
Testing Fire Doors

Importance of Fire Doors
All of us who use or occupy any building have a right to expect that we will be safely protected should a fire break out. Sadly this is not always the case. Something may fail within the fabric of the building, or with the fire safety devices and tragedy occurs, causing death or serious injury
Fire doors are part of a building’s PASSIVE fire protection system, an essential requirement for ALL public buildings, offices and factories.
They are also a requirement in certain domestic situations, such as:
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in flats,
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where a door leads into an integral garage, or
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in any dwelling where there is a second floor ‘habitable’ room, such as houses with loft conversions or a ‘room in the roof’.
All rooms in any of these situations are separated from other rooms, or compartmented, in order to:
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keep any fire in the compartment in which it starts
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protect the occupants (and contents) of other compartments
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provide a safe, protected route to allow the occupants to escape.
The walls, ceilings, entrances and exits are therefore designed to resist the fire for a specified period of time.
The simple purpose of a fire door in every day use is just as any other door. However, since a breakout of fire is never predictable, the fire door, unlike any other door, must then perform its prime purpose – to protect lives and offer protection to the remainder of the building and to other buildings.
Testing Fire Doors​

How is a fire door tested?
The door is tested as a complete assembly or doorset in a test furnace and can only work correctly if installed using the same compatible components as when it was tested.

What is a Fire Doorset?
A doorset is a complete unit consisting of a door frame and a door leaf or leaves, supplied with all essential parts from a single source’.
This means that a fire doorset is supplied as a complete unit from one supplier, so is:
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Fully fitted up and finished, direct from the manufacturer;
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Fitted with all compatible components and glazing; and
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Pre-assembled in the factory.

What is a Fire Door Assembly?
A fire door assembly is a complete assembly as installed, including door frame and one or more leaves, together with its essential hardware supplied from separate sources’.