Fire door reports, tags and fire safety statements are full of terms nobody explains. Here they are in plain English. Where a guide covers a term in more depth, it’s named at the end of the entry.
A
Accredited practitioner (fire safety), or APFS. Someone accredited under a scheme approved by the NSW Government to assess fire safety measures and sign the practitioner’s part of a fire safety statement. It replaced the older term competent fire safety practitioner. See the AFSS guide.
AFSS (annual fire safety statement). The yearly declaration by a NSW building’s owner that each essential fire safety measure has been assessed and found capable of performing, and that the exits have been inspected. It goes to council and Fire and Rescue NSW, and a copy is displayed in the building. See the AFSS guide.
AS 1851-2012. The Australian Standard for routine servicing of fire protection systems and equipment, including fire doors. In NSW, essential fire safety measures must be maintained to it since 13 February 2026. See the AS 1851 guide.
AS 1905.1. The Australian Standard for fire doors, which it calls fire-resistant doorsets. It covers how they’re built, installed, tagged and documented. The current edition is 2015. See Fire doors explained.
Assessment report. A written opinion from a registered testing laboratory that a change to a tested fire door, such as a different lock, still meets the required rating.
Astragal. The strip where the two leaves of a pair of doors meet. On fire doors it has to be the right type and sealed.
Automatic closing. A fire door held open by a device that releases it when a smoke detector or the fire alarm operates, or the power fails, so it then closes by itself.
B
Back-check. A feature of a door closer that slows the door near the end of a hard push open, so it doesn’t hit the wall.
C
Certificate of installation. The numbered certificate given to the owner when fire doors are installed, confirming they match their tested system and were installed to AS 1905.1.
Closer. The device, usually at the top of the door, that shuts it by itself. See the hardware guide.
Condition report. The yearly summary from the service provider of all servicing done, defects outstanding and the condition of each system. It supports the annual fire safety statement.
Critical defect. Under AS 1851-2012, a fault likely to stop a system working and put people at real risk. The owner must be told before the technician leaves, and in writing within 24 hours.
D
Door leaf. The door itself, as opposed to the frame it hangs in. A pair of doors has two leaves.
Door schedule, or door manual. The record of every fire door in a building: where it is, its rating, its parts and its tag number. It’s handed over at installation, and a paper copy is kept on site.
Doorset. The complete fire door assembly: leaf, frame, hardware, seals, glass and fittings. Fire doors are rated as a doorset, not as a door on its own.
E
Essential fire safety measures. The fire safety equipment and construction a building relies on, such as fire doors, sprinklers, alarms, hydrants and exit signs. They’re listed on the building’s fire safety schedule.
F
Fire door. A door built and installed to match a tested system, so it holds back fire for a rated time. AS 1905.1 calls it a fire-resistant doorset. See Fire doors explained.
Fire-isolated exit. A stair, passage or ramp built to protect people escaping a fire. The doors into it are usually -/60/30 fire doors.
Fire resistance level, or FRL. The rating from a fire test, written as three numbers in minutes, for example -/60/30: structural adequacy, integrity and insulation. For doors, the first is always a dash. See Fire doors explained.
Fire safety schedule. The document issued with a building’s approval that lists each essential fire safety measure and the standard it has to meet.
Fire wall. A wall that divides a building into separate fire compartments. Doors through it have to be fire doors.
FPAS. The Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme, run by Fire Protection Association Australia. It accredits the people who inspect and test fire safety measures, and in NSW the people who assess them for the annual fire safety statement. Its public register shows who holds accreditation.
Frame, or jamb. The fixed part the door hangs in. It’s part of the tested system and carries its own tag.
H
Hold-open device. A device, usually magnetic, that keeps a fire door open until the fire alarm or a smoke detector releases it. Wedges and hooks aren’t hold-open devices.
I
Insulation. The third FRL number: how long the side of the door away from the fire stays cool enough not to set things alight.
Integrity. The second FRL number: how long the door stops flames and hot gases getting through.
Intumescent seal. A seal that swells when heated, closing the gap around a door in a fire.
N
NCC (National Construction Code). The national building code, which says where fire doors are required. NSW uses the 2022 edition until the 2025 edition starts on 1 May 2027.
Non-conformance. Under AS 1851-2012, something missing that’s needed to service a system properly, such as missing records or an unreadable label.
P
Performance solution. A way of meeting the building code by engineered design rather than the standard rules. If one applies to your building, it may set how certain measures are maintained.
R
Registered testing authority. A laboratory accredited to carry out fire tests and issue assessment reports.
Routine service. The regular inspection, testing and preventive maintenance AS 1851-2012 sets out. For most fire doors, every six months.
S
Self-closing. Able to close fully by itself from any position, using a closer.
Self-latching. Able to latch by itself when it closes, without anyone turning a key or handle.
Service label. The yellow AS 1851 Service Record label that some service providers put on doors to record each inspection. It’s not the same as the door’s tag.
Smoke door. A door built to stop smoke passing through a doorway. It isn’t rated to hold back fire.
Smoke seal. A brush or flexible strip that slows smoke getting past a door.
Sole-occupancy unit, or SOU. An apartment, office or tenancy occupied by one owner or tenant. Its front door can often be inspected once every 12 months instead of six.
Structural adequacy. The first FRL number: how long an element keeps carrying its load. It doesn’t apply to doors, so it’s shown as a dash.
Supplementary fire safety statement. A statement for a critical fire safety measure that needs assessing more often than once a year.
T
Tag. The small metal plate on the edge of a fire door and on its frame, stamped with the standard, the rating, the maker, the certifier and the year. It’s the door’s proof of identity. See Fire doors explained.
Tested system. The exact combination of leaf, frame, hardware, seals and installation that passed the fire test. A fire door is compliant because it matches its tested system.
Threshold. The floor or strip under a closed door. Under a fire door it’s usually concrete or another non-combustible material.
V
Vision panel. A glass panel in a fire door. It must be fire-rated glass approved for that door.
W
Wall-wetting sprinklers. Sprinklers that spray water onto a wall or door. The building code allows them, with self-closing doors, as an alternative to fire doors in some openings.