By Brad Keyes / Special to Healthcare Facilities Today

Q: In regards to the new annual fire rated door assembly inspection, are we to inspect every door that has a fire rating or the doors that are located in fire-rated walls? I have noticed that not all fire doors in the building are located in fire rated walls, according to my Life Safety drawings. What do you say?

A: It is not uncommon for fire-rated door assemblies to be found in walls and barriers that are not fire-rated. This is often due to conflicting building codes that require 20-minute fire rated doors in all corridors, or a misunderstanding by the design professional. But make no mistake: You are required to test and inspect those doors on an annual basis.  

My interpretation is based on section 7.2.1.15.2 of the 2012 LSC which says: “Fire-rated door assemblies shall be inspected and tested in accordance with NFPA 80…” This section of the LSC does not have any exceptions for fire-rated door assemblies that are located in walls and barriers that are not fire-rated.

Therefore, all fire-rated door assemblies must be inspected and tested in accordance with NFPA 80 on an annual basis, regardless where they are located.

Another way of looking at this issue is to review section 4.6.12.3 of the 2012 LSC which says existing life safety features that are obvious to the public, if not required by the LSC, must be either maintained or removed. The interpretation of what’s ‘obvious to the public’ is certainly open for discussion, but most fire-rated door assemblies can be determined by looking at a fire rating label on the hinge-side edge of the door, and that is viewable by the public. Whether it is obvious or not is a matter of opinion, but if you take the hardline on that, then all fire-rated doors (with a fire rating label) have to be maintained even if they are not located in a fire-rated barrier.

Either way… I think the LSC is pretty clear… you need to test and inspect all fire rated door assemblies regardless if they are located in a fire rated barrier.

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