The Expert Guide to Fire Doors
Translated by Abha Vardhan (2019)
Are you looking for information about a fire door that meets all required legal regulations and standards? Want to know how it differs from a smoke protection door? What should be considered when buying and installing fire doors? If the answers to these questions is a 'yes' then continue reading and you will find the answers you need.
Having fire doors in your commercial or residential building is definitely a smart decision. If you want to ensure the safety of your office and family, fire doors should be one of your safety options. Although there are several options when it comes to finding the right fire door, you must know the importance of choosing the one that will suit your safety requirements.
The Model Building Regulations (MBO, version of 2002) applies to all structural and construction products and was introduced in many states as the Fire Protection Act.
It states that "Structures and buildings must be designed, constructed, modified and maintained in such a way so as to prevent the occurrence of fire and the spread of fire and smoke in the event of a fire. In addition, effective fire extinguishing processes can take place for the rescue of humans and animals.”
One of the effective means of fire protection is fire doors. Let’s learn more about what a fire door is and how it differs from a smoke protection door:
What is a Fire Door?
A fire door comes with a fire-resistant rating, also called a fire protection rating, for closures. It is an automatic closing door that works to minimize the spreading of fire and smoke throughout the premises in the event of a fire so that people occupying the space can safely exit. Fire doors are usually installed in commercial places that need fire-resistant equipment.
Fire doors prevent a fire from spreading further or faster to other rooms as the door closes automatically in the case of fire. Each fire door is marked accordingly.
According to the MBO quoted above, which formulates the basic principle of fire protection offers three protection goals, which are:
- Prevent the onset of a fire and the spread of fire and smoke.
- Enable the rescue of humans and animals in case of fire.
- Allow effective firefighting
- Install a fire door with a fire-resistant rating as a structural measure to prevent spreading of fire.
In particular, fire doors are used in buildings with high visitor frequency and in buildings where old, sick or disabled people live as a safety precaution from fire. You can find fire doors in schools and universities, hotels, kindergartens, administrations, hospitals, banks, retirement homes and office buildings.
Fire doors are created from different combinations of materials such as wood, fire-resistant glazing, steel, aluminum, GI, and gypsum.
The swinging section of the door (door leaf) and its frame must fulfill the needed instructions of the testing agency to ensure its effectiveness against fire. The door frame is comprised of door hardware, fire or smoke seals, along with the arrangement that clasps the entire door assembly together, which require the building inspectorate approval.
This total arrangement of door assembly is usually referred to as a ‘door set’ which has its own numerical rating. All parts of the fire door must have a label to make sure that they have been analyzed to fulfill the fire rating needs.
The approval is granted by the German Institute for Construction Technology (DIBt) in Berlin. The manufacturer must demonstrate it by affixing the official identification plate and by submitting the statement of the general building inspectorate approval.
Important Note: A fire door is an approved unit of the door (door leaf and frame) and it must be mounted according to regulations. The manufacturers must include the installation instructions of the fire door.
When buying a fire door, you will receive the corresponding approval notice and the required manual with DIN standards for suitable fittings, so make sure to check these.
The Difference Between a Fire door and a Smoke Door
Smoke damage is usually many times greater than pure fire damage; therefore more importance is given to smoke-tight seals.
A fire door is designed to prevent the fire spreading by creating a fire barrier. Preventing the spread of smoke (smoke degree) is not necessarily the role of a fire door.
Smoke protection doors are mainly based on standard multi-purpose doors or fire doors in T30 or T90 design. These come with special sealing systems and thresholds to ensure optimum protection against gases.
Depending on the application and the building (in particular its geometry) it may be necessary; however, to install fire doors with fire resistance and smoke protection function i.e. the door with both fire and smoke protection.
The Nomenclature for Fire and Smoke Protection Doors
You can buy fire doors that are assigned to different fire resistance classes. The "fire protection" describes the ability of a door in the case of a fire to maintain room closure and thermal insulation for a certain period of time. The fire resistance duration is determined during tests according to DIN EN 1634-1.
In the market, for example, you will find fire doors of the categories T30, T60, T90, T120 and T180. While the "T" stands for "door", the numbers 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 indicate the duration of the door-specific fire resistance in minutes while the functionality is maintained. A fireproof door of fire resistance class T60 withstands the fire (not the smoke) for 60 minutes without having it pass through it - and can then be opened.
One of the fireproof T90 fire doors is available as single-wing (T90-1 models) or as two-wing models (T90-2 model). T120 and T180 mean highly fire resistant.
Fire doors with smoke protection are marked with an additional "RS" for smoke protection. It will be marked T30RS, T60RS or T90RS. There are also doors that offer smoke protection (RS), but not fire resistance, which is declared as RS doors that to offer only smoke protection.
Things to Consider When Buying Fire Doors
In order to make sure that your door is built according to the best industry standards, you need to have it certified. If you want to buy a fire door, you should know that it must have a license plate. It should indicate the manufacturer of the fire door (including the manufacturer's mark) and the fire resistance class assigned to the door (T-value).
In addition, it should include the door specifications and the year in which it was produced. Without a proper license plate, the door is not considered a properly approved fire door as per the latest industry standards.
Source: energie-experten.org