When we explore, “what is the benefit of a fire-rated door”, we must always think about fire strategy. How can you get out of a building when it’s on fire? Whether there’s a fire on the third or fiftieth floor, how do users get out of a building safely and quickly?
Fire doors enable the user to escape quickly and safely in the unfortunate event of a fire, and this is most definitely the key benefit of a fire-rated door.
When it comes to fire safety, having a building made with fire-rated materials is critical, as are fire-resistant furnishings, proper signage, a fire escape plan, and other fire safety equipment and measures. Those involved in fire door specification will understand the full value of custom, fire-rated doors.
Our fire doors are made of wood and are a significant barrier to a fire.
Here at RW Joinery, we design and build custom, bespoke fire doors and fire doorsets designed to meet the needs of your facility, your staff, and your business or operation.
While it may seem obvious, all doors are designed to be ergonomically and functionally compatible with the people who use them. They should be of a weight, size, and proportion that suits the people who will use them. They must meet the needs of the occupants. Those needs may include special door handle positioning, lesser opening force requirements and features, a specific type of lock, vision panels or spy holes, and more.
While these things might seem to have little to do with fire safety, the truth is that a custom door can add critical seconds to a person’s escape time in the event of a life-threatening fire. This is especially true for persons who are of small stature or strength, of advanced age or are otherwise less able to manage obstacles.
It is for these reasons that bespoke fire doorsets are such an important fire safety feature for any building. The ideal bespoke fire doors are custom made for the layout of the building. That is they swing in a direction that best suited the layout of the building for optimal egress. They also have the quality of opening and closing in a fast and intuitive fashion, taking all thought and hesitation out of their emergency use.
Bespoke fire doorsets provide a seamless fire door experience throughout a building, wing, branch, or location. This enables individuals who encounter one type of door the consistency of encountering similar, or otherwise optimised doors during the critical moments of a fire escape scenario.
Now that we’ve discussed the important benefits of custom, bespoke fire doors, we still need to cover the main features people need and expect from a high-quality fire-resistant door.
The primary advantages of fire rated doors:
By “minimal-encounter,” we mean that using the door is both fast and effortless. The occupant should use the door with immediacy, with negligible effort for the door to be a “minimal-encounter” door.
To minimise damage to property, the door must simply slow the progress of an active fire.
Finally, a properly designed bespoke fire door set will give owners and occupants the opportunity to use available fire doors to strategically cut off the supply of oxygen to a fire. While this may be too much to ask in an emergency, it’s still nice to know that the potential to cut the fire’s life short does exist.
The benefits of fire doorsets are clear. An appropriately fitted, well-manufactured fire doorset could mean the difference between life and death in certain situations. Whilst there are many fire-rated doors and doorsets out there, you should specify one that meets your exact requirements – which is why we recommend a bespoke option.
For more information, or to talk about your next project, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our expert today.