How are Fire Doors Tested?

Fire doors are critical parts of a building’s fire safety standards, and are key to ensuring effective and legally compliant fire protection systems across the site.

Not only do they ensure that, in the event of an emergency, fires are safely contained and compartmentalised, but they work to protect fire escape routes, enabling anyone on the site to escape in a safe, orderly and direct way. Furthermore, fire doors (alongside their sufficient maintenance and ongoing testing) are a core component of building regulation compliance, and these details will often be required by your insurance company (if you are submitting an insurance claim as a result of a fire).

So, as you can see, it is vital that any fire doors on your site are being tested regularly and thoroughly.

Below, we have shared a complete guide to fire door testing and fire door regulations. By following these steps, you can ensure your business is attaining the highest fire safety standards.

The importance of testing your fire doors

Fire doors enable buildings to be compartmentalised. When they are in place, the spread of fire across the building is significantly delayed.

What’s more, the fire doors can be strategically placed, to delay fire from reaching key safety areas (such as fire exit routes).

As such, fire doors are positioned in specific, strategic locations. However, in order to perform effectively, every single fire door needs to be performing as it should.

By regularly testing your fire doors, you can ensure that:

• When closed, they successfully create a fire-proof barrier
• When open, they can be used by anyone on the premises, to safely escape
• When a fire alarm is set off, the correct response mechanism is triggered
• The spread of smoke is minimised (as well as fire)
• The doors’ seals are intact and working properly
• The doors remain fully compliant with all relevant standards and regulations (including liability-related risks)
• Any signs of wear and tear are identified and resolved
• All insurance requirements are met

What regulations do fire doors need to meet?

One of the most common types of ratings for fire doors is those provided by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF).

The main BWF fire ratings for fire doors are:

• FD30
• FD60
• FD90
• FD120

The number following the letters ‘FD’ represents the length of time that the door can provide fire protection for (in number of minutes). For example, an FD120 fire door can provide fire protection for at least 120 minutes.

One of the primary regulations that fire doors need to meet in the UK is that they achieve the FD30 classification standard at the minimum.

All fire doors must be tested in accordance with either BS 476-22:1987 or BS EN 1634-1:2014.

How is a fire door tested?

For a fire door to meet regulatory requirements, it needs to be tested following the fire door tested methods as defined in either BS 476-22:1987 or BS EN 1634-1:2014.

These tests must be conducted by an independent body, which has the authority to grant official fire performance ratings.

The standard testing process for fire doors is as follows:

• The entire door assembly is tested. This means that the door is tested for its performance as an entire unit (rather than as its constituent parts)
• The entire door assembly is fixed into a wall
• One side of the door is exposed to conditions that replicate those of a fire (this includes applying some pressure to the upper part of the door)
• The door is assessed, for its integrity and stability
• A combustible fibrous pad is placed on the other side of the door (which is not being exposed to the fire conditions), and the time it takes to ignite is measured
• Then, the other side of the door is tested (to ensure it achieves the same performance standard on both sides)
• The test is completed by awarding the fire door an FD rating

It is important to note that these tests are conducted on the entire door set (both the door and the frame), and all of the door’s hardware.

This means that, if any part of the door or its components are altered, then its FD rating no longer serves as a guarantee of how it will perform in the event of a fire.

If you have any further questions about fire door regulations and fire door testing, or you are looking to improve the fire safety standards of your site, speak to Access Innovations today.

Contact our team for a quote, or visit our fire door inspection page for more information.