Fire doors are integral parts of commercial and residential safety or security. They are used in conjunction with fire door locks that help contain or slow the spread of fire throughout a location, while also functioning as a safe and protected egress method for all interior occupants. They are made to be fire resistance, and similar to the way deadbolts are made to withstand force, they are made to withstand huge levels of heat. Here’s a guide to the functionality of fire doors as prepared by Top Locksmith.
Definition of Fire Doors
Fire doors are part of emergency and fire safety planning, and a core aspect of PFP (passive fire protection_ protocols which are used in buildings as fire safety structure. These protocols slow down or contain a fire’s spread. Fire doors are set with fire resistance ratings which measure the amount of time that a PFP measure withstands the aspects of a fire resistance test – which are all set with different requirements depending on your country or state. It’s important to pay close attention to fire protection protocols, as they are essential for both the protection of property, but also lives. Fire door locks should not be confused with fire rated door locks, as the door locks are usually geared towards burglary protection rather than complete fire protection.
Requirements for Fire Door Locks
Fire doors need to be able to grant egress in the event of an emergency that would call for people to quickly exit. They have to contain a fire into a specific area, secure property, and protect lives. The fire door lock is made of the locking mechanism, the fire door hinges, the latching technology, the closing devices, and the releasing device. THey need to be hung on hinges meant to be part of the fire door itself made of steel bearing or heavy duty steel hinges that can resist high heat pressure and intensity. They need to have an active latch bolt, but deadbolts should not be used on fire doors meant as an exit point, as they are not the necessary kind of active latch points that allow for safe egress. If you put a deadbolt on another type of fire door, make sure that it is fire resistant.