Fire doors play an important role in preventive fire protection. They seal off the escape of fire and smoke in fire-retardant or fire-resistant walls and thus ensure the use of escape and rescue routes. Planning, installation and operation are specified in detail in the regulations. Fire doors must be serviced by an expert every twelve months.
Read here what quality-oriented maintenance of fire doors looks like, what makes a good inspector and why quality pays off!
Regulation on the maintenance of fire doors
Fire does not forgive mistakes. Not even the smallest ones. A small deficiency in structural and preventive fire protection can have devastating consequences in the event of a fire. For example, the respective building regulations or special building regulations of the individual federal states regulate where fire doors must be provided.
Fire protection closures, or more precisely: fire protection doors, fire protection gates, smoke protection doors and associated hold-open systems prevent the spread of fire between sections of a building in the event of a fire breaking out and can therefore save lives and property. In order for them to do this, they must close properly and keep tight according to their purpose. This is checked in detail every twelve months during quality-oriented maintenance.
Annual fire door maintenance is mandatory
Fire door maintenance initially only determines the correct function of the fire door and does not include any major repairs that may be necessary. Minor defects such as soiling are rectified directly during maintenance.
However, if major defects are found, repairs would be necessary. Quality-oriented maintenance of fire doors therefore not only ensures safety, it also saves money: if faults are detected and rectified at an early stage, this can sometimes save on more expensive repairs.
Maintenance of fire doors: Standards, guidelines & laws
The following specifications apply to fire door maintenance:
- Technical rules for workplaces (ASR A1.7 para. 10.2)
- DIN EN 16034: Installation of fire protection closures
- DIN 4102-5: Marking of fire protection closures
- DIN 14677: Maintenance of hold-open systems
- Accident prevention regulations
- DIBt guidelines
- Test certificate of the manufacturer
Quality provides security
It is the responsibility of the operator to ensure that fire doors function properly, who often appoints safety or fire protection officers for this purpose.
Of course, every employee and every user should be aware that fire doors must never be obstructed, wedged or otherwise held open - conspicuous signs on the fire doors make this clear.
Fire doors may only be held open with the aid of a hold-open system that closes the door automatically in the event of a fire.
The fire safety officer should check the hold-open system for correct function once a month. In-depth maintenance of the hold-open system is then carried out annually with an inspection of the fire door by an expert with the appropriate certificate of competence. Various companies offer this service, including CWS Fire Safety GmbH.
What makes a competent expert?
First of all, he must be qualified to carry out maintenance in accordance with ASR A1.7. Thorough, quality-oriented maintenance aims to ensure the long-term quality of fire protection and therefore a higher level of safety. You should therefore look for additional qualifications from the outset when choosing your service provider:
Knowledgeable
The fire protection service provider and its service technicians know the relevant standards, laws and technical guidelines inside out.
Manufacturer-independent
The service technician is familiar with the various fire doors and gates from different manufacturers.
Comprehensive
The service technician not only keeps an eye on the fire door, but also on the entire fire protection concept, shares his knowledge with the customer and can provide optimum advice if required.
Up-to-date
Legal changes, innovations - professional fire protection service providers always keep their knowledge up to date.
Experience
Thanks to his specialization, the service technician can draw on a wealth of expertise from his company and his own experience.
Resistant
The fire protection service provider offers you the same reliable long-term contact.
Fire door testing - step by step
How to prepare for maintenance
How exactly fire protection doors with or without hold-open systems are to be maintained is described in the manufacturer's maintenance instructions. After installation, the operator receives the instructions together with other documents for storage in the company. These documents should be kept to hand.
For the quotation, the fire protection service provider requires the
- the number of fire protection doors and an indication
- which of these are single or double-leaf and
- which have hold-open systems.
This is how fire door maintenance works
Typical, simple faults on fire protection doors are soiling, wear and tear and, time and time again, moving the door, e.g. with a wedge. The service technician therefore ensures that the door is correctly labeled and cleans the door hinge, door lock and cylinder.
If a hold-open system is installed, the first question is: Can a hold-open system be installed in this area at all? If yes: Are the fire detector, the power supply and the release device working?
For each door, check that it closes correctly and that the door seal and floor seals are working. Minor repairs are carried out directly by the service technician. If major repairs are necessary, you will receive a quotation.
At the end of fire door maintenance, you will receive the test report for your records. The new maintenance label is affixed to the fire door or fire protection gate.