54 • FIRE SAFETY & SECURITY
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Opening the door to fire door compliance
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WITH THE COMPLEXITY OF regulations regarding doors and their hardware there is a concern that many fire doors in the UK are not currently compliant with legislation . Graham Hulland , Product Marketing Manager at dormakaba looks at how those responsible for fire door specification and associated maintenance can ensure compliance with all relevant legislation .
In many cases , fire doors are the first line of defence in the event of fire and as such correct specification and maintenance can be the difference between life and death for building occupants . According to the British Woodworking Federation , organisers of the annual Fire Door Safety Week , there are in excess of three million new timber fire doors installed in the UK every year . Despite the vital role the doors have in the passive fire protection of commercial , public and multi-occupancy buildings they are often incorrectly specified or neglected once installed .
In addition to the fire door itself , the door hardware and ironmongery needs to be compliant to ensure it performs as required . However , this is a complex area of legislation where there are a number of factors to consider .
Approved Document B of the Building Regulations states that where fire doors are to be self-closing they should be fitted with an Automatic Self Closing Device defined as : ‘ a device which is capable of closing the door from any angle against any latch fitted to the door .’ Any such door-closing device should comply with BS EN1154 Controlled Door Closing Devices and be CE marked to this standard . The product must also have a Declaration of Performance ( DoP ) detailing the characteristics of the component , as without this the CE mark is invalid .
Furthermore , it is widely considered best practice to only source third-party certified ironmongery for fire doors . The independent certification of product performance provided by schemes such as BWF-CERTIFIRE ensures the specified
hardware is suitable for the application . It is vital that all elements including closers , hinges , locks , seals , and panic hardware as well as any hold-open or free-swing devices fitted to the door are all third party approved . For example , if non-CERTIFIRE approved hardware is fitted to a CERTIFIRE fire door , the certification of the door as a whole could be invalidated .
This approach is also recommended in Approved Document B , which states :
“ Third party accredited product conformity certification schemes not only provide a means of identifying products , which have demonstrated that they have the requisite performance in fire , but additionally provide confidence that the products actually supplied are provided to the same specification or design as that tested / assessed .”
In addition , the ‘ scope of approval ’ on the CERTIFIRE test certificate itself should be checked to ensure compliance . This document details the product ’ s suitability for different door types and installation options . For example , a door closer can either be door or transom mounted , with a standard , parallel or slide arm , and designed for use on a latched or unlatched door . Those responsible for the fire doors should always check the certificate covers the proposed type of installation .
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL . CO . UK | NOV / DEC 2017