FOCUS
Fire doors/glazing
also strict rules about the compatibility of different glass types and their relevant glazing systems, their location within the doorleaf, and the overall area of glazing in the doorleaf. It is vital that specialist fire glass is used
which will perform effectively in the event of a fire. There are three different classifications of fire resistant glass: 1. Integrity only (classification E) glass stops the passage of fire and smoke, but does not stop any radiant heat.
2. Radiation (EW) glass also stops the passage of fire and smoke, but in addition offers some reduction in heat transfer to the non fire side of the door.
3. Finally, integrity and insulation (EI) glass works in the same way as integrity, but offers significant reduction in heat transfer to the non fire side.
Within these classifications, there are many different products that perform in slightly different ways, and for different periods of time (30 minutes, 60 minutes and so forth), so the specification of specific glass type and classification is a really important decision. Just think about the amount of paperwork that is piled up in an average office – in the event of a fire, heat radiation alone can ignite paper, cloth and other materials at an alarming speed. Beyond the type of glass used, there is a host of details that make a huge difference when it comes to fire door glazing systems, either because they would invalidate the certification of the door, or because in the event of a fire, they would weaken the performance
50 MAY 2018
www.frmjournal.com
of the door itself. It is absolutely vital that the correct and compatible system of components is used within the glazing system.
Compatible means that only the correct
suite of components – including the bead, fixings and any correct intumescent protection – has been used within the design, in accordance with the third party certification that exists for the specific door in question. Compatible also means that the other limitations of relevant certification, such as the overall size of the aperture cut into the door leaf, the area of the glazed aperture and the location of the glazed aperture within the doorleaf, have also been complied with. Within the BWF-Certifire scheme, because of the complex system of components required for fire resistant glazing systems and the high level of workmanship required, to maintain third party certification fire doors must be glazed by a trained technician who has been licensed to do that work, and work must be carried out in a factory environment. Any glazing of doors or cutting of apertures for glazing on site is prohibited, and again would mean that certification is broken and there is no guarantee of performance. If a BWF-Certifire licensed processor fits a vision panel in a fire door, it will attach its own label next to that of the original BWF-Certifire fire door manufacturer, and the traceability of where that glazing took place is maintained. If the glazing was undertaken by the original BWF-Certifire manufacturer, then this scope
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