Fire doors serve a vital purpose, prioritising the preservation of lives and hindering the advancement of fire to aid both occupants’ escape and emergency service efforts to evacuate and extinguish fire.
They play a crucial role in a building’s passive fire protection system and are a mandatory requirement for various building structures, including residential, public buildings, offices, and factories.
The primary functions of fire doors are as follows:
Ensuring Safe Egress: Fire doors allow people to exit a space and automatically close after being released.
Protecting Escape Routes: They safeguard escape routes from the effects of fire, smoke and gases
Limiting Oxygen Supply: Fire doors can potentially slow down or halt the spread of fire by limiting the availability of oxygen.
Providing Time for Evacuation: Fire doors are designed to resist fire spread for at least 60 minutes, allowing sufficient time for evacuation through alternative escape routes if the primary ones are compromised during a fire incident.
Fire doors are engineered components, comprising the door leaf, frame, and necessary fixtures. They can be made of specialty core materials include “ecore”, “firecore” or “pyropanel”. Fire doors are often equipped with perimeter and drops seals, these seals prevent the spread of smoke and gases around the door edges.
During fire door installation, it is crucial to follow the manufacturer’s instructions precisely and including correct fitting of fire rated door as part of the fire door’s original fire testing.
Maintaining fire doors is of utmost importance due to their role in safeguarding lives. The frequency of inspections depends on factors set by AS1851:2012 and MP6.1. Regular inspections by competent individuals are necessary to ensure the doors are functioning correctly and are up to the required safety standards.
Under the AS1851:2012 & MP6.1, building owners, body corporates, building managers and occupiers, including residential landlords, bear the responsibility to ensure their properties and tenants’ safety. This includes ensuring fire doors are fit for purpose and adequately maintained.
To verify the effectiveness of fire doors, a 6-step check is recommended:
- Check for Certification: Modern fire doors should have a visible certification label fitted to both the frame and each fire door leaf located approximately 1500mm from the base of the door on the hinge side.
- Measure the Gaps: The gaps around the fire door and frame should be no greater than 3mm in the head and stiles, bottom threshold gap no less than 3mm and no greater than 10mm. Ensuring uniformity is crucial, and any excessive or uneven gaps might require adjustments, intumescent seals or door replacement.
- Door Hardware: Door hardware for Fire Rated doors must be tested to AS1530.4 and the specific core type used. For a single door leaf, the minimum requirements include a door closer, lockset, and door stop. These tested components ensure the fire door’s effectiveness in containing fire and protecting lives and property during emergencies. Compliance with these standards is crucial for building owners to have confidence in the fire doors’ performance in case of a fire incident.
- Verify Proper Closure: The fire door should fully close by itself when opened. Doors retained in an open position by hold-open devices should be tested during fire alarm tests to ensure proper functioning.
- Assess the Seals: Not required on all door sets. These are utilised for smoke seal and acoustic performance. Any damaged or missing seals should be rectified promptly.
- Check the Hinges: Firmly fixed hinges without missing or broken screws are essential for maintaining the door’s integrity under fire conditions.
For additional information, contact Inglis Fire and Safety for fire door enquires and inspection services. 07 3888 0926 info@inglisfire.com.au