Fire doors sold in Singapore must pass conformity tests, carried out by the Institute of Technological Research (IPT) and qualified through the certification seal. It is important to check for a consistent gap of no more than 3mm at the top and sides of the doors, and no more than 10mm between the bottom and the floor covering. This is essential to ensure that the door is perfectly sealed in the event of a fire.
In addition, it is mandatory that the door receives a sign with the words in capital letters: Fire door in the direction of the escape route. The sign must have white letters and a green background or vice versa.
Is it possible to choose any style of door as a fire door?
Several doors are available as a fire door, so there are a huge variety of designs, including a wide variety of finishes and glass. To maintain their certification, fire doors are sold as a “complete set”, including the frame and essential hardware, which keeps the door completely sealed in case of fire.
Is there any special care when installing a fire door?
Yes. A fire rated door is a product that saves lives and must be assembled correctly. The proper installation is critical to the performance of the door in case of fire. The assembly instructions are usually supplied with the door and it is essential to follow these instructions and check that all the elements used are compatible, including the hinges and the panic bar.
Regarding hinges?
The hinge is a key item as it will keep the door closed even during heavy traffic. Although the standard allows the use of helical hinges (usually more economical), depending on the environment, if there is any wind current, the fire door may not have the same performance required in the test. To prevent this, give preference to spring hinges, as they do not have this vulnerability.
Double fire door (two leaves) is there any precaution?
In the case of using a double fire door, an important item is the leaf picker. Installed on the upper part of the door frame, it guarantees the closing in the correct order of each door leaf.
Fire door for emergency exit specifies the requirements required for classification, manufacture, identification, purchase unit, content of the technical manual, storage, installation, operation, and maintenance and door tests open fire-type, with vertical axis, for emergency exit.
It should be noted that the enclosure of stairs and the compartmentalization of buildings aim to compose the sectorization of risks, in order to control the spread of fire and smoke, allow the safe exit of people and facilitate combat and rescue operations. In both situations the doors make up these solutions.
Conclusion
In this case, they are equipped with the capacity to withstand the action of the fire for a certain period, evaluated through fire resistance tests. It is possible to define fire door for emergency exit fire door of the open type, with vertical axis, consisting of leaf (s), stop, hardware and, eventually, joints and flag, which meets the characteristics of this standard, preventing or delaying the spread of fire, heat and gases from one environment to another.
