Fire doors are an important factor within the design of many different types of public and private buildings. Having a fundamental understanding of the importance of fire doors is important for architects, especially when designing buildings of multiple occupancy, hospitals, shelters, or other buildings where vulnerable people live or stay for short periods of time.
A fire door is a door that has been manufactured in a way that meets strict fire resistance standards. It is designed to act as a barrier which prevents fire and/or smoke from spreading through a building quickly. The time that it acts as a barrier is used to help people escape safely and quickly, evacuating a building to escape the fire.
Fire doors are made of one or two leaves, from a combination of materials such as timber, steel, and ceramic fibre. A fire door should always be fitted with mechanisms that allow them to automatically close quickly and securely, with a locking mechanism that prevents the spread of fire and smoke. All components that make up the manufacturing of a fire door must comply with the strict fire safety regulations and fire door safety standards for that specific country. Every country has unique fire safety regulations, so always check with the latest fire regulations for your location.
Fire doors must be included within houses of multiple occupancy, in hospitals, schools, care homes, and other forms of shelter for the vulnerable where there are multiple occupants. The width of the fire door must always allow enough space for wheelchair users to comfortably fit through, as these routes could mean the difference between life and death if a fire were to break out.
In public areas where there is a huge footfall and high volume and flow of people there is also a requirement for fire doors. This includes, educational establishments, cinemas, shopping centres, airports, underground railway stations, and other such public buildings. If there is a building that consistently has high numbers of people present fire doors are a fantastic means to prevent a disaster from getting out of hand. If a fire starts in a building without fire doors it can quickly spread, causing devastation to the structural integrity of the building, injury and fatalities to those inside at the time.
Once fire doors are installed they must be regularly maintained to ensure that all parts of it are fully functional. Alongside that a clever and clear fire safety policy should be introduced to the building. Clear signage, training and fire drills, and other forms of fire safety should be implemented to ensure that all occupants and members of the public understand that fire doors should remain closed at all times, where they should go in the event of the fire (the nearest fire escape route and where to congregate safely outside), and how to use certain fire safety equipment should it be necessary.
It is important to have the highest quality of material available to you when discussing fire safety, and this includes a supplier of fire doors that offers expert advice and guidance alongside the best fire doors for installation.
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