There was too mush of rush in the theater as it was a weekend. People booked the tickets and went inside the theater. The movie started in couple of minutes. It was a comic movie and all of them were enjoying it, laughing aloud. After an hour suddenly there was a chaos in the theater and everyone started running towards the exit door. Before they all figured out the matter, the theater was half burned and the fire was catching up rapidly. The security directed the crowd to the stairways, from where everyone started going out of the theater. After twenty minutes, the whole theater was vacant and all the people were rescued safely.
Apart from the security and rescue people what played a major role in safety of the people is fire rated doors. The theater was equipped with fire rated doors that were installed in stairwells. If the doors did not exist, there were chances of mass casualties and human loss. This article tells you about fire rated doors that are one of the important parts of fire safety measures in public places.
What is a Fire-Rated Door?
Fire rated doors look like any other regular door but they are made of very heavy materials, such as metal, timber, steel, vermiculite boards, glass, or gypsum. Most of the fire doors are made using the combination of aforementioned materials. The primary function of these doors is to block back the smoke or fire between compartments or a place of fire ignition, so that the people can save themselves from that place safely. These doors are generally noncombustible and have the capacity to hold the average fire for a certain time period. The time period ranges from 20-90 minutes depending on the area of the building structure and the quality of the door you buy. But it is essential for the fire rate doors to meet the guidelines of the testing agency that determines if the door is really a fire resistant or not.
Fireproof Design of Fire-Rated Doors
You must be wondering how can a simple door hold back the fire. Well, the credit goes to design and materials used in the door. As said above, all the parts of the door, from its frame to the latch, everything has to be tested. All the components need to pass the product certification requirements that are approved by the local authority having jurisdiction, local building code, and the fire code etc. Hence fire rated doors are designed and manufactured with great care and precision. The frames of fire rated doors are endowed with fire seals that prevent the fire to spread outside the door. The leaf of the door is also made of materials that prevent the fire or can survive the fire without leaking the fire. The hinges, latch, and door knobs too have to undergo the strenuous fire resistance tests. These doors are installed in walls known as fire walls that too need to be tested for fire and combustion. The fireproof design of fire rated doors converts an ordinary door in to a best passive fire protection system.
Designs in Fire-Rated Doors
Well tested fire rated doors are increasingly becoming the staple of modern furniture. They have come a long way and are now available in various designs, materials and advanced technology that can suit the physical structure of the office, theater, mall, and even your residence. Most of the fire doors come with automatic shut system. These doors get locked when the fire is detected by a fire sensor system. Due to this, you can keep the door open during other times. You do not have to sacrifice beauty for safety. Fire rated doors with glass are more common in workplace settings and corporate companies but residential fire rated doors are generally in wood as they suit almost any kind of home interior designs. Many fire doors come with a built-in window that too is fire tested. You can contact the local dealer to find out more designs and features.
Prevention is better than cure and hence installing fire rated doors at public places is always a smart option. But, remember that in case of an accident trusting fire rated doors completely is not a wise thought, instead make sure that you get out of the building as soon as possible for your safety.
