October is Fire Safety Month. Will the fire doors in your facility successfully close in the event of a fire or alarm activation? Are your custoemrs, employees and facilities protect by properly functioning fire doors? In recent years, the average annual property loss due to fire has been over $21 billion dollars.
Why should I test my fire doors?
- The National Fire Protection Association recommends testing fire doors at least once per year.
- A properly functioning fire door will stop the spread of a fire in your facility and thus protect your customers, employees, inventory, and facilities.
- But I have a sprinkler system and that will protect by facility. Redundancy is important in safety, we did not stop wearing seat belts with the advent of airbags. Sprinler systems are more difficult to test than fire and could become damaged in the event of a fire, thus rendering them ineffective. Properly functioning fire doors are a great compliment to a sprinkler system.
What is involved in a fire door test?
- A visual inspection to ensure all components of the fire door are in place and have no appearance of damage.
- An operational test of the fire door. Will the door open and close in non-fire protection mode.
- Simulate an alarm situation and see if the door will close and at the proper rate of decent. A fire door should close between 9” and 12” per second.
- Reset the drop-out mechanism. Can the door be properly reset into fire protection mode?
- Simulate another alarm situation to ensure the door was properly reset and will close properly.
- Rest the door to fire protection mode.
- Supply the building owner with documentation of a successful test drop or a failed test drop.
Protect your business and your employees while making sure you address your fire protection issues and safety issues with your commercial fire doors. We know what can happen, and we always want our customers to call us, so no one ever gets hurt. Care for your business in Cleveland, Mentor, OH, Painesville, Streetsboro, Solon, OH, and Chesterland with professional commercial overhead fire door testing, maintenance, and replacement.