FDAI

Fire doors serve the essential purpose of hindering the spread of smoke, flames, and gases during a fire, and protecting the means of egress for a period of time.  This compartmentalization gives building occupants time to exit safely during a fire.  When fire doors are not properly maintained or modifications are made which compromise the integrity of a fire door, building occupants are at risk.  It is the responsibility of every building owner to keep their fire doors code-compliant, and the liability for not doing so rests with building owners as well.

NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives details the requirements for fire doors, and most building codes and life safety codes refer to this standard.  As of the 2007 edition, NFPA 80 requires annual fire door assembly inspection (FDAI), and lists the inspection criteria.  This inspection is the responsibility of the building owner, and documentation of the inspection must be available for the code official to review.  Inspections must be conducted by individuals knowledgeable about the type of door being inspected, and deficiencies must be repaired “without delay.”

This website includes the inspection criteria, as well as detailed information about the requirements of NFPA 80.  It is intended to assist building owners, fire door assembly inspectors, and code officials to ensure that fire doors are properly maintained and are capable of protecting building occupants.  If you have any comments, ideas, or feedback regarding the development of this site, please feel free to send me an email.