The holiday season is officially among us, and with all the lights and decorations, the risks for a fire increases during this time of year. As fire and life safety professionals we are constantly pushing for facilities to get their Passive Fire Protection Systems inspected and repaired. A big part of that system is a facility’s fire doors, and what better gift to give your fire doors than the gift of fire rated labels.
Fire doors are complex devices with hundreds of moving parts and a well-thought out designs to help protect not only the occupants but the buildings structure from further fire damage. However, with many parts that go into making a fire door work means there is a higher chance for parts to become deficient, and cause a fire door to be out of compliance with fire codes. Therefore, NFPA 80 created a list of requirements for fire door inspections to help guarantee that every part of a fire door will properly work during an emergency. One of those requirements is for fire doors and frames to be provided with fire rated labels.
NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives:
4.2.1 – Listed items shall be identified by a label.
4.2.2 – Labels shall be applied in locations that are readily visible and convenient for identification by the AHJ after installation of the assembly.
NFPA requires that fire doors are equipped with a fire rated label that remains legible throughout the duration of the door’s life cycle. Fire rated labels provide AHJs, building owners and inspectors proof that particular door had been tested and inspected according to the required standards. Each label contains information about that particular fire door and frame. This information includes the manufacturer, the fire-resistance rating, if the opening needs to be furnished with fire exit hardware, and if the door has a temperature rise rating or is a smoke door assembly. Fire door labels may also provide the manufacturer’s number to access more information about the door’s original construction.
Fire doors are an important component to a building’s fire and life safety plan. The fire rated labels are an important part of the fire door design. So whether you are a healthcare facility, commercial, industrial or educational campus, and help provide your building occupants with a peace of mind this holiday season with fire rated labels.
