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. So you need fire rated door hardware which can protect life safety with fire rated door.
The fire rating classification of the wall into which the door is installed dictates the required fire rating of the door. The location of the wall in the building and prevailing building code establish the wall's fire rating.
A fire can be devastating to company property, but it doesn't have to be if you take into account fire-rated wood doors. With the right products, a fire can be controlled to minimize damage and provide safety to employees and customers.
Steel fire doors are "rated" by time (in minutes or hours) that a door can withstand exposure to fire test conditions. Hourly ratings include 1-1/2-hours, 1-hour, 3/4-hour, and 1/3-hour, with the maximum rating required of any swinging type fire door being three hours.
Fire rated doors are required in numerous areas of a commercial buildings. Metal fire doors can attain ratings up to 3 hours where wood fire doors can be rated up minutes. Not all doors in a commercial building need to be fire rated. Fire rated door requirements are typically determined by the fire rating of the wall and use of the door.
There can be confusion in the marketing of door hardware when it comes to products that are "fire rated". When you scan through a suppliers catalog you will often find the notation that the hardware is "fire rated". But non fire rated door Hardware and fire rated door Hardware are two different types of door device.
Fire rated doors serve a purpose. They are manufactured in a way that is to help reduce the spread of fire and smoke. Fire rated doors allow occupants time to safely exit the structure during a fire or to allow for an area of refuge within the building that protects them until fire service can arrive. These fire rated doors are also part of the building's design and serve to protect fire service personnel during fire suppression. When the door is not properly latched in its frame it loses its effectiveness. When they are not properly maintained they are of no value during a fire making the design and purpose of the door obsolete.