One of the most essential part of any building's fire prevention and safety system are the fire doors. Depending on purpose, there are different types of fire doors that are available. It is very important that you have the full understanding of its uses as well as the regulations surrounding these doors. The two main types of these fire doors are those that are designed to prevent the spread of fire and those that are used at fire escapes. In addition, there are specific doors that can be fitted to high risk areas in a building, where susceptible substances or equipment are housed or stored.

Fire door operate either to slow or stop the spread of fire. Smoke, being the biggest killer in fires can be prevented if the fire door is fitted with seals. These doors come with different specifications with most standard models offering a 30 or 60-minute protection period for people to escape or until such time the rescue team arrives on the scene. For sensitive or high risk areas of a building 60 minute doors are usually suggested. On the other hand, fire doors offering 30-minute protection are suitable for corridors, offices or other general areas of the building, where the majority of staff or clients need access.

All doors offering fire protection operate in a very simple way by restricting air to a fire and slowing its progress and if they are left open, they simply become useless and it could not properly serve its function. It is in this reason that automatic door closers are utilized to be fitted to these doors. Others may even use other automatic systems such as push button doors that only open when activated and close automatically.

To prevent the spread of fire and smoke, fire exit door should be located in escape routes. Those located on escape routes from buildings must open outward to allow for easy escape. External doors that are for escape can be locked, however the regulations state that they must be easily opened by anybody in an emergency situation and with this, there are various ways for this to be done. An example is an internal push bar that can be fitted allowing anyone in the building to unlock the fire door and escape quickly. Electronic systems are available as well to unlock doors when the fire alarm is triggered or alternatively a key can be kept in a glass box next the door.

So far, the most common reason why fire door fails to do its function is because they have been left open. Now to avoid this from happening, alternative systems can be utilized such as door retainers, which are systems that automatically close the door if the fire alarm goes off.