Fire door inspectors are a critical part of the team in your facility that ensure that your building’s fire doors can perform their intended role during a disaster. These doors limit the passage of deadly fire, smoke and toxic fumes and help compartmentalize your facility. But when these doors aren’t inspected and maintained properly, your entire facility could be at risk.
Fire safety regulations like NFPA 80 require fire door inspectors annual inspections of fire doors and other opening protectors, including fire curtains and shutters. These inspections must be documented, and the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) will typically ask to see that documentation when they visit your facility.
Managers have the option to perform the inspections themselves or outsource the inspection work. If they choose to perform these inspections themselves, they need to make sure their team is qualified. They can either hire someone on staff or have personnel attend training to become certified in the field of fire doors.
For those managers who choose to outsource the inspections, there are a number of organizations that can provide this service. These include engineering and architectural firms, maintenance companies, and vendors of fire door products. They will typically conduct a comprehensive survey of your fire doors, inspecting the doors themselves and the frames, hinges, locks and latches. They will then create a detailed digital report that outlines the existing condition of the fire doors and provides a list of non-compliant issues.
The report will include information like the location of each door, its assigned door number or location, the fire rating it is rated for, and the inspection date. It will also include information about any extra features or modifications to the fire doors, such as gasketing and edge seals. The AHJ will want to know about these, too, because if any non-compliant items were added, it could be a costly code violation.
In addition to these inspection and testing services, DH Pace can facilitate field re-labeling of doors, frames and some hardware items that have illegible or missing fire-rated labels. This allows facilities to meet AHJ requirements and best practice guidance, as well as meet their business resilience objectives.
As a leader in the industry, we’re taking steps to create awareness of the important role these experts play. In addition to our IQP program, we’re working closely with the end users, fire and code officials and design communities to highlight the importance of these inspections. We’re helping to educate these groups on the responsibilities of fire and egress door inspectors, and encouraging them to use only third-party-qualified inspection personnel. This helps protect the integrity of the inspection process and ultimately reduces risk and liability for the facility. This is especially true for those managers who may have an insurance program available that offers specialized coverage for their fire and egress door inspectors. This program can offer detailed, customized coverage specific to your doors and reflects the knowledge that these experts have gained through years of hands-on experience in the field.