Which Materials Are Best To Be Used In The Construction Of A Fire Escape Door?

Fire escape doors in Birmingham are mostly found in large commercial or residential buildings for providing easy and fast access to the stairwells in case of an emergency. Usually, you will not see a fire escape door in residential houses, as it is not needed. The benefit of these doors is that in case of emergencies, you can easily escape out of the building. These doors are either built inside the building or are separated from the main area but are always easily accessible. The main purpose of a fire door is to provide an emergency exit in case of an accident like a fire, robbery, earthquake, or any other emergency. Normally, a fire escape door is present on each story of the building and is connected to a stairwell or a ladder so that everyone has easy access to it.

The fire doors were considered a great option because they could easily be installed into a newly constructed building as well as in an already built building. In present days, whenever a new building is being constructed, it is not given the completion permitted until or unless they have a fire escape area in their building. Though you might be thinking that nowadays they are not used quite often but in the past, they have proven to be a great source of help in case of emergencies.

The materials used for the construction of Fire Escape Doors:

Aluminum sheet and Steel doors:

Since the fire escape doors are built for the purpose of providing safety from the fire hence they are also made up of special material which cannot catch fire. This is because if these doors are made up of regular construction material like wood then obviously when a fire accident happens the door would also catch fire. To avoid such circumstances, the fire-resistant area should be made up of fire-resistant aluminum metal sheeting or steel. Generally, steel is much stronger and durable than aluminum and definitely provides greater fire protection.

Read More: Why Does A Construction Site Need Security?

Asbestos and Fiber-Cement:

In previous times, the fire escape doors were made up of asbestos and fiber cement. The main problem with these was that they were very heavy and they were easily damaged. Asbestos when used in the doors is bound with cement. Which makes sure that they are not released into the environment until they are disturbed. Usually, when the doors are exposed to a large amount of heat. Then what happens is that the cement bond starts to break.

When the cement bond breaks, asbestos gets disturbed and the ratio of asbestos fiber within the material increases. This can harm human health to a greater extent as long-term exposure to asbestos fibers can start accumulating. In the lower region of the lungs where they can then cause a disease called ‘Fibrotic Lung Diseases’. It causes death in many cases, therefore. Using asbestos for the manufacturing of fire escape doors was not a very good option.

Vermiculite and E-core:

Now because usage of asbestos was totally out of question then vermiculite and E-core were discovered. These materials are lightweight, provide excellent insulation, and are very effective in retaining moisture. Many owners had fire escape doors. Made up of these materials installed in their building told that they even absorbed heat during the fire events. Which helped in delaying the spread of fire. Other than that due to their effective sound qualities, they are also used in sound-proof doors.