As a business owner, you want your to protect your employees, customers and property from fire hazards. Hopefully, you’ll never have to experience the horrors associated with fire, but your premises should be equipped with the right fire doors just in case.

Fire doors help prevent flames and smoke from spreading through the rest of the building, minimizing the damage as much as possible. More importantly, they provide an escape route for your employees and customers in the event of an emergency.

Why Fire Doors Are Necessary

Local, state, national and international building codes all require your place of business to have a fire door, which provides a passive fire protection system to your business.

Types of Fire Doors

Currently, a variety of different fire doors exist on the market with different compositions and fire ratings. Fire doors can be equipped with certain features such as gas or smoke seals, fire-resistant doorframes and other types of hardware.

You can choose to buy a fire door that blends in with your decor or one that stands out for easy access during an emergency. If you need to replace your current fire door, Commercial Door Service is happy to remove it and replace it with an updated fire door.

Fire Door Labels

Different states require different label regulations, but most will need to label the following items:

• The length of time the door can resist a fire
• Temperature rise ratings
• The door manufacturer
• Information about the fire exit hardware

Fire-Resistance Time Requirements

If you need to find out what fire-resistance time requirements your door should adhere to, check your local building codes. Your fire door may need to be within a certain distance from another exit.

Door Inspections

Once a year, make sure that a professional from the local fire department inspects your door to ensure that it meets safety requirements.

Fire Door Don’ts

Simply having a fire door isn’t enough to keep everyone safe. Here are some things you don’t want to do with your fire door:

Don’t Lock Fire Doors

For security reasons, businesses often lock or chain up fire doors to prevent theft. However, if a fire were to happen, people may not be able to exit the building, which could result in death. Make sure that the doors are not blocked or locked.

Don’t Keep Old Doors

Over time, your door’s fire resistance could rapidly deteriorate, which means it will offer less protection. Make sure to keep your fire door updated and replace it when it’s no longer considered effective.

Don’t Prop Open The Door

It’s tempting to prop open your fire door for an easy exit or to help cool down your place of business on a hot day. However, doing this could decrease its fire-blocking capabilities.

At Commercial Door Services in Houston, we service fire exit doors as well as storefront doors, wooden doors, metal doors, plastic laminate doors, security doors and more. In fact, our technicians are available 24 hours a day if you need an emergency repair. Contact our Houston business door repair company today.