The Medway Handyman wrote:
Been asked by a BTL landlord to do some work to bring a small
terraced house up to standard.

BCO have specified that the existing door leading to the kitchen
should be fitted with intumescent seals and cold smoke seals.

She assures me that the existing door is a fire door, but I'm getting
alarm bells ringing.

Two reasons; I thought all fire doors should already be fitted with
intumescent seals as standard? And the door doesn't have a self
closer of any sort. I thought that should be standard as well?

Not all "fire" doors are fitted with intumescent seals.

How do I know its really a fire door?

1 - The weight of the damn things - (a good indicator only)
2 - They are usually thicker than a 'standard' door (IIRC)
3 - If they are fitted as fire doors - then the 'planted' doorstops are
usually thicker and screwed rather than nailed on.
4 - Any glass in them will usually be Georgian Wired.
5 - They may have 'hidden' door closures fitted on the hanging side of the
door and into the frame.
6 - when you hit 'em anywhere on the door they feel and sound solid (flush
doors).

Not sure what cold smoke seals are either.

Have a look at http://www.intumescentseals.co.uk/p4.htm

Not a job I want really, given the graphic descriptions from my
paramedic daughter of the 'house fire, persons reported' calls she
attends.

She's quite correct, as an old housing maintence foreman who used to attend
these, the sights are terrible.