As we recently closed out Building Safety Month in May, it served as a great reminder for facilities managers to evaluate their passive fire protection systems. While active systems like sprinklers and alarms often get the spotlight, passive defenses—specifically fire door assemblies—are equally important for compartmentalizing smoke and flames to save lives.
Over the past decade, there has been a sharp rise in the enforcement of annual fire door assembly inspections. Initially driven by strict compliance standards in the healthcare sector, this heightened scrutiny is now rapidly expanding across other types of facilities in several states. Yet, despite this increased enforcement, a staggering number of buildings remain unprepared. Some fire door assembly inspectors report a failure rate of 75% to as high as 90% for the initial inspection of the fire door assemblies they inspect. Strikingly, most of these failures are not the result of catastrophic structural defects. Instead, they stem from everyday wear-and-tear, deferred maintenance, or well-meaning but dangerous human interference.
The Core Function of a Fire Door
At its core, a fire door is much more than a simple point of entry or exit; it is an integral component of a building’s compartmentalization strategy. Compartmentalization is a passive fire protection method designed to divide a facility into distinct, manageable zones. When a fire breaks out, these specialized doors act as physical barriers, containing deadly smoke, toxic gases, and flames to their area of origin. By restricting the spread of a fire, these doors protect egress routes, giving building occupants the precious time they need to evacuate safely while allowing first responders to navigate the building.
However, this life-saving function relies entirely on one golden rule: A fire door must be able to close and latch completely. A fire door that is propped open, misaligned, or unable to securely latch into its frame is essentially useless during a fire. Any deficiency that prevents the door from sealing the opening compromises the building’s life safety strategy, rendering a highly engineered, fire-rated assembly ineffective when it matters most.
Common Deficiencies: Where Facilities Are Failing
When facilities managers review their failed fire door inspection reports, they rarely find severe structural flaws. Instead, the most frequent citations stem from everyday use, deferred maintenance, and a general lack of awareness. By categorizing the most common deficiencies, facility teams can better understand what to look for during routine walkthroughs.
The Human Element (Interference & Convenience)
A fire door’s main job is to remain closed or to close automatically during an emergency. However, building occupants may prioritize daily convenience over life safety. It’s common for inspectors to find fire doors propped open with wooden wedges, trash cans, or other obstructions. Additionally, the area surrounding the assembly is frequently blocked by stored boxes, equipment, or furniture. Occupants often alter these doors for airflow or convenience without understanding the implications: If a door is blocked or wedged open, it cannot compartmentalize the building, allowing deadly smoke and fire to spread freely.
Well-Meaning but Potentially Dangerous Modifications
In an effort to increase building security, facility staff or occupants may install auxiliary hardware that inadvertently creates severe life-safety hazards. Examples include aftermarket lockdown devices, barricades, surface bolts, or extra deadbolts. While these security “solutions” might seem beneficial in theory, they almost always interfere with the door’s intended function. Fire doors must allow for immediate, free egress, typically requiring only one simple motion to unlatch (with very limited exceptions such as dwelling and sleeping unit entry doors). Adding non-listed hardware not only violates egress requirements but can also void the door’s fire-rated certification.
Wear & Tear; Maintenance Neglect
Commercial doors are one of the most heavily used moving parts of any building, enduring thousands of open-and-close cycles each year. Over time, this constant use takes a physical toll. Common inspection failures in this category include broken or missing hardware, such as latch bolts, strike plates, and closer arms. Furthermore, heavy doors can sag on their hinges over time, creating poor clearance dimensions—meaning the gaps between the door and the frame become too wide to effectively stop smoke.
The Paper(work) Trail
Every fire door and frame is required to have a legible fire label, typically located on the edge of the door and the rabbet of the frame. This label is the assembly’s official identification, detailing its fire rating and testing history. A surprisingly common deficiency is a label that has been carelessly painted over, damaged, or removed entirely during routine building maintenance. If an inspector cannot read the labels, they cannot verify the assembly’s compliance, resulting in an automatic failure—even if the door itself otherwise functions properly.
Shifting from Reactive to Proactive
Waiting for an annual inspection to uncover compliance issues is a risky, and potentially costly, strategy. To get ahead of the curve, a shift from a reactive maintenance mindset to a proactive one is key.
The first step is conducting regular audits of all fire doors—don’t wait 12 months to discover a broken closer, a sagging frame, or a missing label. During these routine walkthroughs, take note of any potential human interference. Use these opportunities to educate building staff and occupants about the life-saving purpose of fire doors and why they must never be propped open with wedges, boxes, or trash cans.
When wear-and-tear from regular use occurs, avoid the temptation of “quick fixes.” Applying cosmetic filler over a hole, using the wrong fasteners, or installing non-listed aftermarket hardware may instantly void a door’s fire rating and compromise the assembly.
Because life safety codes can be complex, facility teams should be especially cognizant when it comes to repairs and maintenance of fire-rated openings. Qualified door hardware professionals can be a valuable resource—these experts can help ensure that any repairs, modifications or hardware replacements maintain the integrity of the fire door assembly and keep your building fully compliant and ready for its next inspection.
Lori Greene is the manager of codes and resources for Allegion and the creator of iDigHardware. With 40 years of experience in the door and hardware industry, she now focuses exclusively on the code requirements that apply to door openings. Greene also participates in the code development process with the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA).