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    Scanline Fire Doors is a Gold Coast based family business owned and operated by Peter Pedersen. After finishing a joinery apprenticeship in Denmark, Peter immigrated to Australia in 1978.

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    The compartmentalization of a building using fire-rated barriers is a form of a passive fire protection system. A passive fire protection system is an integral component of a building’s fire protection and safety system.

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Types and Uses of Fire Doors in Commercial Premises





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.
 

Remember, there are strict legal policies that are governing the use of a fire door and ensuring that your premises comply is not only essential to avoid prosecution, but most importantly can save lives.

Why Fire Door Inspections Are Essential






Fire proof doors aren’t always strong against their nemesis and they also might reach a point of breakdown because of constant use. A good option to stop these events from happening is to conduct a fire door inspection. In fact, you don’t need to make efforts with regards to these things since inspections for these fire protection fixtures are mandated by the Australian building code. Inspections are done to make sure that your fire doors are working properly and of course to promote fire door maintenance.


Inspectors have the capabilities in terms of carrying out minor setbacks and repairs. He can also make necessary adjustments to the doors to make it pass the regulations. Make sure that these inspectors are licensed and authorised by the government. Also, another great tip is to contact inspectors from an already established fire doors dealer. This way, you don’t have to pay extra for third party companies that will conduct the same inspection.


One of the most important parts of a fire door is its frame. It is one crucial component and it should be properly installed. Moreover, every door frames should be well maintained in accordance to the standards that are mandated by the fire door regulations. These doors should be subjected to regular inspection on a regular basis.


There’s a reason why fire doors should be given a thorough inspection. These doors no matter show strong they would look can actually fail because of heavy use. Especially if these doors are installed on high traffic areas, these fixtures are mostly subject to frequent openings every single day. These doors are also installed in hospitals which are always used without stop on a daily basis.


Now, if there are about a hundred openings in one day, these doors should be inspected at least once in every 3 months. It will guarantee sure fire door maintenance like tightening loose components and fixing certain gaps on frames caused by daily use. Also, inspections are done to make sure that the doors are still within the standards of fire door regulations. Certain measurements should be maintained to make sure that these doors are ready for action any time trouble comes.


An ample space should be given between the bottom and bottom edge of the fire door to make sure that smoke can be prevented from seeping out in the gaps. Smokes are the ultimate killers during fire outbreaks as it can intoxicate a person who inhales a significant amount of it.


Hot smokes can burn the airway and because of lack of oxygen, the victim might just pass out leaving the flames that come along free to burn the body up. This is the main reason for most of the casualties in burning buildings and fire doors have a significant role in preventing these types of situations.
 

Whether you like it or not, fire doors should be inspected. You might need a little extra expense for renovations and maintenance but it’s always a good investment since you’ll a peace of mind knowing that you’re safe from huge troubles caused by an unexpected emergency situations.

The Thing Between Safety And Destruction, Fire Doors





Wherever you go, fire outbreaks are one of the most feared catastrophes. It could be in the form of building or forest fire, it could be caused by nature, freak accident or even man made. However, one thing will always remain and that is the severity of its damage. For thousands of year, countless of lives have been taken by this blazing element. And for years, every nation concerned has tried their best to prevent these things from happening. With the help of modern touch, fire alarms, high tech fire extinguishers and other fire safety mechanisms were made. One of the most popular among these would be fire doors.


Unlike the ordinary once that you commonly see, a fire proof door is made from different specialised materials. They are made for one purpose and that’s to prevent the spread of fire to the entire establishment. Aside from the wood that most doors are commonly made of, a fire door has some added coatings of non-combustible materials making it strong against the blazing flames and thick smoke. This would now enable any person inside the establishment to run for safety. Since fire doors also have limits, they are classified according to their ratings or how long they can withstand against the fire.


However, there’s only one thing that would make a fire proof door fail, if it’s left open during the outbreak. Here, no matter how strong and expensive these doors are, if they’re not closed properly, they will be rendered useless and the establishment will still be burned down as fast as how the fires would go about. A fire door should always be closed or it should have an automatic closing mechanism that goes off when fire alarms would be triggered. These doors should close tightly to stop the smoke from transferring to other parts of the building.


Smokes are the real killers during the fire outbreak. What makes them so dangerous is that they can easily suffocate a person and burn his or her airway and will become unconscious. Flames would consume you later. So, to stop these things from happening, fire doors should have seals that would swell when stimulated by heat. If the fire door seals are working properly, smokes and flames would stay inside one room until they’re controlled by fire fighters while the victims could easily go for safety.


Fire doors should regularly be inspected by the proper authorities. They can be agents from the government or third party companies which at times are fire door firms that would offer certain fixes once they see non-compliance on your fire safety doors. It might be a burden to some business owners but it’s actually for a good cause since fire doors should always be ready for action. Failing to comply with the standards that are being given by the building code of Australia might lead to the closure of the business.
 

