Fire doors typically go unnoticed until an emergency occurs. When a fire or smoke hazard happens, commercial fire doors quickly become critical to the safety of the building and its occupants. Fire doors are vital to any building's passive fire protection system. By creating a sealed barrier, the fire door contains the fire and allows occupants to exit safely.

Understanding how commercial fire doors work will allow you to protect your facility better. The right fire-rated door will withstand fire for long enough to get everyone inside to safety with little difficulty.

What Is a Commercial Fire Door?

Fire doors, or fire-rated doors, are doors specially designed and tested to withstand the extreme heat and damage of a fire. Having fire doors throughout a commercial building helps prevent the fire's spread, allowing occupants to get to safety. Commercial fire doors come in several fire ratings — each door is tested and rated to withstand fire and smoke for a specific amount of time.

Commercial fire doors must follow National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards to ensure all fire doors meet the same standards and quality. Fire doors fall under NFPA 80, which sets the requirements for fire doors and opening protective.

The fire door must remain closed but unblocked at all times.

How Do Fire-Rated Doors Work?

Commercial fire doors work by automatically closing when a fire is detected in a building. Each entry is rated to withstand fire for a set amount of time — once this time has passed, the fire door will often begin to fail, allowing smoke and fire through.

As stated, fire doors placed throughout the building help seal the fire off from the rest of the facility. Additionally, they allow occupants to escape building sections that have caught fire.

Fire doors can be connected to the fire alarm system. When the alarm system is triggered, the fire doors automatically close, holding back the fire for as long as they're rated for. Some fire doors' intumescent seals are designed to expand when a specific temperature is detected. Fire doors work automatically to reduce human error and seal off building sections as quickly as possible.

Interior doors are typically installed in stairways and hallways. They're also put between building sections and spaces that pass through fire barrier walls. Exterior fire-rated doors provide excellent heat resistance and allow occupants to quickly exit the facility without the fire following them. Without fire-rated doors containing the fire, the building would suffer much more damage.

How Long Do Fire Doors Last?

Each fire door has a specific rating. The longer the rating, the longer it'll be before a fire penetrates the door. Cornell's high-quality steel roll-up doors offer fire ratings of 45 minutes, 90 minutes, three hours, and four hours. Commercial buildings are often required to have fire-rated doors made from non-combustible materials to ensure the building is safe for occupants.

Additionally, fire-rated doors need proper risk assessments and maintenance. Checking the doors regularly ensures they're in good condition and are ready for a fire at any time. If a fire door isn't checked regularly, you risk having it failing during an emergency. Fire door ratings can let you know how long your door is meant to last under certain conditions, but regular checks ensure the doors don't fail when you need them.

Our Fire-Rated Products

Cornell carries several industry-standard types of fire doors and fire-rated products. Selecting the right product for your needs ensures your building withstands fire strain. Investing in high-quality fire protection can save your building and occupants from injury during an emergency.

Many of our fire-rated products come with optional SmokeShield®️ package protection, which provides superior draft control and helps lock smoke inside the affected area, reducing spread. Explore our available fire-rated products below:

• SmokeShield Smoke & Fire Fabric Door: This innovative fabric smoke door uses GuideLock™️ technology to create a seal, stopping smoke and fire from penetrating an open area. With a SmokeShield fabric barrier, fire and smoke can quickly be contained in open areas, sealing the hazard off while occupants leave.
• SmokeShield Elevator Curtain: The SmokeShield elevator smoke curtain protects elevators from flames and smoke during a fire. Smoke naturally rises, and elevator shafts act like funnels, pushing smoke up through the elevator and overwhelming occupants. An elevator smoke curtain prevents harmful gases and smoke from entering the elevator shaft, allowing occupants to stay safe while exiting the building.
• Rolling Fire Door: Our rolling fire doors close in the event of a fire, blocking off the area and preventing smoke and fire from getting through. We offer several fire rating options to fit your building's needs and budget. Combine your rolling fire door with the SmokeShield package for extra smoke and draft control.
• Firemiser Rolling Fire Door: Firemiser insulated fire door systems combine our expert fire protection with the benefits of insulated doors. Mineral wool insulation helps maintain interior and exterior temperatures. Our Firemiser doors come in a range of 45-minute to four-hour fire-rated options to fit your needs.
• Counter fire door: Cornell fire-rated counter shutters are ideal for sealing off building openings. These shutters prevent fire from spreading through building openings and seal off these areas from smoke and fire damage. Rolling fire shutters are built precisely to your specifications, ensuring they fit seamlessly in the counter opening. Adding integral frame and sill units allows you to install the counter fire shutter in an existing space easily.

Explore High-Quality Fire Doors From Cornell

Cornell's line of superior fire-rated products delivers excellent fire protection and resistance to your building. From smoke curtains and fabric doors to high-quality fire doors, you can trust Cornell to provide you with the fire-resistance products your space needs. As an industry leader in fire-rated rolling doors, Cornell offers custom-fit, industry-standard fire doors for commercial buildings.

With extensive experience in commercial doors, you can trust the experts at Cornell to find the door solution to your problem. If you're interested in innovative answers to your security grille, rolling door, and closure needs, contact us or find a dealer to learn more today.

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