Egress & Doors
How Do I Know If I Have Fire &/or Smoke Walls?
Fire and smoke doors play a critical role in a building's overall fire safety strategy, but identifying them isn't always straightforward. From ground level, if a door sits within a fire or smoke wall, there's a good chance the door itself is rated to match, but confirming this with certainty takes a trained eye and a proper understanding of the building's construction and fire engineering documentation.
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There are several ways to determine whether a wall is fire or smoke rated, from construction documentation through to physical inspection of the wall's construction. Because a fire or smoke door is generally installed within a wall of matching rating, understanding your building's wall ratings is the first step in understanding your door requirements. Refer to our Building Fire Integrity page for more detail on how we map fire and smoke walls.
How Can Stokes Safety Help?
How do I know if I have fire or smoke doors?
Confirming whether a specific door is a fire or smoke door involves checking for compliance markings, understanding the door's construction, and considering its location within the building relative to mapped fire and smoke walls. This isn't always obvious without training, which is why an inspection by a specialist is the most reliable way to get a definitive answer.
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Timing matters when it comes to egress and door compliance. An inspection carried out prior to Practical Completion (PC) gives the opportunity to build compliance in as part of the original construction, which is almost always the simplest and most cost-effective path. An inspection of a property already in use is more complicated, and can be hampered by limited access to all areas of the building. In these cases, we can form an initial opinion and direct a more thorough inspection by a specialist, who can also create a Passive Register documenting the fire and smoke rating of doors and associated hardware across the site.
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Our process
We assess accessible doors and their surrounding walls against the building's fire engineering documentation and physical construction, identify any discrepancies or compliance gaps, and, where appropriate, produce a Passive Register that gives building owners a single, reliable reference for every fire and smoke door on site.
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Outcomes for our clients
Building owners who engage Stokes Safety for egress and door compliance end up with clarity on which doors are fire or smoke rated, a documented Passive Register they can rely on for future maintenance and audits, and, where issues are identified, a clear path to remediation.
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Get started
If you're unsure whether the doors in your building meet fire or smoke door requirements, or you need a Passive Register prepared, contact Stokes Safety to arrange an inspection.