There are a number of regulations which apply to both new and existing buildings across the UK. In the case of new buildings, or those which include alterations, extensions or change of use, the appropriate Building Regulations apply. Existing buildings, other than domestic properties, are governed by the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order: 2005 – otherwise known as the RRO or FSO You should also be take note of Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations (England and Wales) which links the Building Regulations to the RRO for those buildings to which the RRO applies. Building Regulations are known as Approved Documents (or equivalent) and are available from the websites shown below. They are designed to help meet the minimum standards required for construction in the UK. Because fire doors are functional items and are necessary in all buildings and structures, they are required to meet a number of different regulations such as sound, accessibility, ventilation, thermal efficiency and safety glazing as well as fire safety.

A summary of Approved Document regulations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is shown in the table below.upvc front door lock types In addition to building regulations, fire doors may also be required to comply with other codes and standards to meet BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes criteria, as well as procurement requirements for responsible sourcing of materials such as those provided by forest certification and chain of custody required under CPET regulations, which apply to ALL projects undertaken by UK Government Public Sector and its agencies.frameless shower door support The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 or FSO, replaced over 70 pieces of fire safety law and came into force in 2006.garage door service greenville sc

The responsibility for fire risk assessment in all non-domestic buildings, including the common parts of flats and houses of multiple occupation, falls to the so-called 'responsible person'.kitchen door hinge router bit set Under the FSO, the responsible person must carry out a fire safety risk assessment and implement and maintain a fire management plan. garage door spare parts aucklandFurther information on what you need to do when carrying out a risk assessment is available here.car window repair saskatoon The law applies to you if you are:garage door springs charlotte nc Fire doors play a major role in the fire safety and protection of ALL buildings covered by the FSO and it is important that fire doors are inspected correctly and maintained in order to ensure compliance.

Failure to do so can place property and lives at risk and is likely to result in criminal prosecution. Click on the links below for the relevant Fact Card on each topic. Fire Doors and the Building Regulations Fire Doors and Regulation 38 Fire Doors and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order Fire-resistance rated door, with wire mesh glass window Industrial grade fire door rated to hydrocarbon curve and blast resistance. Double fire door immediately after 3 hour fire test inside a 4-hour rated Durasteel wall. Double fire door after 3 hour fire test in a 4-hour Durasteel wall, during successful 45PSI (3.1 bar) hose stream test leading to a UL Listing. A fire door is a door with a fire-resistance rating (sometimes referred to as a fire protection rating for closures) used as part of a passive fire protection system to reduce the spread of fire and smoke between separate compartments of a structure and to enable safe egress from a building or structure or ship.

In North American building codes, it, along with fire dampers, is often referred to as a closure, which can be derated compared against the fire separation that contains it, provided that this barrier is not a firewall or an occupancy separation. In Europe national standards for fire doors have been harmonised with the introduction of the new standard EN 16034, which refers to fire doors as fire-resisting door sets. Starting September 2016, a common CE marking procedure will be available abolishing trade barriers within the European Union for these types of products. In the UK, it is Part B of the Building Regulations that sets out the minimum requirements for the fire protection that must be implemented in all dwellings this includes the use of fire doors. All fire doors must be installed with the appropriate fire resistant fittings, such as the frame and door hardware, for it to fully comply with any fire regulations. Fire doors may be made of a combination of materials, such as:

Both the door leaf (the swinging panel of the door) and the door frame are required to meet the guidelines of the testing agency which provides the product listing. The door frame includes the fire or smoke seals, door hardware, and the structure that holds the fire door assembly in place. Together, these components form an assembly, typically called a "doorset" which holds a numerical rating, quantified in hours of resistance to a test fire. All of the components of the fire door assembly must bear a listing agencies label (with the exception of ball-bearing hinges which meet the basic build requirements of ANSI 156.2 and NFPA 80) to ensure the components have been tested to meet the fire rating requirements. Door hardware includes, but is not limited to: Edges of a fire door usually need to have fire rated seals which can be composed of: When intumescent seals are used in the door design, use of the correct seal is crucial in the fire rating performance the door assembly.

