Fire doors are typically installed in the following locations: doors connecting enclosed evacuation stairwells to corridors; doors connecting enclosed elevator lobbies to vestibules and vestibules to corridors; access doors for vertical shafts such as cable ducts, utility shafts, smoke exhaust ducts, and refuse chutes; and doors located within firewalls or fire-resistant partitions that divide fire compartments. Where the installation of a firewall or standard fire door is impractical, a fire-resistant rolling shutter may be used instead, provided it is protected by a water curtain system; additionally, fire doors must be used for apartment entrance doors when specific fire and smoke resistance standards are mandated by regulations or design specifications.
Based on their operational status, fire doors are classified as either "normally closed" or "normally open." Normally closed doors must remain shut, whereas normally open doors are designed to close automatically-and transmit a feedback signal-when triggered by a linked fire alarm system.
Provided they comply with national building design codes, fire doors may serve as building entrance doors; the standard dimensions specified by national codes are 2.1 meters in height and 1.1 meters in width.
Often referred to as "doors of life," fire doors serve to halt the spread of fire and smoke. They effectively contain fire and smoke for a specific duration, thereby securing precious time for personnel evacuation and firefighting operations.
