Emergency exit doors are important, in particular, whenever you need to ensure the safety of life in states of emergency. Doors fitted with special apparatus such as panic (exit) devices are designed to be quickly and easily opened. This provides a quicker egress in a state of emergency. So what are features of emergency exit doors? Why are doors used? In this article, you can find distinctive features of emergency exit doors.
What is an Emergency Exit Door?
Emergency exit doors ensure that people can be rapidly evacuated from a building during a fire, flood, explosion and earthquake event. Doors are often deployed within long spans and designed together with special markings. Doors can easily be opened and closed, thus ensuring the rapid evaluation and security of a building furnished with fire-escape stairs and signs. Emergency exit doors can be designed in different forms on the basis of the structure and width of buildings. The following factors play a role in the design of doors in a building:
- Number of floors: The number of floors of a building is crucial for the determination of the number of doors. There must be one emergency exit door on each floor of multi-storey buildings. There can also be doors on transitions between floors on multi-storey structures.
- Size of the building: The span between doors on large buildings is longer. However, all doors must be arranged in a way to facilitate the safe and secure evacuation of people.
- Intended use: The number of emergency exit doors on crowded areas, i.e.: large shopping malls or stadiums must be higher where doors are required to be placed between closer spans.
What are Features of Emergency Exit Doors?
Emergency exit doors are equipped with some features available. Below are the main features of doors:
- Markings: All of doors required to be used in a state of emergency must be marked. “Emergency exit” doors can be equipped with luminous or illuminated directions.
- Rapid Access: A door must easily be opened and hold a quick mechanism. Evacuation can thus be rapidly performed in a state of emergency.
- Span: Doors are located between long spans in buildings. So many people can walk through the door at the same time.
- Direction: Directions of doors must be supported by a variety of direction marks and signs. Arrows and signs must show the safe exit route to the people.
- Security: Doors that facilitate emergency exits must not be furnished with locking mechanisms. Doors that are always open in a state of emergency will provide people with an easy egress.
- Alarm: Alarm and signal systems of certain doors are activated in a state of emergency. This shows that doors are used for exits.
- Illumination: Designed with special lighting systems, doors attract attention of people who want to exit, thus allowing them to be able to easily exit from wherever they want to leave.
- Panic Device: All exit doors are fitted with panic devices. Panic devices provide a quick means of egress.
- Fire Resistance: Doors must be made up from fire-resistant materials. So doors provide an easy and appropriate means of egress even during fire and other incidents.
- Tests: Doors must undergo regular tests handled by qualified persons. It is important that doors must be always accessible and work properly.
Why is an Emergency Exit Door Necessary?
Emergency exit doors offer great functionality for large companies and high-rise buildings. Below are featured reasons of why such doors are used:
- Curtailment of time needed for evacuation: One of reasons of why such doors are deployed in a building is the curtailment of time needed for evacuation in a state of emergency. With these doors, evacuation operations can rapidly be performed in buildings during contingencies. The rapid evacuation of people from buildings minimizes any adverse occurrences or events.
- Safety of Life: Doors play a crucial role on the evacuation of people from a dangerous area. In this sense, doors are significantly instrumental in protecting the safety of life.
- Minimization of Extreme Situations in Panic: People are in panic after contingencies where they want to leave their place. In panic situations, people get less concerned thanks to doors that provide a rapid egress and offer ease of use with directions, thus allowing a safe exit.
- Protection against Hazards: Emergency exit doors allow a rapid egress from a dangerous area where fire, earthquake, gas leakage and similar incidents may occur. It is possible to leave the area and get to a safe zone thanks to doors.
- Legislative Regulations: Emergency exits and evacuation operations are subject to a variety of regulations throughout many countries. The design and layout of doors must be in alignment with laws and regulations.
What are Standards of Emergency Exit Doors?
Emergency exit door standards mean that doors can be designed and used in line with certain standards. By this means, speed and security are of top priority when it comes to using doors. Door standards are designated in accordance with building and fire regulations in every country. Emergency exit doors used in our country are manufactured in accordance with standards such as TS EN 1634-1 and EN 14351. TS EN 1634-1 norms regulate standards for tests for fire resistance of doors to be used for exits. EN 14351 is focused on the regulations that relate to CE certification of doors. In addition to all these features, door designs are supplemented with a variety of standard specifications. Among exit door standards are “Emergency Exit” or “Exit” signs, markings and directions. On the other hand, it is also important that doors must be positioned closely to fire-escape stairs as well as additional emergency fittings. Briefly speaking, emergency exit door models need to be designed, manufactured and deployed as per certain standards. It is thus possible to perform evacuation operations in a more efficient manner.
If you are also in need of an emergency exit door for your workplace or office, you can review models manufactured by Kale Kilit. Doors tested and certified by private laboratories are designed in steel sheets. With smoke-resistant and ex-proof doors, you can ensure the safety and security your building in a state of emergency.
