and Smoke Resistance).

Assessor Commentary (Avoiding Common Mistakes):Why this matters: The most common mistake novice inspectors make is vague asset identification. Writing “Stairwell Door” is useless to a maintenance contractor tasked with fixing it later. You must treat every door as a unique asset. Compliance Expectation: Approved Document B of the Building Regulations dictates the required rating based on location. As a Level 5 inspector, you must verify if the door in situ actually matches the fire strategy drawings for that specific location.

SECTION 2: Certification and Signage

  • Is mandatory signage present & correct? Yes. “Fire Door Keep Shut” affixed to both sides at eye level.
  • Is the door certificated/traceable? Yes. BM TRADA Q-Mark plug located on the top edge of the door leaf. Color coding indicates a 60-minute rating with factory-fitted glazing.

Assessor Commentary:Why this matters: Under BS 8214:2016 (Timber-based fire door assemblies), traceability is paramount. If you cannot find a certification plug (like Q-Mark) or a label (like Certifire), the door is nominally a “notional” door, and proving its performance becomes significantly harder. Inspection Procedure: Always use a mirror or a step ladder to check the top edge of the leaf. Never assume a heavy wooden door is a fire door without primary evidence.

SECTION 3: Door Leaf and Frame Integrity

  • Door Leaf Condition:Pass. No structural damage, delamination, or warping exceeding 2mm.
  • Frame Condition:Fail. The timber frame is securely fixed to the substrate, but the architrave on the corridor side is loose, revealing gaps in the substrate.
  • Fire Stopping behind Frame:Fail. Visual inspection behind the loose architrave reveals standard pink expanding foam used between the frame and the structural wall, rather than compliant intumescent acrylic mastic or fire-rated foam.

Assessor Commentary:Why this matters: A fire door is an assembly. A perfect door leaf in a poorly installed frame provides zero fire resistance. Standard expanding foam is highly combustible and acts as a conduit for fire, immediately breaching compartmentation. Procedure Note: You must look beyond the surface. Gently pulling back loose architraves (where safe and permitted) often reveals poor initial installation practices. This line demonstrates high-level competency in diagnosing root causes, not just surface symptoms.

SECTION 4: Gaps and Alignment (Tolerances)

  • Top Gap:3mm
  • Hinge Side Gap:3mm
  • Lock/Latch Side Gap:4mm
  • Threshold (Bottom) Gap:12mm (Fail – Exceeds maximum allowance for smoke control).
  • Alignment:Pass. Door sits flush against the frame stops when closed.

Assessor Commentary: Why this matters: Fire doors rely on intumescent seals expanding to fill the gaps. If gaps are too large, the seal cannot bridge the void, and fire will pass through. UK Standards (BS 8214): The standard dictates perimeter gaps should be consistently between 2mm and 4mm (ideally 3mm). Because this door is rated FD60S (meaning it requires a cold smoke seal), the threshold gap must not exceed 3mm unless a drop-down mechanical seal is fitted. A 12mm threshold gap on a smoke-control door is a critical life-safety failure, as toxic smoke will rapidly fill the escape stairwell. You must use a calibrated steel gap gauge for these measurements; guessing by eye is unacceptable.

SECTION 5: Intumescent and Cold Smoke Seals

  • Seal Type Present:Combined intumescent strip with nylon brush smoke seal.
  • Location: Rebated into the frame.
  • Condition: Fail. The intumescent strip is continuous, but the nylon brush smoke seal has been heavily painted over during recent corridor redecorations, rendering the brush stiff and ineffective.

Assessor Commentary:Why this matters: Intumescent material expands at around 150°C. Cold smoke (which kills long before flames reach a victim) is blocked by the physical barrier of the brush or fin seal. Common Mistake: Decorators routinely paint over seals. Paint hardens the flexible brush, preventing it from forming a tight seal against the door leaf, allowing deadly smoke to bypass the assembly. The report must clearly distinguish between the condition of the intumescent material and the smoke seal element.

