4
PRO NEWS
OCTOBER 2016 PRO INSTALLER
www . proinstaller . co . uk
SAFETY FIRST WITH FIRE DOORS
Following Fire Door Safety Week ( 26th September to 2nd October ), Scott Copeland , category manager at IronmongeryDirect , explains how best to select and install fire doors and door closers in order to deliver optimum levels of safety compliance .
Fire doors are essential in all public buildings including flats , social housing and residential premises to make sure that they are safe for occupants , and meet the required standards . However , if doors and accompanying ironmongery components aren ’ t correctly fitted or there is a lack of attention paid to product certification when a house is being built , problems can occur . Fire doors that fail to perform properly when required , particularly in buildings with high footfall such as apartment blocks , put the lives of the occupants at great risk - so it ’ s important to get it right . When constructing a property , trade professionals have a moral and legal duty to ensure that appropriate fire doors are used . During the process of selecting the most suitable door , the width , height and what the door will be made of needs to be carefully considered . Fire doors can be made from a variety of materials such as steel , aluminium or wood , and some even include glass sections . Choosing the right door will usually depend on the location in which it will be installed within the home . There are also building regulations that need to be taken into account when it comes to installing fire doors . For instance , fire doors in public buildings have to adhere to BS8300 Equality Act and Part M of Buildings Regulations , which states that there has to be ease of access throughout the entire building . Along with selecting the correct fire door to use , it is just as vital to specify the best door closer to accompany it . Automatic closing devices operate to ensure that doors close properly to prevent the spread of fire . It is important to ensure that the door closer has the correct power size grade . This is based on the weight and width of the door . Door closers that are attached to fire doors must have a minimum power size of three . As closers for fire doors have a critical safety function , they must be able to overcome any resistance from locks , latches or sealing systems that are present on the door and must be able to close the door from any angle . They should also be CE marked to BS EN 1154 including annex A . Automatic closing devices can , however , present issues for particular groups of people such as children , the elderly or the disabled who may be unable to open the door . It can also be difficult to ensure that fire doors are kept closed , especially in high traffic areas such as corridors and entrances to the property . In these scenarios electrically powered hold-open devices can be used to keep a self-closing fire door open . It is important to note that only electrically powered devices are allowed and the door closer must not include any other holdopen devices . Other vital components that should be considered during the installation process include smoke seals and brushes . Intumescent fire and smoke seals prevent fire from escaping through the door frame by expanding at around 100 º C to several times their original size . It is also important to ensure that all of the features operate safely after installation as failing to carry out these checks can be hazardous to anyone residing in or visiting the property . Mechanical checks can be used to test hardware features to ensure that they perform effectively . For example , fire door closers need to work unaided – if you have to help it along then it ’ s not working properly and this needs to be put right . Neglecting to carry out these checks can result in liability and a good tradesman has a duty to ensure the fire door offers the highest levels of protection to residents and remains in good working condition for years to come .
www . IronmongeryDirect . co . uk