The safety of tenants in a commercial facility is a top priority for property owners. Notably, no one will rent space for their business in a facility that is prone to fire breakouts. One way of guaranteeing the safety of tenants is by fire testing the doors of a commercial property. In addition to being entryways, doors can also act as sealants that go a long way in protecting occupants from being engulfed by fire or smoke. For this reason, fire door testing is often mandatory for commercial buildings. This article highlights critical aspects of fire door testing in a commercial property.
Temperature Rise -- When most commercial property owners hear about fire door testing, the only thing they think about is how the doors will stand up against dry fire. However, other areas are equally important during fire testing. One such area is the ability of doors to resist rising temperatures. See, a burning door will heat up, and the transferability of the heat determines its effectiveness as a fire deterrent. The best fire doors do a great job of limiting heat transfer from one side to the other. Such entries will protect occupants from excessive heat if they are trapped inside a burning building.
Draft Control -- According to emergency services, more people die from smoke than from direct fire. Therefore, it is essential that fire door testing includes draft or smoke control. When there is a fire outbreak, smoke will likely find its way into different rooms. It can be attributed to the pressure differential on the fire side and non-fire side of a door. Consequently, a draft will draw smoke to the non-fire side, thereby exposing occupants to smoke. Air leakage testing, which is part of fire testing, monitors the seals and barriers for the draft and recommends corrective action. Notably, the best doors should prevent smoke infiltration during a fire breakout and keep occupants safe until they are rescued.
Fire Door Detection Response -- Modern commercial facilities have state-of-the-art fire detection equipment. For example, some premises integrate fire doors with smoke detectors for added safety. In case of a fire, the smoke detectors on a fire door relay the information to a central control unit in real-time, which closes the fire doors immediately and protects occupants from harm. However, if there is a delay in smoke detection, then the closing mechanism will be delayed, thereby putting occupants at risk.
To learn more, contact a company that offers fire testing services.