SECTION 6: Essential Ironmongery (Hardware)

  • Hinges:Pass. 3 x BS EN 1935 Grade 13 stainless steel hinges fitted. CE/UKCA marked. Intumescent hinge pads are visibly fitted behind the hinge blades.
  • Door Closer: Fail. Overhead rack and pinion closer (BS EN 1154). The closer lacks sufficient tension. During testing, it failed to overcome the latch resistance from an opening angle of 15 degrees.
  • Locks/Latches: Pass. Mortice latch is CE marked (BS EN 12209) and fully engages into the keep.

Assessor Commentary:Why this matters: A fire door that does not close and latch automatically is entirely useless. Inspection Procedure: The closer must be tested from multiple angles. Open the door fully, half-way, and just a few inches (approx. 15 degrees). Let it go. It must swing shut and the latch must “click” into place without human assistance. If it merely rests against the latch, it fails. Air pressure differences during a fire will blow an unlatched door wide open.

SECTION 7: Glazing (Vision Panels)

  • Glazing Type: Clear fire-rated borosilicate glass. Etched kite mark visible in the bottom right corner.
  • Glazing System:Pass. Hardwood beads secured with steel pins. Intumescent glazing tape is visible between the glass and the bead.

Assessor Commentary:Why this matters: Vision panels are weak points. If standard glass is fitted, it will shatter within minutes of heat exposure. If timber beads are fitted without intumescent liners or secured with standard wood screws (which burn away) instead of steel pins, the glass will fall out of the door.

SECTION 8: Overall Status and Remedial Action Plan

  • Overall Door Status:FAIL – NON-COMPLIANT
  • Risk Level: HIGH RISK (Compromises primary escape route).
  • Remedial Actions Required (Defect Rectification):
    • Frame Installation: Rake out non-compliant pink foam behind the frame architrave. Re-seal using BS EN 1366-4 tested acrylic intumescent mastic.Threshold Gap: Install a surface-mounted or rebated mechanical drop-down seal to the bottom edge of the door leaf to close the 12mm gap and restore smoke control integrity.Seals: Completely remove and replace the painted combined intumescent/smoke seals in the frame.
    • Hardware: Adjust the closing speed and latch action tension on the overhead door closer to ensure it fully engages the latch from any angle. If adjustment fails, replace the closer unit.
  • Timeframe for Rectification:Within 7 Days.

Assessor Summary:> This final section is where your competency shines. You are not just a fault-finder; you are providing the exact specification for the repair. Your instructions must be precise enough that a carpenter or maintenance technician can follow them to restore the door to full legal compliance under the RRO 2005.

B. Learner Task: Independent Competency Application

Now that you have reviewed the model, you must demonstrate your ability to complete a “Completed Fire Stopping Inspection Report” based on your vocational knowledge and analytical skills.

The Scenario: You are inspecting a heavy-duty industrial warehouse (Logistics Hub Alpha). You are standing before Door Ref: WH-EXIT-04. It is a single-leaf timber fire door leading from the main warehouse floor directly into a protected escape stairwell. It is required to be an FD30 door.

During your physical inspection, you observe the following:

  1. The door has a blue circular sign that says “Fire Door Keep Locked”.
  2. You check the top edge and find no certification marks or plugs whatsoever.
  3. The bottom corner of the timber door leaf is severely splintered and cracked, likely from repeated impacts by forklifts or pallet trucks.
  4. You measure the gaps: Top is 4mm, Left (Hinge) is 5mm, Right (Lock) is 7mm. The threshold gap is 5mm.
  5. There are intumescent strips in the frame, but large chunks of the strip are missing near the lock keep.
  6. The door is hung on only two standard brass domestic hinges (no CE marks).
  7. There is no door closer fitted at all.
  8. There is no vision panel.

Your Instructions: Using a blank word-processor document, recreate the 8-Section Template demonstrated in the Knowledge Guide above. Fill in every single line based only on the Scenario provided above.

You must accurately interpret the failures, determine if the door is a Pass or Fail, assign a Risk Level, and write a detailed, step-by-step Remedial Action Plan to bring this warehouse door up to compliance.

Competency Check: Remember to consider the implications of the missing closer, the missing hinges, the gap sizes against BS 8214 standards, and the structural damage to the leaf. Consider if this door can be repaired, or if the severity of the defects warrants a full replacement of the asset.