Fire Door Assemblies

Fire doors are an important part of a building’s passive fire protection system, and doors in a means of egress provide life safety by allowing people to exit quickly when necessary. An opening protective in a fire barrier is required to be a fire door assembly, which includes the door, frame, hardware, and glazing.

Temperature Rise Doors

A temperature-rise door is a fire-rated door which limits the heat transfer through the door for a period of 30 minutes. With the increased use of sprinkler systems in commercial and institutional buildings, the need for temperature-rise doors has declined, but there are still locations where they are required. 

Explore Temperature Rise Doors from Steelcraft

Explore Fire-Rated Steel Doors from Republic

Fire Exit Hardware

When panic hardware is installed on fire doors, it must be fire exit hardware which is listed for both panic and fire protection.  This hardware will not include the mechanical dogging function, which provides the ability to keep the latch retracted mechanically.  “Less-bottom-rod” (LBR) fire exit hardware may be used if allowed by the door manufacturer but will typically require the installation of an auxiliary fire pin. 

Explore Von Duprin Fire Exit Hardware

Door Operation

Self-Closing / Automatic-Closing – Fire doors must be closed and latched if there is a fire and equipped with a) a closing device that closes the door each time it is opened (AKA “self-closing”), b) a closing device along with a hold-open device that is released upon smoke detection and allows the door to close (AKA “automatic-closing“), or c) an automatic operator (AKA “power-operated”).  If an automatic operator is used, it must be deactivated upon fire alarm, so the door becomes self-closing.

Explore LCN Door Controls

Fire-Rated Glass

Fire-rated glass is specially designed to prevent the spread of flames and smoke, and depending on product makeup, the transfer of radiant and conductive heat. In the world of fire safety, this is known as compartmentation. While many types of fire-rated materials can provide this form of protection, only fire-rated glass can do so while still allowing full vision for aesthetic, daylighting and security purposes.

Explore TGP Fire-Rated Glass

Fire-Rated Locks

Listed locksets and latchsets provide the positive latching required by code, in order to keep the fire door in the closed and latched position.  A fire door that is not latched may be forced open due to the pressure from a fire or the hose stream.

Explore Locks from Schlage

Fire and Smoke Seals

Although gasketing and thresholds are not complicated products, the codes do not contain much prescriptive information about use on fire rated assemblies, making them more difficult to specify and supply correctly.

Explore Zero Gasketing and Thresholds

Hinges, Pivots and Continuous Hinges

NFPA 80 includes prescriptive requirements related to hinges, spring hinges, continuous hinges and pivots.  The required hinge quantity, material, size, and type can be found in the standard.

Explore products from Ives

Interior Sliding Doors

In addition to swinging fire doors, sliding fire doors are also available for installation where opening protectives are required.

Explore fire-rated interior sliding doors from AD Systems