Guide to Fire and Escape Doors: Part 1 -
What are they?
Produced by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers
Sponsored by Abloy UK
www.gai.org.uk
Introduction
This will be a brief overview of the subject, so it
won’t make you an instant expert. If you want to get
more detailed advice, we suggest the following:
 Code of Practice: Hardware for fire and escape
doors. This is free to browse online or download.
www.firecode.org.uk
 Guild of Architectural Ironmongers To get
competent, professional advice on particular
situations, and to purchase suitable products, contact
a Member company of the GAI. Details of companies
in your area are available on
www.gai.org.uk
 Guide to fire and escape doors: Part 2 –
Maintenance This gives details on looking after your
fire and escape doors. It is on the “Means of Escape”
website.
www.means-of-escape.com/fire-safety-guides/
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Contents
 What’s a fire door?
 Intumescent Seals
 Essential hardware - fire
 What’s an escape door?
 Panic escape
 Emergency escape
 Essential hardware - escape
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What’s a fire door?
Buildings are divided into “compartments”
by fire-resisting walls, ceilings and floors. A
fire door protects an opening in a fire wall,
and has the same level of fire resistance as
the wall, e.g. 30 or 60 mins.
When the fire door is closed, it can  stop any fire and smoke spreading
 protect escape routes while people
evacuate the building
 provide some protection for fire-fighters
entering the building.
Fire doors are highly engineered parts of
your building’s fire protection. Look
after them, and they will look after you.
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What’s a fire door?
There are three basic types of fire door :
1. Doors which are self-closing, and used
for passage of people
2. Doors which are held open, or swingfree, but which revert to self-closing as
soon as the fire alarm sounds (More on
these on the next page)
3. Doors which are locked shut and only
used occasionally (usually cleaners’
cupboards, plant rooms, etc.)
(1)
(2)
(3)
You can tell which type you’re looking at
by the blue and white signs it will carry,
usually at eye level. Any type of selfclosing door has signs on both sides (1&2).
“Keep locked shut” doors have them on
the outside only (3).
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What’s a fire door?
A self-closing fire door can be useful where
it’s also used for privacy (interview room),
or security (wages office), but in corridors,
it can be a nuisance. Hold open devices
which are connected to the fire alarm
system are allowed, as long as they are
properly maintained.
They must revert to self-closing when the
fire alarm sounds.
One type of door closer allows the door to
swing freely and easily in normal use, giving
open access to the elderly and disabled. It
reverts to self-closing when the fire alarm
sounds. Clever technology!
(These devices are only used on doors to
rooms, because they are not “held” open,
and could cause accidents for the visually
impaired if used across corridors.)
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What’s a fire door?
Fire doors are made from metal or timber,
and might be clad in other materials. Some
have glazed vision panels.
There might be one or two leaves in a
frame. If there are two, they might be the
same size or unequal widths.
The door might open one way (single
action) or in both directions (double
action).
Fire doors are installed to replicate their
tested condition, and if you make any
changes to them in any way, you are likely
to negatively affect their fire performance,
and certainly nullify any 3rd party
certification or CE mark they might have.
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Intumescent Seals
Intumescent seals are vital to the timber
fire door. Hot gases will pour through
the small gap between the door and the
frame, as heated air around the fire
expands and causes a pressure build-up.
(See the unsealed door on the far left.)
These seals are often supplied in a plastic
or metal casing, sometimes with an
integral smoke seal – wiper blade or
brush type. They are fitted to the sides
and top of the door or the frame.
When heated by fire they expand to fill
the space between the door and frame
(see top right). Most types of steel door
don’t need them, because heated metal
expands. But heated timber shrinks.
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Essential hardware
Certain items of ironmongery (door hardware)
are essential to a fire door’s performance.
They vary from door type to door type, but can
include –
 hinges (or pivots) to hang the door
 door closer to close the door
 lock or latch
These 3 items are so critical that they must be
CE marked on any new-build.
To complete the core essentials  operating furniture (lever or pull handles)
to open the door
 intumescent seals (sometimes with smoke
seal)
 signage (blue/white fire door sign to suit
type of door)
All items must have proven fire performance
to be considered for use on a fire door.
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What’s an escape door?
Escape doors are usually on the perimeter
of the building, and are the last doors you
pass through on the escape route to a place
of safety. They’re sometimes wrongly
called fire doors, but they’re not normally
fire-resisting.
emergency
escape
hardware
There are two types of escape door –
 panic escape doors, which have a bar
across all or most of the width of the door
 emergency escape doors, which have a
push pad or lever handle.
Escape doors usually open outwards in the
direction of escape. There’s no choice with
panic bars – you push to open - but some
emergency escape doors open inwards.
panic escape door
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Panic escape
Panic bars must be used where there are
more than 60 people likely to use the
exit, or where people are unfamiliar with
the building, and so likely to panic in an
emergency – e.g. public access areas.
There are many types available, some
with one locking point, others with
multiple locking points. (5 point locking
illustrated top right.)
The common factor is that they must
open easily from body pressure alone.
The bar must move forward, or in a
downward arc. There must be no need
to manipulate any other mechanism.
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Emergency escape
Push pads or lever handles with emergency
escape locks are found most often in the
workplace, where employees can be trained
in their use during fire drills. This reduces
the risk of panic, so there is less likelihood of
a crush at the door.
Whichever device is used – lever handle or
push pad – the door must open immediately.
A single hand operation must withdraw all
bolts simultaneously.
There must be no need to manipulate any
other mechanism.
Knob handles are not allowed, because an
injured, wet or greasy hand might have
difficulty turning them.
There must be no delay in getting away from
choking smoke or falling, burning débris.
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Essential hardware
Certain items of ironmongery (door hardware)
are essential to an escape door’s performance.
They vary from door type to door type, but can
include –
 hinges (or pivots) to hang the door
 escape lock with push pad or lever handles
or
 panic bar
These 3 items are so critical that they must be
CE marked on any new-build.
To complete the core essentials  signage
o Green running man above or beside the door
(NOT on the door)
o Signage explaining use of the escape device
– e.g. “Push bar to open” with directional
arrow
o Blue/white sign on the outside of the door
“Fire Exit – Keep Clear”
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Sponsor’s contact details
Abloy UK
Portobello Works,
School Street ,
Willenhall,
West Midlands,
WV13 3PW
Tel: +44(0) 1902 364500
[email protected]
www.abloy.co.uk/academy
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