What are fire doors used for?
Fire doors are designed to ensure the protection of a building in the event of a fire, providing those inside with a means to make a safe escape. The robustness and thickness of their design enables them to stop a fire from spreading through a building – by effectively acting as a blockade – alongside preventing any harmful fumes from seeping through and causing harm.
Each type of door will have its
How do fire doors work?
Smoke triggers the intumescent strip
An intumescent strip – being crucial to any fire door – is designed to expand upon being exposed to high levels of heat. Triggered automatically, these strips will then start to expand, which will create an additional protective layer by sealing any gaps that fire and smoke could potentially get through. By stopping the spread of the flames, intumescent strips will minimise both the building’s structural damage, and any damage to equipment situated in rooms close by.
Automatic closing mechanism
You can fit your fire door with a self-closing mechanism, meaning that it’ll be able to operate automatically in the event of a fire to provide a quick and safe exit. When the fire alarm sounds, the mechanism will allow the door to close in a controlled manner to prevent the spread of fire and harmful fumes.
For day-to-day usage, these fire doors will require minimal opening force, and they can also be locked into position if needed. You might also choose to equip your fire door with a hold open device – which would generally be for buildings where it would be an inconvenience for doors to be permanently shut – meaning that they remain open until released. Of course, in the event of a fire, these would still operate automatically.
Exiting safely during a fire
The government enforces that all buildings must have their own fire safety and evacuation plan in place to ensure that everyone can protect themselves from harm in an emergency. There should be signs that clearly indicate the fire escape route – which should be as short and direct as possible – with emergency lighting provided where needed to safely illuminate the path. There should be enough fire exits to ensure that everyone will be able to leave the building as quickly as possible, and all staff should be aware of where their safe meeting point is. Fire training must be provided, as well as regular fire drills, to guarantee that everyone will know what to do should the time arise to evacuate.
Fire door maintenance
As discussed in our previous post – a guide to fire doors and the law – it is essential that your fire door has been installed by a reputable manufacturer, in line with the standards for building regulations and the fire safety approved document, as issued by the government.
If any problems occur, such as an inadequate closing speed or structural damage to the door, the government states that the business owner should communicate with the contractors responsible for the fire door’s installation to understand what action will be taken. These issues should never be ignored and instead addressed immediately to ensure the safety of staff.
Here at SSS Industrial Doors, we want to ensure your business’s long term protection. From installation to providing post-project maintenance packages, we can work through the whole process with you to guarantee the upkeep of your fire doors and roller shutters. For door manufacturers you can trust, give us a call today.
