International. Fire is one of the most powerful resources available to humans. Civilizations didn't begin to grow until our ancestors learned to tame fire about 400,000 years ago. This allowed human settlements to move to colder regions, cook and enjoy a higher quality of life.
Although this crucial chemical process had many devastating consequences throughout history, fire safety statistics in Europe and North America show significant improvements in recent decades.
Concern for fire safety determined much of the architecture and design of twentieth-century buildings. However, although new buildings are increasingly better equipped to deal with fire emergencies, modern life has introduced many new hazards and threats to fire safety.
How do fires spread?
According to John Drengenberg, Director of Consumer Safety at Underwriters Laboratories, modern fires are advancing faster. He claims that 30 years ago he had 14 to 17 minutes to escape a house fire.
"Today, with the predominance of synthetic materials in the home, occupants have about 2 to 3 minutes to get out," he told This Old House.
A small flame can turn into a deadly fire in less than 30 seconds. Also, that flame can engulf an entire home in a matter of minutes.
Especially if these flames come into contact with chemicals, such as hygiene products or paints, they can spread even more aggressively. Even if they start brightly, fires quickly turn into toxic, black smoke that can poison victims.
How can doors reduce the risk of fire?
Like residents, fires break through doors to spread from room to room. If the doors in use are not flame retardant, in some cases they could burn and contribute to the disaster.
However, if they conform to international fire standards, such as the British Wood Federation's WF-CERTIFIRE, as well as the CE marking of the European Union's building product regulations, doors can play an integral role in building safety.
Known as "fire doors," these entrances can help contain fires in a room or can slow down the process of spreading. Adequate locking hardware complements this fire-fighting ecosystem by acting as free-turning door closures on fire doors.
In addition, some modern door closers can work in conjunction with a fire alarm or smoke detection system. Once the flames trigger them, the alarms cause the fire door closers to seal the rooms to prevent the fire from spreading further.
Doors and fire doors can save lives
In January 2020, when a large fire broke out in the garage of a family home in Chicago, vehicles burned. However, a fire door prevented the flames from spreading and triggered the alarm. The owners of the house woke up thanks to smoke detectors and were able to escape unharmed.
Tragically, the exact opposite often happens. In 2017, the Glenfell Tower fire, a 24-storey residential block in north London, claimed 72 lives. Many consider it one of the worst tragedies in modern Britain.
In high-traffic settings, especially in health and care facilities, such as hospitals and retirement communities, there may be a greater representation of mobility issues. Helen Hewitt, chief executive of the British Timber Federation, believes firewalls and closures of housing complexes are crucial to protecting the most vulnerable residents.
"We all need to feel protected inside buildings, and especially when we're sleeping," Ms. Hewitt told Care Home Professional. "The companies and other operators that run and maintain them have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their residents, and as an industry we need to continue to offer our expert support to ensure the correct specification, installation and ongoing maintenance of fire doors," he added.
Taming the Fire for Human Progress
Fire doors and locks are one of the many modern manifestations of how the people learned to tame fire, which made an incalculable contribution to universal human progress. Every year, owners and fire safety officials credit these doors and fire closures for preventing disasters.
That said, fires can't always be prevented. They may continue to sprout and cause damage despite best efforts. While there is no single solution to ensure that burning homes never claim another life, buildings with the right entrance ecosystems could mitigate these risks and avoid the worst.
* An article by dormakaba.
