Schools, hospitals and other public buildings are required to have active fire protection devices like smoke alarms and sprinklers. In most areas, such buildings must also have passive fire protection features, which typically include fire walls, fire ceilings and other fire-resistant structural components. Passive fire protection systems like these help keep fire and smoke contained, but there still needs to be a way for people to get in and out of various parts of a building during a fire. That’s where fire doors come into play.
Fire doors are typically required wherever there are door openings in fire walls. Depending on the area, they may also be required for doors that lead to exit stairwells, doors that lead to hazardous areas and doors that have exit signs on or near them. They are occasionally also required in homes too. For instance, building codes may require residential fire doors for doorways leading to habitable rooms on a second floor like loft conversions or for doors leading to integral garages.
The primary purpose of a fire door is to contain fire at its point of origin. This often minimizes the amount of damage that can occur. Such doors have fire resistance ratings that reflect how many hours they can withstand exposure to heat, smoke and fire. Most doors are rated to withstand at least 30 minutes of an active fire. Some can withstand several hours. Local building codes typically dictate the minimum fire resistance rating that is required for a given building.
In addition to helping to contain fires, fire doors provide egress points that people can safely use to get out of a building when one occurs. These doors are required to be kept closed, and they should only be opened to allow people to get in or out of a room. Unfortunately, people often prop such doors open, which negates their fire-resistant qualities.
Rolling Fire Doors
Fire doors are required for doors that are located along fire walls, and they’re not limited to standard doors that people walk through. Commercial buildings with large, rolling doors typically need them too. Like regular fire doors, rolling fire doors are designed to withstand fire, smoke and heat over certain periods of time. If building codes require the use of fire doors, rolling fire doors must be used as well where applicable. Like regular fire doors, they’re made out of steel and other fire-resistant materials. They sometimes include a special core that contains additional fire-resistant materials. The door itself must be fire resistant, and the frame around it must be too.
If you own a commercial business in or near Portland and need a rolling fire door, Overhead Door has you covered. We offer standard rolling fire doors, insulated rolling fire doors, frame and sill fire counter doors and more. Visit our website today to check out the available options, or give us a call and tell us how we can help.
