NFPA 80 Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives 2013 is the first time that fire door acceptance testing was included. This section of the code calls for a test to be performed on a new fire door assembly.
So, what is fire door acceptance testing?
Installation of a fire door, shutter or window assembly shall be inspected and tested. Acceptance testing of fire door and window assemblies shall be performed by a qualified person with knowledge and understanding of the operating components of the assembly being tested. A visual inspection shall be performed to identify any damaged or missing parts that can create a hazard during testing or affect operation or resetting. The acceptance test shall include the closing of the door by all means of activation. The 13 points identified in the code will be inspected at a minimum. A record of the inspection shall be signed by the inspector and kept for review by the AHJ. Acceptance tests shall be retained for the life of the assembly.
In a nutshell once a door is installed a Fire Door Acceptance Testing needs to be preformed to make sure that it was installed in accordance with NFPA 80. Talking with many installers they are unfamiliar with the code requirements. One requirement is if shims are used, they need to be steel. We have marked hundreds of newly installed doors as non-complying due to this mandate. We had a project held up an additional two weeks because of shims. The worst part of this, it was an 11 story building that all fire door assemblies were shimmed incorrectly.
Fire Door Strategic Partner
Oregon Door Consultants wants to be your strategic partner when it comes to making sure all your doors are installed per plans and specs but also with the fire and life safety codes in mind. Being a third-party solution means we have your best interest in mind. Utilizing our services once doors have been swung gives you that extra time to identify problems with your door systems. This bit of extra time helps you formulate a plan to get the door installer or working on a solution. This gives you weeks of notice before crunch time and occupancy is possibly delayed.
Contact us today, to see how we can help with your door and door systems. We can show you the reporting vehicle we use and how we track noncompliant doors and door systems. When noncompliant doors are identified we can also preform the services to bring them back into standard. Let
