Should Fire Doors Be Kept Locked

However this presents a problem.

Should fire doors be kept locked.

How should fire extinguishers be mounted to the wall. Fire exit doors must not be locked whilst a building is in use however when a building is unoccupied it can be locked as securely as required. Chaining the doors shut or blocking them in any way is dangerous and may be a violation of fire safety codes. Don t block it or lock it.

Fire extinguishers need to be mounted to the wall so that they are secure visible and readily accessible. Openings into exits must have self closing fire doors that remain closed but not locked or automatically close at the sound of an alarm the door frame or hardware must be listed or approved by a national testing laboratory. Using anything other than fire rated fail safe or fail secure hardware can lead to injury or even loss of life in an emergency requiring quick evacuation. The ibc specifically states that stairway discharge doors shall be openable from the egress side and shall only be locked from the opposite side there is no requirement in the ibc or nfpa 101 5000 for the exterior doors to automatically unlock and provide firefighter access although it may be required by some local jurisdictions.

Upvote 0 downvote 0 reply 0. Fire exits doors should open easily and wherever possible in the direction of traffic flow. In an ideal world you wouldn t have to worry about locking doors but leave one unlocked and you can almost guarantee you ll have uninvited guests. Since fire extinguishers may be needed in order to escape the building you should include their locations on your map.

If dramatic security measures like chains padlocks or steel bars are required the first person entering the building in the morning must remove all of these. By enabling the swift passage of people to a place of safety the final exit. If you don t already have fire doors in your home standard doors are fine. Fire doors should not be locked at all time but it should remain closed as well as there should not be any obstruct and most importantly this fire doors should open only from in to out one way access in order to prevent from possible misuse.

If it is a security door that is usually kept locked but will be used by members of the public in an emergency situation it will have to be fitted with a panic or push bar. Should fire doors be locked.