Regulation, maintenance and testing of fire doors and gates

Written by Carina Ingendae | 9 May 2019, 00:00:00

Amendment of the regulation on fire doors and gates

In buildings, fire doors and gates are central to preventive fire protection. As fire protection closures, they shield the necessary passages between the individual fire compartments against the passage of flames, heat and smoke. They thus also ensure safe escape and rescue routes. New regulations come into force in September 2019. 

Fire doors and gates must be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications and in compliance with the test certificate, and they must be expertly inspected on a regular basis to ensure that they remain functional. If doors and gates are incorrectly or poorly maintained, there is a risk of loss of insurance coverage in addition to the danger to people and production. Wedging, tying or similar actions are punishable by law.

Change from September 2019

From September 1, 2019, fire doors and gates may only be placed on the market and used on the basis of DIN EN 16034. The CE marking procedure based on a classification report in accordance with EN 13501-2 replaces the general building inspectorate approvals and the general building inspectorate test certificate (abP) for smoke protection closures that were previously decisive for installation. 

We recommend that you already pay attention to the new marking; existing fire doors and gates have grandfather status. 

In addition to the requirements of EU Regulation 305/2011 and the Machinery Directive 2006/42 EEC, power-operated fire doors and gates are also subject to ASR A1.7. Various safety measures must be observed to protect people who are in the vicinity of fire doors or who pass through them. The operator is responsible for periodic testing and documentation. The measurement of the permissible closing forces according to Annex A of DIN EN 12453 is part of the test. The permissible closing force indicates the pressure that may act on a person for a maximum of a few seconds. Testing and measuring requires special equipment and may only be performed by a competent person.

Installation, maintenance and servicing of fire protection closures - the checklist

  1. Fire doors and gates must be installed in accordance with the building authority approval (as of September 1, DIN EN 16034 and classification report EN 13501-2) and the manufacturer's associated installation instructions. All documents must be available for inspection at the construction site. DIN 18093 (installation of fire protection closures) must also be observed. In addition, there are installation and maintenance instructions, declaration of conformity (installer's certificate) from the installation company and approval notice from the DIBt. Have these documents handed over to you. They are important for presentation to authorities and insurance companies. We will hand over such documents to you without being asked to do so.
  2. Safety inspections and maintenance are due every 12 months. The ASR A1.7 Para. 10.2, DIN 14677, accident prevention regulations as well as DIBt guidelines and the manufacturer's test certificate must be observed. According to ASR A1.7, only qualified persons are allowed to perform inspections.
  3. Fire doors and gates must be self-closing. If they have to be kept open for operational reasons, hold-open systems are required. These close automatically in the event of fire. Hold-open systems must be checked once a month by the operator or his authorized representative and once a year by an expert.
  4. Repairing fire protection closures is a matter for specialists: According to ASR A1.7 para. 10.1, only those who are familiar with such repair work may work on the fire closures. It is important that the contracted company uses only approved spare parts so that fire doors and gates retain their qualification.

The work of CWS Fire Safety begins even before the installation of fire doors and gates. Together with you, we inspect the premises, check the condition of the wall connections, among other things, and advise on which make is suitable. We also supply custom-made products. During installation, maintenance and servicing, we comply with all legal requirements, and we supply the documentation.

Do you have any questions or would you like a quotation for the maintenance of fire doors?
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