By Brad Keyes / Special to Healthcare Facilities Today

Q: I’m confused… does the door frame in a fire door have to be labeled, when 100% sprinkled with 1-hour fire-rated assemblies are in place with a 45-minute labeled door ?

A: First of all… the building being sprinklered has no bearing on this issue.

Secondly, yes, the frame must be labeled as a fire-rated frame when the door assembly is a fire-rated door assembly. In other words, if the door itself is a labeled fire-rated door, then the frame also must be labeled.

Now, most fire-rated frames are identified with a label that says the frame is fire-rated… it will not say the frame is a 45-minute frame or a 90-minute frame. There are some exceptions to this, but most frames are not labeled with a fire-rating in minutes or hours… they are just labeled as fire-rated frames.

Brad Keyes, CHSP, is the owner of KEYES Life Safety Compliance, and his expertise is in the management of the Life Safety Program, including the Environment of Care and Emergency Management programs.