b) NFPA 80 – Fire door assemblies (doors, frames and hardware) are designed and tested to withstand smoke, flames and hot gases during a fire. The standard that addresses the requirements for fire door assemblies in depth is NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives.
Access doors shall be provided in accordance with Section 3206.7 of the International Fire Code ... Fire department access doors shall be able to be accessed without the use of a ladder ... Fire department access doors shall be not less than 3 feet (914 mm) in width and 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm ...
FD30 (30 minutes) fire doors are usually 44/45mm thick, as opposed to the standard door thickness of 35/40 mm, FD60 (60 minute) fire doors most commonly used in commercial settings are normally 54mm thick. Specially constructed fire doors can have a rating of 4 hours or more.
Fire exit doors themselves should bear an appropriate sign, e.g. "Fire Exit – Keep Clear", with an illuminated fire exit sign above. The panic exit hardware must carry a "Push Bar to Open" sign. For emergency exits in commercial premises, each push pad must carry a "Push" sign where the pad is to be depressed.
Fire resisting door to exit openings of apartment/maisonette units, protected staircases, protected lobbies, exit passageway, compartment walls etc. shall have minimum half hour fire resistance. Doors to exit facilities shall not be fitted with any locking device.
A fire exit door is usually situated on the exterior of a building and marks the final door of an escape route. In contrast, fire doors are typically found internally, such as on stairwells or between rooms.
At Fire Seals Direct, we are often asked if non fire-rated doors can be adapted to become fire doors, and the short answer is no. When it comes to fire protection, it is essential to follow regulations to ensure buildings and lives are kept safe, therefore cutting corners is never advised.
A 3/4-hour rated door is required in walls of corridors and room partitions. A door with this rating may also be located in the exterior wall of a building subject to moderate fire exposure from the outside of the building. One-third-hour or 20 minute doors are used in one-hour walls.
Fire doors are designed to stop the spread of both: flames and smoke. Fire-rated doors help slow or prevent the spread of both fire and smoke, but they are not designed to be completely fireproof. These doors will eventually burn through in a fire.
Fire doors must be used in walls which form the compartmentation of the premises – specific areas within the building that are constructed to be fire-resistant. These may be individual rooms, but could also contain multiple rooms or might be vertical risers and lift shafts.
20 & 45 minute doors still require fire-protection-rated glass up to the “Maximum size tested”. To increase the amount of glass in 60 and 90 minute doors requires fire-resistance -rated glass which is tested to ASTM E119 or UL 263 which also limits the transfer of heat.
Door Hinges
To ensure compliance with their fire rated performance, fire resisting doors need to be hung with the correct number, size and quality of hinges. Normally a minimum of three hinges are needed, however the manufacturer's instructions should be closely followed.
If you have a garage attached to your home, it is very likely that the swinging door between the garage and the house is required by code to be a 20-minute fire door assembly or the equivalent.
In most cases, the BCA requires a fire door to have an FRL of –/60/30. Where a fire door is located in a firewall, a higher FRL is required. The first criterion of zero minutes is a reference to the structural adequacy of the door.
Understanding the basics of fire-rated door labels
These labels might be painted over, so be sure to check for any raised surfaces. If these labels are not found, the door is most likely not fire rated (but always reach out to an AHJ for clarification). If a credible label is there, then it is a fire-rated door.
Fire-rated doors can reduce the invasion of smoke and protect residents from this safety hazard for a short period of time. Ultimately, fire-rated doors are a staple and should be used to ensure the protection of the property and its inhabitants.
If you manage a property, it's important to get the right sprinkler system in place, though you will also need to consider fire alarms, fire doors and signage. There are also special sprinkler systems available for vulnerable or older people - find out more on the sprinklers for carers and social workers page.
An exit access must be at least 28 inches (71.1 cm) wide at all points. Where there is only one exit access leading to an exit or exit discharge, the width of the exit and exit discharge must be at least equal to the width of the exit access.
Fire doors must be installed by a competent person who has been trained to install fire doors. Q: What qualifications does a person need to install a fire door? A: To install a fire door, a person should have completed fire door installation training.
The Door Frame must have an attached or embossed Label. The unit must have Steel Bearing Hinges. The unit must have “Listed” Hardware. If a Fire Door is held open, it must have a “UL-Listed”, heat fusible link or smoke detection device (or be tied into the fire alarm system).
The fire door gaps should measure less than 4mm, and at the bottom, less than 8mm. Authenticate the certification. Every fire door should exhibit a plug or label on the top (or side), proofing its complete fire-rated door certification.
The first step in understanding what makes a fire door a fire door is knowing why it is called so to start with. So, why? For a door to be a fire door, it must limit the spread of fire within a building. During emergencies, these doors provide time (from a minimum of 30 minutes) for people to find safety.
A fire curtain can be specified as an alternative offering the same levels of integrity and, if required, additional smoke sealing. The fire curtain can be recessed within the ceiling and walls, or face fixed depending on customer requirements.
Sometimes fire exit doors are, under normal circumstances, part of the usual route of traffic, such as a front door. Fire exits can also be for emergency use only, and not used during normal operation. Sliding or revolving doors must not be used for exits specifically intended as fire exits.