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Summary
If you are a building owner or facility manager, it’s likely you already understand the importance of industrial fire-rated doors. Our fire door systems are designed to activate automatically in the event of smoke or fire, preventing either from migrating throughout a building while allowing occupants to evacuate safely. Fire-rated products, in and of themselves, do their part to protect your
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If you are a building owner or facility manager, it’s likely you already understand the importance of industrial fire-rated doors. Our fire door systems are designed to activate automatically in the event of smoke or fire, preventing either from migrating throughout a building while allowing occupants to evacuate safely. Fire-rated products, in and of themselves, do their part to protect your building. However, there are expectations on your end to ensure they are working properly. This includes daily once-overs to make sure everything is in order — as well as periodic inspections, commonly referred to as drop testing your fire doors.
Fire Door Drops: The Basics
As part of your fire door inspection duties, rolling fire door drop testing should be among your highest priorities. Fire doors should not be placed in the path of exit, although they are critical in keeping building occupants and property visitors — not to mention your facility itself — safe if a fire breaks out. Since these doors close at the first inkling of smoke or fire, depending on your system, they help contain, mitigate, and halt damage from smoke and fire by cutting off their spread throughout the structure. This, ideally, is how fire door systems and fire doors should operate. However, if a periodic inspection and drop test is not carried out correctly or the door is not reset properly, it can spell doom during a fire emergency.
What’s Involved in a Periodic Inspection?
Fire door inspection includes:
● Visual inspection of the assembly
● Operational evaluation to ensure the door works properly
● Drop testing
A drop test, simply put, is a test of the automatic closure system on the door. For the test to pass, the door must close completely and rest on the floor (or sill). The speed must average at least six inches — although not more than 24 inches — per second. This test must be carried out twice; the first test verifies the operation and full closure, while the second test verifies the automatic closure feature has been reset properly.
A drop test must be performed immediately after new fire door installation or repair and be completed twice a year thereafter to ensure the door will drop in a fire situation. Additionally, according to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 80, Section 5, inspection and testing of rolling steel fire doors must be performed by a trained technician — which is where we come in.
Contact Us for Fire Drop Door Testing You Can Trust
When it comes to the safety of your building and its occupants, it’s imperative to partner with certified experts who can ensure your emergency systems are operating as they should. Fortunately, with Industrial Door Company, you can feel confident you are partnering with fire door inspection and testing specialists who know what it takes to not just be up to code — but give you peace of mind.
For additional information, reach out to our team today!
Matthew Fields
Matthew is a Pedestrian Door Service Manager at Industrial Door Company with a passion for customer service. With 8 years of experience in installation, service, dispatching and management, he brings a wealth of knowledge to our content, specializing in service of Pedestrian, Storefront and Automatic Doors. Matthew is committed to fostering strong relationships with customers and exceeding expectations at every turn.