Fire safety will always be a concern. So, before it’s too late, it’s important to really look at your blue print and think about where to place these fire rated doors. It will only be the thing that would stand between you and the deathly stares of fire during times of emergencies.

Fire Door, The Crucial Need Explained





If you’re buying a door that’s to be used for non-domestic structures, you are usually required to purchase fire door. The scope of this term now includes all apartments of flats. Now, even if you own a residence or a domestic building as long as it has a third floor or more, you are still required to have a fire door installed.

Fire doors are essential because they are a form of what we call passive fire protection. They are very much essential to prevent fire from spreading all throughout the building. This means a lot as you’ll get to save more property as well as lives. There are thousands of lives taken away by just mere fire outbreaks. This is the reason why there’s a huge need to have the right fire proof door installed correctly.

These fire doors will divide a certain building in different sections to stop the wild spread of fire on a specific time or fire door rating. Also, these doors should easily allow people to pass through them and go for safety. The minimum fire rating for doors to be used would be 30. So, getting an FD 30 means that it can hold off fire and smoke for about 30 minutes which is already an ample time for small building occupants to get out from the premises and go to safety.

Australia has made certain regulations with regards to the type of doors that should be installed. It’s highly important that the company you chose to attach these fixtures is aware of these things. They should be the one to tell you the standards that should be followed to avoid certain problems.

Every fire door has a rating. This rating is a form of certification that these doors are compliant to what is prescribed in the guidelines of the Australian government. This also means that these doors are tested in the harshest conditions and are able to survive them all according to each one’s limits. But even if these doors are certified, the proper way of installing them plays a very important role as well. If it’s not done perfectly, it can affect the whole protection process during times of emergencies. That’s why instructions should be clear and should be followed accordingly. This is to make sure that the doors are will perform on their optimum level during fire.

Also, intumescent seals play an important role on these matters. For these types of doors to work efficiently, there should be a precise measurement of the gap between the door leaf and the floor or the sides. This gap should also be secured because smoke or flames can get in here as well. This is where intumescent seals come into play. When hot temperatures are placed on these seals, they automatically expand thus covering the gap and therefore sealing the door for fire prevention and containment.
 
Although there are fire doors that are available with glass, they can’t easily be modified or manufactured. It’s highly engineered so that it would fit any building correctly and of course follow the recommendations that are being pushed through by the government. Protection against fire is crucial so you need to understand all these matters.

Following The Standards Through Fire Door Regulations

           


We already know the importance of fire doors in every establishment that we own. However, what matters most is the way we install these doors not more so with the brand. Although both are equally important, following the standards especially fire door regulations can lead us to a safer situation. The reason is that these regulations and standards are already tested and proven. The government is making huge efforts so as to minimise the damages caused by fire outbreaks. So, to help you get started with laying out your plans, here are some of the recommended points in installing your fire door.

Before installation

First of all, before having your fire rated doors installed, make sure that the company that you hired is a licensed one and should also be qualified to do fire safety door installation as well as certification. Secondly, you should make sure that the fire doors that are being installed are near or on the fire wall. This is an ideal one to preserve the fire rating of your door as well as the wall itself.

Third, make sure that the door frames as well as all the hardware adheres to the recommended, tested and approved prototype for that particular door and its accessories. Lastly, communicate with your builder and make sure that the fire door installation is in accordance with the fire door requirement for that particular door.

During installation

You have to remember that you fire door must receive a proper fire door rating the moment the installation is complete. The reason is that if you don’t meet with the standards for the certification, you’ll have to repeat the process all over again and you don’t want that, right?

Upon installation, make sure that the door leaf is being installed and hung the proper way. There should be no more than 6mm from any edge for the door. If there’s a need to trim more than 6 mm, you will have to have your fire doors customised to fit with your sizing needs. There should also be a 3mm clearance between the fire door and the frame at the head of the stiles. If it’s more than the prescribed measurement, it’s considered non-compliant. There should also be 10mm clearance and not less than 3mm clearance between the floor and the door itself.

The sill of the door should be made of noncombustible materials like concrete. Also, the locks as well as the closing mechanism of the doors should have been fire tested and certified. Make sure no deadbolts are being installed on the fire doors themselves because it’s against the Australian Building Codes.

After installation

Once everything has been done correctly, the only thing that’s needed to make sure everything works is the compliance tag. It’s the proof that the fire door has been installed correctly, has been tested and is able to hold fire as per the standards state. And lastly, make sure that this compliance tag remains on the door itself as it’s going to be inspected regularly.

About

Scanline Fire Doors is fully licensed and insured to perform fire door inspections which are compulsory in Queensland. They must be inspected and maintained in accordance with AS1851, Part 17-2005 and therefore the Queensland Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008.

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