The proper installation and maintenance of fire doors is a vital part of a compartment’s fire resistance, but heavy duty wear and tear can affect their performance. Nick Goddard of Geofire examines the role of door holding devices.
The article from Peter Barker of Chiltern International Fire [Fire Doors Save Lives] highlights the importance of proper design and installation of fire door frames, essential hardware and intumescent and smoke sealing devices in order to restrict the spread of fire and protect lives.
Peter says that “fire doors of the appropriate design are key” and that “the single most important consideration must surely be that, if the worst should happen and fire breaks out, the doorset will perform as it has been designed to do.”
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A Salamander fire door hold-open device |
The constant battering fire doors receive in busy buildings can damage hinges and edge seals, often rendering them unfit for their intended purpose. This kind of wear and tear can be caused by hotel guests as they struggle through with their luggage, or even wheelchairs or trolleys in hospitals and care homes. Keeping fire doors held open with properly installed and accredited hold-open devices during non-emergency times is one way to help ensure that they remain in working order once they have been installed.
As well as this, there are other benefits of door holding devices, such as ease of access in busy buildings like schools to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), or even for ventilation purposes to increase the flow of fresh air in hot stuffy buildings.
In many cases, however, no proper provision is made and the users of such buildings take matters into their own hands. Wooden wedges, bricks or ironically fire extinguishers are often used to prop open fire doors, making them completely ineffective. Of course, this could have tragic results should a fire occur, so it is important to have a system in place to legally hold open doors, so that they are released again in the case of fire.
Hold-open systems for self-closing fire doors
BS7273 is British Standard entitled Code of practice for the operation of fire protection measures. In 2007 part 4 of this standard was released, providing recommendations for the actuation of door release mechanisms.
It is often assumed that door holding systems will “fail safe”. That is, in the event of virtually any type of failure in the fire detection or alarm system, or of the interconnection between the fire system and the door hardware, the doors will behave as they are intended when a fire is detected. But this might not always be the case.
No system is totally immune to failure but the possible modes of failure, and the likelihood and possible consequences of failure, should be addressed. BS7273 part 4 does this by recommending suitable practice for design, installation, commissioning and maintenance for the connection of door holding hardware to fire alarm control and indicating equipment.
Categories of actuation
BS7273 part 4 defines three categories of actuation (categories A, B and C), by way of a “menu” from which specifiers can choose; category A being the most stringent and category C the least. It does not, however, prescribe which category should be selected in particular circumstances – this is down to the “interested parties” i.e. specifier, user, regulatory authorities etc. More particularly, it should come from an assessment of the risk posed by possible failure of the system to operate in the event of a fire.
So, in response to Peter Barker’s article, the prevention of the spread of flames and toxic smoke does not stop once fire doors have been installed. The ongoing maintenance of this part of the system is crucial to avoid the spread of fire and potential fatalities or injuries.
Want to know more?
Anyone interested in learning more about BS7273-4 and its recommendations can register for a FREE CPD seminar on this subject at http://www.cpduk.co.uk/roadshows/roadsems.htm or call Geofire on 01388 832252.
Nick Goddard is innovation manager at Geofire
