Clearview National October 2015 - Issue 167 | Page 72

HARDWARE& SECURITY

A Vital key to fire safety
»»Fire doors are a vital
part of a building’s fire safety and
ultimately can save lives. However,
it is just as important to think
about the additional hardware
components that are required to
ensure the door is fit for use and
will enable it to function correctly
in the event of a fire.
Martin Smith, product
manager at IronmongeryDirect,
explains the importance of locks
and additional hardware that need
to be considered to ensure the
door operates effectively in the
event of a fire.
Fabricators and installers have
an important role to play in the
supply, correct installation and
ongoing maintenance of fire doors
and their accompanying hardware
to ensure they are fit for purpose,
meet the required standards
and most importantly provide
protection to the occupants of the
building.
First and foremost, it’s
important to keep up-to-date with
the latest fire safety legislation and
standards to be able to recognise
when fire doors and hardware
don’t meet the required standards
and provide guidance. In addition,
by understanding what is expected,
installers and fabricators can
recommend and install the right
hardware and ensure the fire door
complies with regulations. Failure
to fit and maintain fire doors and
accompanying hardware correctly
could put lives at risk and lead to
potential legal implications.
Hinges, locks
and latches
Hinges, locks and latches
are all equally important when
considering the different hardware
components that make up a fire
door. If these are not regularly
maintained or replaced when
broken the risk of the fire door
not doing its job correctly during
a fire is extremely high.

you have to help it along then it’s
not working properly and this
needs to be put right.
Another factor to bear in
mind is that most door closers
are graded with a power size.
This needs to be a minimum of
size 3 for a fire door; any lower
than this and it is not considered
suitable and needs to be changed
immediately. As closers for
fire doors have a critical safety
function, they must be able to
overcome any resistance from
locks, latches or sealing systems
that are present on the door. They
should also be CE marked to BS
EN 1154 including annex A.

When it comes to hinges,
fire doors need at least three to
operate correctly. These should
be fitted with the correct amount
of screws at the right size and
marked with a CE stamp. They
should be routinely checked for
wear and tear an d should be
treated if they are showing any
signs of rust or corrosion.
It’s also important to install
a high quality lock as they
help to ensure a door remains
closed within its frame. A good
example of a quality lock is the
Altro Euro Profile Sashlock
which boasts a 60 minute
fire rating, meaning it will
withstand the effects of a fire for
up to an hour.
In order for the locks to
be compliant with the fire
regulations, they must be fitted
with a suitable intumescent lock
kit. Once the intumescent strips
are attached they help to provide
vital fire protection for the critical
weak points of the lock.

72 » OCT 2015 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

When choosing a latch it’s
important to go for strong,
quality brands as they need to
hold the door firmly in place
without rattling. They also need
to have the correct intumescent
sleeve fitted to it to retain the
doors integrity.
Both locks and latches should
be CE marked and further
product certification by a third
party is recommended.
Door closers
Another important feature to
consider when ensuring a fire
door is fit for purpose is its door
closer. Automatic closing devices
operate to ensure that doors close
properly to prevent the spread
of fire. They should be fitted to
all fire doors and be capable of
closing the door from any angle
of opening. This can be tested by
opening the door to five degrees
and making sure it closes and
engages with the latch. Fire door
closers need to work unaided – if

Hold open devices
Hold open devices such as the
Dorgard Fire Door Holder are a
great way of legally holding open
fire doors in high traffic areas
such as corridors instead of using
a wedge or other device, which
is against fire regulations. These
devices, used together with a door
closer, will activate after hearing
a fire alarm allowing the door to
close automatically.
These devices need to be
maintained and tested on a
regular basis. The unit must be
located in the vicinity of the
active alarm or bell in order to
operate correctly.
As fire doors are a fundamental
part of fire protection it’s essential
to consider every detail when
installing, maintaining and
checking them in order that they
provide the maximum protection
against the spread of fires. All
components need to be checked
on a regular basis and repaired or
replaced if they are found to be
damaged or broken.
IronmongeryDirect has created
a Fire Door Checklist which can
be downloaded from its website
www.IronmongeryDirect.co.uk/
fire-door