The Ultimate Guide About Fire Doors

Most people are too laid back when they are suggested to buy Fire Fighting Equipment in Pakistan. A fire can completely destroy a building in less than five minutes. Every minute or second counts during such a tragedy because it has the potential to save lives. However, a strong “fire door,” or a door with a fire-resistance rating, can aid in keeping fires contained in one room or can delay their spread. Here are a few crucial factors to consider when investing in such a crucial component of a building: the fire doors.

What are Fire Doors?

Fire doors are specialized doors that have undergone environmental testing and were specially designed to endure roaring fires for as long as possible. Stopping the spread of fire and smoke is the prime purpose of a fire-rated door. These doors are made to prevent and slow the spread of fire and smoke in residential and commercial structures. Commercial buildings, offices, residential structures, and especially public buildings frequently have fire prevention doors installed.

A few crucial safety elements on fire doors might literally mean the difference between life and death. The following are the two most crucial purposes of fire doors:

• They provide a barrier when closed to halt the progress of a fire.
• They offer a way out of a fire once they are opened.

Features of fire doors

The door is often constructed of a solid timber frame, it is occasionally possible to cover it once more with fire-resistant glass. It takes at least 60 minutes of heat exposure before the glass starts to soften. In order to close the gaps between the door and frame, an intumescent seal is chemically engineered to expand when temperatures rise beyond 200°C. Smoke ingestion causes a great number of fire-related fatalities rather than direct flame contact. This is why the seal expands to provide no space for any airflow which eventually is very crucial in situations of emergency.

The frequency of fire door inspections

The fact that the purpose of fire doors is to save lives, it is quite important for them to have regular inspections. Once every six months is a healthy period to have your next fire door inspection. It also depends on factors like how old the door is or the condition it is in. However, newly occupied buildings require more often check-ups on a weekly or monthly basis in the first year of use. Working with a qualified fire-stopping company in this case can really make a difference. They can help you undertake health checks to determine what needs to be done to your fire doors in Pakistan to maintain international standards.

A checklist to follow for inspecting fire doors

• Certification: fire doors should have a third-party certification so that when hardware needs to be replaced, it is replaced with the corresponding hardware that matches the original specifications.

• Hinges: There shouldn’t be any broken or missing screws, and all hinges should be tightly secured. The installation and inspection of fire door hardware should only be performed by qualified personnel.

• Gaps: When the door is closed, the gaps around the top and sides should always be less than 4mm; ideally, any light shouldn’t be visible through the door gaps. This keeps fire or smoke from spreading through the tracks.

• Seals: In event of a fire, intumescent seals or strips—a critical component of fire doors—help shut off any residual openings in the door by expanding when a particular degree of heat is detected.

• Closures: Fire doors must always be completely closed, never propped open.