Which Detectors Should Close a Fire Rated Door?

9/30/2021

I have a fire wall on a two-story building providing separation for purposes of having two control areas.

There is a small roll-up door on the 2nd floor (in the main egress corridor of the building) in the firewall that can be opened to bring up items from the 1st floor to the 2nd through a lift from the 1st floor.

Is it code compliant to only have smoke detectors in the immediate area of the roll-up door (on each side) trigger the fire pin that closes the door, or, does every single smoke detector (it's a large building) need to trigger the roll-up (fire) door to close?

I am not finding a concrete code section (IBC or NFPA) that all detectors need to trigger the roll-up door to close.

Again, it's a very large building with many detectors. Thanks in advance for any answers/feedback.

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10 Comments

9/30/2021 08:11:30 am

Try 101:7.2.1.8.2 and 72:17.7.5.6.

I read that only the smoke detector for door release has to release the door. This is an emergency control function. See also 101:9.6.5. It is similar to elevator recall detectors, or duct detectors.

schulman

9/30/2021 08:13:02 am

" (in the main egress corridor of the building)"
you've got me confused - wondering if others are ...

i'm trying to picture this rolling door shutting and closing off the main egress corridor ... ? sounds wrong ..does it have a panic-bar man-door in it ?

is it "on the SIDE WALL of the corridor closing off the "lift shaft" FROM the corridor ?
or maybe it closes off the lift shaft by shutting a small vestibule FROM the corridor ?

Anyhow ... if it's a rated / required fire door, regardless of which smoke sets off the alarm, the door should shut as should all "held-open" fire doors throughout the building...
should be activated by the fire alarm panel ?

Jake link

9/30/2021 08:14:47 am

Try looking at Section 4.7 (In 2019 ed) of NFPA 80 - it discusses actuation mechanisms, and may have some additional insight for you there. I don't see anything that would necessarily prohibit all devices activating the mechanism, as long as the device placement is in accordance with NFPA 72 for the door releasing. At the same time, NFPA 80 permits fusible links to be used as well, so not necessarily having to be an electronic device.

Jack G

9/30/2021 08:21:34 am

I ve used fusible link mechanisms on those type doors. Work fine.

Alex

9/30/2021 12:46:48 pm

I've used fusible link mechanisms as well. That is a possibility

Rich Mercer

9/30/2021 08:28:53 am

Not sure if your construction code has any caveats on the issue, but check out NFPA 72(2017) 17.7.5.6 Smoke Detectors for Door Release Service.

Todd Wyatt

9/30/2021 09:04:19 am

Per the 2021 IBC, the fire-resistance rated (FRR) assembly that protects Control Areas on Story 2 would be a 1-Hour Fire Barrier (1FB) per Table 414.2.2. The "roll-up door" in the 1FB is a fire door assembly (FDA) that is required to have a minimum 0.75-Hr rating. Fire doors are required to latch and to be self-closing or automatic-closing in accordance with NFPA 80.

If the FDA is automatic-closing, it is permitted to have hold-open devices as long as they "automatically close by the actuation of smoke detectors in accordance with Section 907.3 or by loss of power to the smoke detector or hold-open device" (IBC 716.2.6.6). If this "roll-up door" is a actually a "rolling fire shutter", it too is required to include an approved automatic-closing device.

NFPA 80 (2019) is the reference standard per the 2021 IBC. NFPA 80 has chapters for Vertically Sliding Fire Doors (10), Rolling Steel Doors (Ch 11) and Fire Shutters (12) that will include the requirements for their self-closing or automatic-closing although it does not specifically address smoke detection locations for smoke-activated doors.

2021 IBC 716.2.6.6 Smoke-activated doors references 907.3 for the installation of smoke detectors for these types of doors. 907.3 references NFPA 72 for the locating smoke detectors. NFPA 72 (2019) includes "Figure 17.7.5.6.5.1(A) Detector Location Requirements for Wall Sections" that identifies the prescriptive requirements for smoke detector locations.

Without knowing your project's specific conditions, I am unable to give you a definitive answer but hopefully this NFPA 72 reference will enable you to determine the requirements.

Franck

9/30/2021 09:05:38 am

Unless your AHJ has a different requirement, you can do both.
Most common situation is to have smoke detectors on each side to operate the door
But you can also operate it from any of the smoke detectors provided in the rooms on both side (in that last case, this would close the door even if the smoke is detected far away from the opening, which could be a good or a bad thing).

Take it with another configuration : if your building was sprinkler protected, you would probably use the smoke detectors provided close to the door (both sides) to close it, not the sprinkler system.

Jeff Carbine link

2/23/2022 06:27:33 am

I found it interesting when you said the firewall that may be opened to transport objects from the first to the second story through a lift from the first. I used to think differently about it not until you explained it briefly and it really got my attention. What you said about the fire door was really interesting to me.

Mia Evans link

5/27/2022 05:55:50 am

It's interesting to know that the door has to be code-compliant to ensure that it can have smoke detectors when they are roll-up types. I will share this information with my brother so that he will have an idea because he plans to get a fire door installation service this year. It's because the house he moved into has had issues of wildfire in the location before.

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Which Detectors Should Close a Fire Rated Door?

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