Expert Fire Door Installation and Remedial Works

Fire doors are an extremely important part of a building’s fire safety plan. They act as a physical barrier in different areas around a building to slow the spread of flames and smoke in the event of a fire. There have been some recent changes in fire door regulations (Approved document B) which mean that now more than ever it’s important to have accurate information on fire doors and how you can identify them.

What Are Fire Doors?

A fire door is a door that has a fire-resistance rating that is used as a fire protection barrier to reduce the spread of fire and smoke between different areas of a building. They are designed to resist the spread of fire for a period of time, usually around a minimum of 30 minutes, which gives people enough time to exit the building via an escape route if other routes are compromised.

Unlike regular doors fire doors are tested and rated based on their duration and capacity of lasting longer if a fire occurred, made out of fire-resistant metals.

How To Identify a Fire Door

The best way to identify a certified fire door would be checking for any certifications or identifications on the hinge edge of the door.

Every certified fire door will have a certification label identifying the manufacturer, the date of manufacture, and the designated fire rating of the door type. These labels can usually be found at the edge of the door on the hinge side, and are usually at the top of the door.

Two associations that have reliable, certified fire doors are:

• The British Woodworking Federation Fire Door Scheme
• TRADA Q-Mark Fire Door Scheme

The Difference Between Normal Doors and Fire Doors

The difference between normal doors and fire doors is that fire doors are given a fire-resistance rating and are designed to slow the spread of fire throughout a building.

Fire doors can be made of a combination of glass, gypsum, steel, timber and aluminium and are designed to be kept closed at all times. Any gaps between the wall and the door are filled with a fire resistance sealant.

The Difference Between Fire Doors and Fire Exit Doors

There a few differences between fire doors and fire exit doors that many people might not realise. Those differences are their purposes, their locations, materials, and locking systems.

Purpose

A fire door is built to prevent or slow down the spread of a fire in a building. Whereas a fire exit door is not designed to prevent a fire, but instead is designed to facilitate a fast and easy escape if there is a fire or another emergency.

Location

Fire doors and fire exit doors will be located in different areas of a building because of their difference in purpose. Fire doors can usually be found on stairwells or in between rooms. Fire exit doors will be found at the exterior of a building to act as an escape route.

Materials

Fire doors are made from very strong materials in order to withstand a fire. Fire exit doors are made from strong materials, as well as light-weight materials so that they become difficult for intruders to enter, but open easily from the inside.

Locking System

Fire doors have a self-latching feature to ensure that they are always closed. They rarely need to be locked as they are internally fitted and made to prevent the spread of a fire, but in some instances, the fire door will have to be used as an escape route and will need to allow for a fast and easy escape. In this case, a special lock that can be unlocked without a key from the inside will be required.

Fire exit doors can never be locked from the inside as this could prevent escaping without a key. The majority of fire exit doors are lockable from the outside using an Outer Access Device and opens without a key if the internal panic hardware is pressed.