What’s The Difference Between Internal and External Fire Doors

All public, and many residential, buildings will have fire doors installed both internally and externally – these doors perform vital safety functions in the wellbeing of any occupants or visitors to the building in the event of a fire outbreak. Here are some details on the differences between internal and external fire doors:  

Internal Fire Doors

Internal fire doors are designed, manufactured, and tested to specifically act as a barrier to all the harmful effects of a fire outbreak such as heat, flame, and smoke, between separate rooms or spaces within the building. This containment of the fire outbreak allows time for a safe evacuation of the building and minimises the damage done to the building itself whilst awaiting the fire service to arrive and extinguish the fire. Internal fire doors are manufactured in different FD ratings – for example, an FD30 fire door will contain all the fire elements for a minimum of 30 minutes, an FD60 fire door should perform the same safety functions for a minimum of 60 minutes, an FD90 fire door for 90 minutes and so on.  

Internal fire doors will be installed in different, appropriate locations throughout a building – places such as stairwells, between separate rooms and, in some residential blocks, as apartment front doors. Some internal fire doors can also be manufactured to act as internal security doors, such as individual front doors in a residential housing building, but their primary function is to provide easy access and fire safety. 

Internal fire doors should always be closed but NOT locked – they should be fitted with automatic closers. These doors may well be part of a designated escape route from the building in the event of a fire, so must always be accessible to pass through. Internal fire doors’ main function is to slow down or halt the spread of any fire – not to extinguish it – it is to provide time for safe egress. 

External Fire Doors

Some external fire doors are deployed inside buildings – in a residential housing building, for example, external fire doors may be installed in the public areas between floors and corridors. These doors must comply with all fire safety regulations as mentioned for internal fire doors. Fire exit doors are the final doors of a designated escape route from the building in the event of a fire emergency and, as such, are usually installed as openings to and from the building. Fire exit doors can be accessed from both sides – from the inside via a ‘panic’ or ‘push-bar’ mechanism and from the outside by a key or similar outer access device. External fire doors also act as security doors, but any locking mechanism must be able to be overridden in the event of a fire outbreak inside the building. Note that, unlike all internal fire doors, not all fire exit doors need to be fire-rated – they can, of course, be fire-rated, but it is not mandatory as their function is, not to contain the fire itself, but to allow quick, easy, and safe passage for any people fleeing the building in an emergency. 

Signage

Both internal and external fire doors should be displaying relevant signage – fire exit doors should have green signage to highlight “Go” and should be clearly lit and visible. Internal fire doors should display blue and white signage on both sides instructing people to ensure that the door is closed behind them when used. 

Maintenance

Fire exit doors and internal fire doors MUST be regularly and properly maintained – they must be checked for any damage or excessive ‘wear and tear’ and, if any damage is discovered, the door must be repaired or replaced immediately. All fire doors should, AT ALL TIMES, remain unobstructed – if access to a fire door is hindered it could cost lives in the event of a fire outbreak! Fire escape doors must always have working push bars in place.  

Enfield Doors – for internal and external fire doors

Enfield Doors, are an established bespoke door manufacturers in the UK trading for many years and manufacturing doors of all types to every environment across industry and the home. Their knowledgeable and experienced staff can advise you on all aspects of pre-hung fire doors including manufacture, installation, maintenance and security. If you would like further information on our company, please contact us and we will respond as quickly as possible. We look forward to helping you.