What Is Fire Testing And Why Is It So Important For Doors?
Posted on: 18 June 2020
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It seems like so long ago but the bushfires in December 2019 and January 2020 were a massive wakeup call to many Australians about their own fire preparedness. Fire protection devices were being bought up all over the country and still to this day people are concerned about the possibility of their property going up in flames. However, one aspect of fire safety may have confused a lot of people, especially those who had never heard of fire testing in relation to doors before. Fire testing is a vital service that ensures the structural integrity of your doors in a fire. Here is a brief outline of how it does that.
What Are Fire Doors Even Used For?
Fire doors are used in many buildings (both commercial and residential) as part of an inbuilt fire containment method. The word containment is very important because a fire door will not stop a fire from occurring, nor will it put out a fire. What it does is allow you and everyone else in the building vital time to escape while stopping the spread of the fire. It also ensures that the door is still usable in extreme heat, which is not always the case because frames and hinges can get warped and block the exit. A fire door can look just like any other door (although often they are clearly marked) and they are often used in emergency exits.
What Is The Fire Testing Process?
The only way to know for sure that a door will stand up to the intense heat that will befall it during a fire is to actually recreate those conditions. Fire testing services have special rooms, buildings and machines that monitor a fire door's effectiveness during and after a fire. If a door doesn't live up to the standard expected, then it will be sent back for further modifications. If the door is deemed to have lasted long enough, then it will be certified and marked as such when sold. Only these certifications, issued by a fire testing facility, guarantee a door's ability to survive in a fire.
Do You Need Fire Doors?
It never hurts to make sure all the important doors in your building have gone through fire testing. While you never want to hope for the worst, you should prepare for it as those bushfires have so clearly warned the whole country. Most fires in suburban and city areas are going to start inside the building, which means fire testing doors could play a vital role in whether you and your family or employees escape in time. If you can afford it, then yes, you absolutely should get some fire tested doors for your building.
For more information, contact a fire testing service.