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Using Final Fire Exit Doors for Non-emergency conditions
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Posted By S T
Although a simple and common question but people have a conflicting opinion on this, so open to debate …..
Can we use final exit doors for egress purposes in normal (non-emergency) conditions? Provided that the main entrance is also available for access & egress.
If not, why not? Any reference?
If yes, plz explicate your arguments.
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Posted By garyh
So long as they are not blocked or obstructed or interfered with, I cannot see any problem.
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Posted By Kevin Brown
Objections are likely to be more to do with building security than anything else. I've known people to nip out the 'back way' and forget to secure the door after leaving.
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Posted By Anthony Edwards
Like the other posters,
I can not see any problems with the use, after all the main entrance is a final exit and will be in constant use.
You may have to ensure your locking up routines are sound to ensure that the premises remain secure.
Tony
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Posted By RBW100
From a fire safety point of view I would have no issues.
From a security point of view, there may be issues with the doors not being closed.
From a maintenance point of view, many exits doors are designed to only be properly closed from the inside and have no handle etc on the outside. Frequently the method of closing from the outside is to apply sudden force with a size 10. This can lead to damage!
Rob
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Posted By Crim
Hi
The use of final exit doors can be a bonus as this could ensure they are always available for use in emergency. i.e. if staff know they are frequently used they will not get obstructed or blocked.
No problem.
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Posted By Steve Clark
Requirements from fire doors can be found in the government guidance, freely available on the web; with regad to fire exits it states:
"The matters that you should consider include
the following:
• Final exit doors should be quickly and
easily openable without a key or code in
the event of a fire. Where possible, there
should be only one fastening. See
Appendix B3 for more information on
security fastenings.
• Final exit doors should not lead people
into an enclosed area from which there is
no further escape.
• Where a final exit discharges into an
enclosed area, further access to a place of
total safety should be available by means
of further doors or gates that can be easily
opened in a manner similar to the final exit."
There is no reason why a 'normal' door should not be used as a fire exit so long as it meets the requirements above.
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Posted By DPK
Think about it logically, in most cases the entrance to most places of work double up as an emergency exit. So no problems as others have said.
DPK
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Posted By S T
“Escape routes should not be used by employees as normal circulation routes.”
Reference: http://www.manchesterfir...s-and-escape-routes.aspx
“Escape routes which are not normally used, and only available in an emergency, should be avoided if at all possible”
Reference - Fire From First Prinicple – A Designed Guide to Building Fire Safety
Any reasons for the above statements?
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Posted By Dave Wilson
Escape routes are not final exits, so not an issue
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Posted By S T
I think 'escape route' mentioned above include doors as well. Even, if they are not, why shouldn't they be used in 'normal' conditions?
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Posted By Wil
Please think very carefully about what advice you are giving on this matter. Dedicated final exit fire doors are generally positioned in areas were they are required for 'emergency' use (around a building) and in design usually remain open when activated. To that end you may be creating a huge chimney effect allowing air into the building which may then flow through the building where doors are left or held open. In the event of smoke, heat and fire etc. need I say more?
Additionally if there is no security on the door then you are open to theft, vandalism which may lead to a fire and/or arson.
If a decision to allow general access / egress into the building is to be made through a final fire exit then you should be looking at assessing the location of each door with the possibility of adapting them to help prevent creating that chimney effect.
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Posted By andy.c.
S T
I had a similar situation about five years ago drivers were using a fire exit to gain access to the works yard, unfortunately a driver with the hump kicked the door open and knocked over another stood on the other side.(i was blamed for closing the door)
as a result the door had to be changed to one with a viewing panel,closing internally and externally as well as a barrier erected to stop people walking directly into the yard, if not mistaken the door status was altered from being fire exit.it was all done to conform to the then relevant regs, but the safe access / egress issue proved costly to provide a short cut and stop our poor old drivers getting wet when it rained
it did solve one problem, the extinguisher often found propping the door open is now found hanging on its bracket
Andy
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Posted By Bill01
Surely, they are designed to be used in a fire situation anyway, so is not the chimney effect scenario irrelevant?
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Posted By Wil
No, because the internal fire doors held open will close automatically on the fire alarm sounding.
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Posted By Bill01
The original post is talking about final exit doors, fire doors on internal routes normally get used anyway and unfortunately in some cases get propped open (by a fire extinguisher usually.
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Posted By Wil
I see what you are saying. No I don't think it is. Smoke, heat etc, which can easily confuse / panic people can travel very quickly and some distance before it is detected and the doors close. The detection may also show up as multiple detections as the smoke / heat has spread rather than the 1 sensor detecting it in a confined area. The argument about theft, vandalism and arson still stand.
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Posted By Wil
The point that is being made is that there is more to think about than meets the eye.
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Posted By shaun mckeever
Wil
I am failing to understand where you are coming from. There is no problem with final exit doors being used for non-emergency conditions. It is a door that has been positioned to ensure there is sufficient exit capacity and to make sure travel distances are met. As has been said, this could include the main entrance, but could equally be any other regularly used door such as a staff entrance door round the side of a building. You seem to be concerned that the airflow into the building will contribute to the fire. The final exit doors will not be the only openings in the building and more often than not they are at the end of a protected route.
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Using Final Fire Exit Doors for Non-emergency conditions
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