Safety and
Standards
AUTOMATIC DOOR RELEASE MECHANISMS / HOLD OPEN
DEVICES FOR SELF CLOSING FIRE DOORS
Approved & Issued by CACFOA's NFSC on 20 March 2003
Introduction
The following note is produced for the guidance of Fire Safety Officers charged with giving
advice on the suitability and use of automatic door release mechanisms. It aims to set
acceptable standards of safety and encourage consistency of enforcement, while at the same
time leaving scope for flexibility and the exercise of professional judgement in relation to
individual circumstances.
General Principles
Where self-closing fire doors cause serious restriction in the free movement of people within a
building, officers may need to consider proposals and applications to install and, where
appropriate, positively recommend the use of automatic door release mechanisms.
A site-specific risk assessment should normally be carried out and the following criteria
should be appropriately applied: -
1) The door release mechanism should conform to an appropriate standard
or be accredited as part of the European Construction Product Directive
(CPD).
2) All doors fitted with automatic releases should be actuated by an
appropriate automatic fire detection and alarm system. BS 5839 Parts 1 or 6
detail an acceptable standard.
3) If devices are fitted to fire doors protecting the means of escape then the
automatic detectors should be positioned in accordance with British Standard
5839 Part 1, for a Type L3 system as a minimum, i.e. suitable detectors on
the means of escape routes and in adjacent rooms opening onto those
routes. If the means of escape route is fire protected then either smoke or
heat detectors are considered suitable in the adjacent rooms, whilst if the
route is unprotected, only smoke detectors should be used.
4) The practice of using dedicated smoke detectors either side of corridor
doors that are to be held open by a door release mechanism should be
discontinued. This is because studies have found that smoke entering the
corridor from an adjacent room may not have sufficient buoyancy, movement
and directional flow to actuate the dedicated detector heads
5) All automatic door releases should be triggered by each or any of the
following: -
a) The detection of smoke by an automatic detection; or
b) the actuation of an alarm by a manual fire alarm call point;
or
c) failure of the fire warning system.
6) Each automatic door release should be provided with means of manual
operation from a position at the door (closing door by hand/foot is considered
suitable).
7) In sleeping risk premises each door fitted with an automatic door release
should be closed at a predetermined time each night and remain closed
throughout the sleeping hours. The method of achieving this may be either
automatic or manual, depending on the type of release mechanism installed,
but compliance with this will be a matter for the management regime of the
premises/workplace. Any remote or unsupervised release of self-closing fire
doors may injure occupants. The responsible person should only carry out
fire alarm tests and/or remotely release self-closing fire doors if arrangements
(so far as is reasonably practicable) are in place to safeguard the occupants
from injury, e.g. by a door striking an occupant.
The release mechanisms should be operated at least once each week to
ensure that: -
a) the mechanisms are working effectively, and
b) the doors are not warped and close effectively into their
frames
9 The release mechanisms should operate within 20 seconds of the fire
alarm operating.
10 Doors fitted with release mechanisms should be provided with appropriate
signage e.g. ‘Automatic Fire Door – Keep Clear ’.
11 The devices must be tested weekly, in association with the testing of the
fire alarm system, and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions. A record should be kept of all testing and maintenance activities.
Doors fitted with such devices should be kept closed during periods when the
fire alarm system is isolated for maintenance purposes.
Self-Contained Release Devices (SCRD's)
SCRD's are not normally directly connected to a fire alarm system and it is important that
additional points are taken into account and/or considered when these types of devices are to
be installed. These points are set out below:
12 Acceptance depends upon the outcome of a site-specific risk assessment.
They should not normally be used on doors protecting single stairway
buildings or protecting other critical means of escape.
13 The fire alarm system should have a secondary power supply to a
standard as detailed in BS 5839: Parts 1 or 6.
14 The fire alarm audibility level at the position of any acoustically actuated
device must be sufficient to ensure that the mechanisms will release the door
upon the actuation of the fire alarm system.
15 The management of the premises/workplace should ensure that there are
procedures in place (either manual or automatic) to de-activate any or all of
the devices in the following circumstances: -
a) When there is a fault in the fire warning system
b) When the fire alarm system is isolated for any reason e.g.
maintenance
c) Any other circumstances when the sound of the fire alarm
will not trigger the device
16 Self-contained devices should have their batteries replaced at least every
12 months or when the low voltage-warning device sounds.
