How Do Fire Doors Work?

A fire door is a legal requirement in every public building which is why they are often found inside office buildings, shopping centres and hospitals. After all, they are designed in order to prevent a fire from spreading and ensure that the people inside are able to evacuate to safety in a calm and collected manner. Read on as the team here at ABC Industrial go over everything there is to know about how fire doors work... Why should fire doors always remain closed? A fire door is designed with specific qualities in order to protect a property and the people inside in the event of a fire and this means that they should never be propped open. After all, the sealant around the circumference of the door frame expands in the presence of smoke and heat in order to effectively ‘trap’ the flames and this cannot happen unless the door is closed. Which materials are fire doors made from? In order to ensure that a fire door is able to withstand the intense heat and pressure of an active fire for the length of its fire rating, it is important that they are made from effective materials. In fact, the average fire door is crafted from layers of gypsum, steel, glass and vermiculite. With this said, the assembly of these materials can differ because the focus is often placed on ensuring that the fire rating is met, not utilising the most fire-retardant components. Why do the seals of a fire door expand? Since a fire needs oxygen in order to sustain itself, a fire door works by sealing a doorway in order to prevent the flames from obtaining it. In fact, the seals are professionally known as ‘intumescent strips’ and they are applied to the door itself or the edge of the frame. These strips are effectively useless on a day-to-day basis; however, they quickly activate in the presence of high heat in order to completely prevent fresh oxygen from fuelling a fire. When it comes to fire safety, the team here at ABC Industrial believe that property owners should never put their employees or customers in danger. After all, fire prevention is only as good as the measures that are implemented. Luckily, ABC fire doors are crafted with quality in mind in order to offer up to 240 minutes of protection. To find out more information, get in contact with a member of the team today!  

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