Fire Door Safety Week

This Fire Door Safety Week we look at and highlight key areas and products required for fire door installations for commercial settings. Fire doors are not just a door and are a crucial part of fire protection in every commercial, public, and multiple occupancy building within the UK, looking at some check points to ensure the project you are working on meets regulations. There are around 3 million new fire doors bought and installed every year in the UK, the vast majority made from timber, that all require the correct and safe ironmongery and intumescent when installed, from intumescent fire and smoke seals and all the ironmongery that is used on the door, such as hinges, overhead door closers, latches and locks available to order with us today.

CERTIFICATION

Choosing the correct products with the right Fire Ratings and Certifications ensure the installation of fire doors are all met to an approved standard with products highly tested in a variety of environments. At Welling you can find a range of products from the best brands on the market supplying you with intumescent strips, hinges, acoustic seals, door closers, panic bars and signage that have a range of certifications that apply to them.

When looking at different Certifications some of the key ones are listed below:

FD30 / FD60 – Suitable for fire doors that have been tested for a maximum time of 30 or 60 minutes.

BS476 Part 22  – Describes procedures for determining the fire resistance of non-load bearing elements of building construction when subjected to the heating and pressure conditions.

BS476 Part 31.1  – Fire tests on building materials and structures. Measuring smoke penetration through doorsets and shutter assemblies under ambient temperature conditions.

CE marking or UKCA is a mandatory conformity marking for certain products sold within the European economic area. Under CPR, certain fire and life safety products may only be placed on the market if they carry the CE mark as they need to perform a vital function in the performance of fire, smoke and escape doors. The CE mark indicates that the hardware product achieves at least the minimum performance deemed essential in aspects of its operation and use.

Certifire is an independent 3rd party scheme who provide high quality voluntary, product conformity for the passive fire sector assuring the safety of the products.

SEALS AND GAPS

Welling provide a range of intumescent fire and smoke sales for fire doors in a variety of lengths and colours to suit the project and installation you are working on suitable for fire doors with 30 or 60 minute protection.

In the event of a fire without the intumescent strips the door would not prevent the spread of fire for half as long, playing a crucial part of the fire door installation. When exposed to extreme heat the seals expand to close any edges or gaps that may leave the fire door vulnerable to fire and smoke spread.

A variety of different Intumescent are available that are used with several ironmongery fixtures to ensure the comply to fire door safety, including hinge pads, locks, brush seals, flipper seals, drop-down seals, and air transfer grilles.

Fire rated hinges must be installed with the correct Intumescent hinge pads and 2 are required per hinge. To achieve FD30 or FD60 and comply with fire test evidence – 2 x 0.8mm hinge pads per hinge, one Intumescent hinge pad to be behind frame hinge leaf and one behind door hinge leaf.

You can find a range of fire intumescent here to order today.

CLOSERS

Fire door closers can prevent the spread of smoke and flames; they work by automatically returning a door to its closed position when open and are essential to fire rated fixtures and doors in commercial and public environments. Welling supply, a range of Electro Magnetic Door Closers by Rutland in different finishes suitable for fire doors with third party testing to BS EN1154 and EN1634-1 suitable for FD30 and FD60 fire doors.

PANIC DOOR HARDWARE

Fire escape doors require panic door hardware, with a variety of options from push pads, crash bars and external locking devices with levers and knobs. Welling stock, a range of suitable items from well recognized brands Exidor and Briton. Emergency exit devices can need several requirements depending on the operation needed, speak with a member of the Welling team who are happy to help.

SIGNAGE

The correct signage may seem a simple and easy thing to choose but it can often be forgotten when working on large commercial projects. Signage can vary in requirements for commercial environments with Blue & White, Green and White and Photoluminescent signage options to ensure the correct message is seen by the users clearly and efficiently.

Blue and White circular signage on metal is often used on fire doors with different wording options available, for example you may see Fire Door Keep Shut and Fire Door Keep Clear. These metal discs come in different finishes including stainless steel and brass to suit the décor and environment intended.

White and Green rigid plastic signs can often be found about the door or on a wall directing the person to the best exit with a running man and arrow. These are also available in photoluminescent finish that can be an essential part of every fire plan for businesses due to their illuminating coating. Placing glow in the dark fire exit signs contribute towards a safer and more efficient escape in the event of a fire.

FINAL NOTE

All Fire doors must be tested and third-party certificated to BS 476 Part 22 or BS EN 1634 Part 1.
They must be fitted with the correct and compatible components suited to the door leaf and its purpose. Like any fire safety device, they should be installed and maintained by competent people.

All fixtures and fittings must be installed as recommended by manufacture and safety guidelines.