2022-09-09
We all know high-rise buildings have a higher fire risk than low-rise structures. There is a greater risk of having a fire in your home if you live in a high-rise, so look around, and do basic checks on passive fire products installed in the buildings at the time of construction.
Today on passive fire products, we will talk about some of the necessary Checks we can do on fire doors to protect our people in the event of a fire and save them from property damage. Fire doors are essential to the building's overall fire protection and life safety plan. It's important to feel reassured that the fire doors are working as they should. If not, it can lead to a Major catastrophe.
Here are the ten quick life safety checks on your fire doors:
1. Check if the doors are latching properly without interruption and throw away wedges if they stop them from closing around all the parts of the frames.
2. Check if the gap between the door and frame is not more than 3mm for wood/composite doors and 4mm for steel doors to stop smoke and fire from getting through.
3. Check if there is no visible damage or dents on the doors and frames.
4. Check if Intumescent strips and gaskets are not poorly fitted.
5. Check if the hardware is installed correctly and intact, without any screws missing. Ensure there are no extra holes in the door and all the screws on the hardware are tightly fitted.
6. Check if the glazing elements (such as glass, glass liner, gaskets, and intumescent) are fitted correctly without damage or cracking.
7. Check if the beading is firmly attached on both sides & securely fastened.
8. If there is a door coordinator, ensure the inactive leaf closes initially before the active leaf.
9. Check if no combustible items are kept near the fire exit area, potentially obstructing and interrupting the passage for a safe exit.
10. Check if the fire label is not damaged or painted and ensure that the information on the label is visible such as manufacturer name & address, rating, product type, and serial number.
It's important to have photographic evidence if any discrepancies are noted during the examinations and escalate the matter with the officials responsible for taking action. Whether it is a facility manager, safety engineer, building owner, or whoever, Keep a check until it's rectified. Your constant follow-up will improve the reliability of evacuation and overall life safety of occupants in the building.
We hope this blog will help the reader to know how easy it is to do some basic checks on your own, so you can enjoy the security of knowing you’re doing your best to keep people safe from fire.
Remember, fire doors could very well save your and your loved one's life.