Seals may vary in chemical composition, expansion rate, expansion volume, and/or charring characteristics. Some fire doors are equipped with internal windows which also have a rating, or have been incorporated at the time of the door test and be subject to the overall door's product certification. Fire-resistive windows must remain intact under fire conditions and hose stream impact resistance, and can include: Wired glass typically withstands the fire, whereas the sodium silicate liquid also acts to insulate heat transfer, due to the endothermic action of this chemical. All components are required to adhere to product certification requirements that are acceptable to the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) by meeting the requirements of the local building code and fire code. The regulatory requirement will change from country to country. For example, in Australia, the National Construction Code dictates that all fire doors must be tested to certain specifications in order to meet resistance approvals and certification.

For example, in the United Kingdom a fire resisting doorset should be subjected to either a British Standard Fire Test BS 476 Part 22 1987, or a BS/EN 1634-1 2000 test. The results are recorded by the test agency and provided in a report which detail such things as constructional details, distortion data and pressure readings. The numerical fire resistance rating that is required to be installed in a particular building is provided in the Building Regulations approved Document B, or British Standards such as the BS 5588 series (e.g., 30 minutes FD30, or FD30(S) if cold smoke resistance is also required). Similar technical guidance documents and building regulations are in effect in other countries. Fire doors are not necessarily noncombustible. It is acceptable for portions of the door to be destroyed by combustion during exposure to a fire as long as the door assembly meets the fire test criteria of limiting temperature on the non-fire side of the assembly. This is in accordance with the overall performance goal of a fire rated door to slow fire propagation from one fire rated compartment to another for only a limited amount of time, during which automatic or manual fire fighting may be employed to limit fire spread, or occupants can exit the building.

Fire doors are sometimes rendered unable to provide its listed fire resistance by ignorance of the intended use and associated restrictions and requirements, or by improper use. For example, fire doors are sometimes blocked open, or carpets are run through them, which would allow the fire to travel past the fire barrier in which the door is placed. The door's certification markings are displayed both on the door leaves and the fire door frames, and should not be removed or painted over during the life of the building. Sometimes fire doors have apparently very large gaps at the foot of them, an inch or two even, allowing air movement, such as in dormitory facilities. This can lead the occupants of a building to question their status as 'real' fire doors. NFPA 80 allows a maximum door undercut of 3/4 inch however fire doors are tested with smaller clearances in accordance with NFPA 252.[5] Corridors have a fire rating of one hour or less, and the fire doors in them are required by code to have a fire rating of 1/2 or 1/3 hour, the intent of which is mainly to restrict smoke travel.

Fire door held open by an electromagnet Most fire doors are designed to be kept closed at all times. Some doors are designed to stay open under normal circumstances, and close automatically in the event of a fire. Whichever method is used, the door's movement should never be impaired by a doorstop or other obstacle. The intumescent and smoke-seal bounding of fire doors should be routinely checked, as should the action of the door closer and latch. Some fire doors are held open by an electromagnet, which may be wired to a fire alarm system. If the power fails or the fire alarm is activated, the coil is de-energized, and the door closer closes the door. Wireless, battery operated fire door retainers can also be used to safely and legally hold fire doors open. Rated fire doors are tested to withstand an ASTM E119 standard time-temperature curve for a specified period.[7] There are 20, 30, 45, 60, and 90-minute-rated fire doors that are certified by an approved laboratory designated as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL, e.g., Underwriters Laboratories).

The certification only applies if all parts of the installation are correctly specified and installed. For example, fitting the wrong kind of glazing may severely reduce the door's fire resistance period. As well as ensuring the door is hung properly and squarely, it is also very important that where a fire door is installed, any gaps left in the opening between the wall and the door frame must be properly filled with fire resisting material. Fire doors are normally installed by a carpenter. In the United States, the NFPA requires annual inspections of fire-resistance rated door and frame assemblies.[8] Local Authorities Having Jurisdiction must adopt the new edition for this requirement to take effect. Most jurisdictions in the US will be adopting the IBC (International Building Code) model code, which references the NFPA 80 2007 edition requirement, as their local codes. NFPA 80 5.2.4.requires the following items shall be verified, at minimum: According to building and fire codes, annual fire door inspections is the responsibility of the building owner.