ENSURING FIRE-SAFE SPECIFICATIONS

Fire doors are the first line of defence against both smoke and fire, so it’s vital that they perform as intended in the event of a fire. Here, IronmongeryDirect looks at what specifiers need to consider when choosing door hardware to ensure safety, and compliance with regulations.

Effective fire doors provide vital occupant protection by preventing the spread of flames and smoke, whilst also serving to protect escape routes. While the focus is often on the door itself, the door closers, hinges and seals should not be overlooked as they are an essential part of how the doorset functions.

The correct specification of door closers is important as they must balance reliable closing to ensure fire protection with ease of daily use. Approved Document B (Fire safety) in England and Wales requires that fire doors be fitted with a self-closing device that will fully and reliably close the door from any angle. They should also comply with BS EN1154 for Controlled Door Closing Devices, or BS EN1155 for electromagnetic closers and fire door holders,and be CE or UKCA marked to this standard.

To be effective, fire doors must also fit tightly against the frame but still open and close correctly under normal use. To achieve this, thermally activated intumescent seals should be fitted. However, for areas, such as protected escape routes and stairways, additional protection from smoke may be required. Smoke seals, either solid ‘flippers’ or brush types, are designed to stop the smoke moving past the door regardless of the temperature and are therefore often referred to as ‘cold smoke’ seals.

Furthermore, the hinges are an essential component of a fire door set which are a key consideration. Fire doors must have at least three hinges, fitted with the correct sized screws and be CE or UKCA marked to BS EN 1935. It is also essential that they are appropriate for the size and weight of the door leaf. Intumescent pads should also be fitted under each hinge leaf – on both the frame and door – with the thickness of the seal dependent on if it is a 30- or 60-minute rated fire door.

Finally, it is also important to ensure that when a CERTIFIRE door has been specified that only CERTFIRE approved hardware is fitted - as installing non-approved products will invalidate the CERTFIRE certification.

Given the critical role that fire doors have in protecting people and buildings, it is vital that the correct products are selected to ensure they function and perform as intended. To help professionals achieve this, IronmongeryDirect’s team of GAI trained advisors are available to assist with any product queries or specification advice on its wide range of over 18,000 ironmongery solutions.

IronmongeryDirect has produced a number of useful resources to aid the specification of fire door hardware, as well easily identify and navigate its wide range of fire rated products. Visit www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/firerated for more information.