Fire door safety week
Fire safety is a critical issue that's close to our hearts. Our fire door hardware will provide the right protection in the event of a fire
The importance of fire doors
Doors are part of our everyday life. We may not pay them much attention, but they provide us with safety, security, protection and privacy. However, if we don’t look after them, they can fail when we really need them.
With nothing more important than safety, it’s important to make sure the fire door ironmongery being fitted to doors meets all the necessary fire safety standards. From intumescent fire and smoke seals to door closers and hold-open devices for fire doors, fire safety has to be assured.
You’ve got enough to think about, without having to worry about whether fire door hardware will provide the right protection in the event of a fire.
Tackling common firedoor issues
Prevention is sometimes better than a cure and over the next few days we'll raise some of the most common issues faced when making sure your fire doors remain safe, secure and functional.
Never use wedges
Never wedge open a fire door! They are designed to be fully closed in a fire emergency, helping to compartmentalise a building, control the flow of flames and smoke, and essentially provide a safe route of escape for occupants. A propped open door cannot close leaving people and property at risk.
If a door does need to be held-open, look for EN 1155 certified hold open closers or other devices that will release in an emergency.
Don't lock doors
Panic escape hardware is designed to give people easy escape from a building with a single action of pushing the release bar. Sometimes chains and padlocks are added to them in an attempt to increase security. This means people cannot escape in an emergency.
Panic hardware is designed to keep the door locked, but open easily when it is needed. Never tamper with escape hardware, and only ever follow manufacturer’s instructions.
No to paint
Intumescent seals swell in the heat of a fire, to stop the progression of flames. Painting them will stop them from being effective.
If a door is being refinished, consider applying new intumescent seals that are comparable to the old ones.
