Q: I had an independent Life Safety inspection and during the inspection the inspector cited me for my 2-hour fire door frames not having a fire rating visible. I explained that we went to a fire rated continuous hinge on these doors that covered the labels. He said that that was not enough, he needed to see a label. Should I remove each hinge and take a picture of the fire rating labels?
(The reply for this question comes from Lori Greene, Manager of Codes & Resources at Allegion. Visit Lori’s website on doors and hardware at www.idighardware.com)
A: This topic has come up before, and I asked some AHJs about it since the answer is not found in the codes and standards. The consensus was that the label should be documented with photos before the hinges are installed – close-up photos to show what is written on the label, and wider photos to show the location of the door.
I’m sure it’s a pain to get this documentation now, but I think that’s the only way to do it for a retrofit situation unless you want to have the doors relabeled. For new doors and frames, the labels can be applied in another location – on the frame head, and for the doors – either on top or on the lock edge.
Brad Keyes, CHSP, is the owner of KEYES Life Safety Compliance, and his expertise is in the management of the Life Safety Program, including the Environment of Care and Emergency Management programs.
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