To comply with the requirements of the International Building Code (IBC), fire doors are typically needed for the majority of buildings today. To help stop smoke and fire from spreading throughout multiple floors of a building, a fire-rated door is typically placed around stairwells and elevator shafts.
These doors support the maintenance of traffic flow for building occupants and emergency response teams so they have access to exit routes in the event of a fire.
Having the appropriate fire and smoke protection in place not only keeps occupants safer but also helps contain damage, cuts down on downtime, and reduces the need for repairs.
Deployable smoke and fire curtains are increasingly being used by architects and construction companies to replace a conventional metal fire door. This kind of fire and smoke curtain system offers more flexibility because they can be concealed in ceilings and only deployed when necessary, including:
- A higher standard of safety
- Practically impregnable
- Better control of the flow of traffic
- Choices for customization
- Being able to seamlessly integrate into larger fire and smoke control systems
Let’s find out more about when and where fire-rated doors are necessary for structures and how installing smoke curtains can help provide additional fire and smoke protection.
What Is A Fire Door?
Doors that are fire-rated are specifically designed to withstand extreme heat. These hollow metal doors and frames require a latch and a closing mechanism. Hardware that has been tested by fire door manufacturers for both panic and fire conditions should be installed on fire doors.
Emergency exit locks can be either fail-safe or fail-secure. They must permit free egress unless used on structures with specific applications that permit delayed or controlled egress.
Fire doors may be used for regular daily use at exterior entry points and interior locations within the building provided that they comply with certain safety standards.
What Function Does a Fire Door Serve?
Many commercial buildings are required to have fire doors to safeguard the occupants, stop the spread of fire and smoke, and reduce overall property damage.
These doors are an essential part of a building’s passive fire protection system because they automatically close when a fire is detected inside the structure.
The spread of heat, smoke, and flames through stairwells, hallways, and between building sections is slowed or stopped by interior fire doors.
Additionally, they are set up in hallways that pass through fire barrier walls. In the event of an emergency, exterior fire protection doors provide a quick exit from the building and are heat resistant.
What Qualities Should A Fire Door Have?
The fire rating measures how long a metal fire door can prevent fire, smoke, and fumes from spreading. The size and necessary accessories (hardware) are obvious. There are actual physical qualities a door should have.
Where visibility and aesthetics are necessary, fireproof glass and glass partitions are used, as well as Fire Rated Glass Doors and Partitions.
The standards of the tests done on the fire doors, the experience of the fire door manufacturers, and the certificates (from which labs, whether government-approved labs or private labs) are also important to consider.
Why Is It Crucial To Use A Fire Door That Has Been Evaluated And Approved?
A Reputable fire door manufacturer can offer you several fire door types with fire ratings ranging from 30 minutes to two hours. It is best to use products that have been tested following standards to determine how well they perform in the event of a fire, as is the case with most or all fire safety products. The following standards are considered acceptable in India: UL 10C, IS 3614(Part 2), and BS 476(Parts 20 and 22).
How Can You Learn More About A Fire Door That Is Already In Place?
A permanent label that must always remain readable is attached to each metal fire door. A listing agency’s label or embossment may be present on fire-rated frames.
Numerous details are included on the door and frame labels, such as the manufacturer, the duration of the component’s fire resistance design, whether or not the opening needs to be equipped with fire exit hardware, and whether the door has a temperature rise rating or is a smoke door assembly.
Installation
The installation of fire doors at the site or location must be done by professionals, ideally by fire door manufacturers. Fire doors must be installed by following the installation instructions provided by the manufacturer or an expert installer because each manufacturer’s door design may differ and because a metal fire door will function based on that design in the event of a fire.
Conclusion
Overall, a metal fire door is a crucial component of the safety features that must be installed in a building. All industries, including residential spaces, are seeing an increase in demand for fire doors as people become more aware of and concerned about their safety.
Therefore, installing fire doors will ensure the security of anyone entering any area, and the property will be less likely to be destroyed due to the fire doors’ ability to contain a fire.