MCL FIRE, Fire Doors

We offer a range of servicing for fire doors in Belfast and across the island of Ireland. Fire doors play an integral part in slowing down the spread of smoke and fire, the fire safety act 2005 states that all proprietors ( apart from private homes owners) have a legal requirement to install and maintain fire doors on all premises, especially commercial and dwellings with multiple floors and occupants.

Call us today on 02895219361 to receive a quote from the MCL team, or visit our service page for a list of our products and services.

 

What we offer

Fire Door Inspections and Recommendations

What is a fire door?

Fire doors are used to create compartmentation and slow down the spread of smoke and fire, they are more resilient and can withstand fire for a longer period of time compared to traditional doors. They are commonly found along escape routes, stairwells and exits, made from a solid piece of timber or a mixture of steel, aluminium and gypsum. It’s important to understand that fire doors are not fireproof but are fire resistant and their main purpose is to simply slow down and reduce the spread of smoke and fire. Fire doors will always be certified and rated by the manufacturer with a label detailing the amount of time they can withstand a fire.

This rating depends on the length of time a door withstands fire before being destroyed and allowing smoke and flames to pass. The time required for a door to be considered fire-resistant is 30 minutes, certification process involve rigorous testing by the manufacturer and external bodies such as BWF (British Woodworking Federation) or Underwriter’s laboratory. It is not recommended that you augment a fire door to be fire-resistant as this will more than likely decrease the door fire resistance performance.

The fire rating is commonly found on the sides of the door close to where the hinges are located, they are labelled as:

  • FD30: 30 minutes of protection
  • FD60: 60 minutes of protection
  • FD90: 90 minutes of protection
  • FD120: 120 minutes of protection

 

What do we do?

Just like any piece of fire protection equipment fire doors should be properly maintained and serviced to ensure that they are in working order. Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO/FSO) makes it a legal requirement to ensure that fire resisting doors and escape doors are correctly installed and adequately maintained in order for them to be fit for purpose. This does not strictly apply to private homeowners but is just as important for them to follow. There are a number of checks and tests that our technicians do to ensure that your fire doors are adequate and will do the job they are intended to do. Having regular fire door inspections are just as important as having the pressure of an extinguisher or batteries of an alarm checked.

Measuring Fire door gap process

Door Gap Test

The gap between the door and frame should be no less than 2-4 mm, while the gap on the floor should be no greater than 8mm.

Fire door force testing

Automatic Door Closer & Newton Force Test

The doors closing mechanism should be able to close automatically without any external force, The door should also be easily opened and closed without much force required, it should require around 0-30 newtons of force.

Hinges and seal testing

Hinges & Smoke Seal Inspection

The hinges will be visually tested to ensure there is some sort of intumescent coating or material and that no screws are missing. The smoke seals around the door will also be visually tested to ensure no damage is found.

Fire door signage illustration

Fire Door & Exit Signage Inspection

An inspection will be done along the main escape routes, all fire doors and exits to determine whether the correct signage is being used effectively.