Emergency Exit Doors

Emergency Exit Door

The emergency exit door provides the appropriate, healthy and safe exit of the people inside the building in case of a fire or emergency.

Emergency exit is an important component of the building, which is designed for fast and safe exit from the building in the shortest time when needed.

In case a normal or special exit is blocked by fire or various other reasons, it also assumes the function as an alternative.

Emergency exits are usually located in strategic areas within the building. This includes stairwells, corridors or other places where people may congregate during an emergency.

It is necessary to maintain and control the emergency exits regularly. If a congestion occurs primarily along the road, an alternative emergency exit provides a faster and safer exit.

Such cases should be marked and a crash bar should be placed on them. In case of emergency, there should be signs that direct people to the emergency exit door so that they can be found and seen easily and quickly.

In an emergency, it is very important that people can leave the building quickly and safely.

Normal entry-exit doors are generally not designed for large numbers of people to use at the same time and exit immediately; otherwise it would be a disaster in an emergency.

In an emergency, a large number of people trying to exit or even escape from a small exit point at the same time can pose a danger to both themselves and others. In such emergencies, people are in danger of being crushed or injured by not being able to evacuate the building in time.

Any emergency exit in the building must comply with the zoning regulations and the provisions specified in the building construction project.

Since various types of emergency exit doors are produced, each with its own advantages, those who want to buy should know the emergency exit door requirements and basics. 

Types of emergency exit doors 

An emergency exit door is a door specially designed to help people get out of the building in emergencies such as fire, earthquake, and flood.

Emergency exits can be placed in strategic areas in the building such as corridors, stairs, and other points with direct access to the outside.

It is necessary to comply with various design and construction building rules for the emergency exit door of residences or workplaces. Emergency exit doors are a permanent part of the residence or workplace.

There should be a sufficient number of emergency exit doors in buildings where people are concentrated. A workplace should have at least two emergency exit doors that provide easy exit for employees or other personnel in the building in an emergency.

The number of emergency exit doors may vary depending on the number of personnel employed by the enterprise or the density of users in the building.

It should be constantly checked that the push, panic and crash bars on the emergency exit doors are working properly.

The emergency exit door must be at least 70 cm wide at all points.

It should be constantly checked that emergency exit routes have adequate lighting.

There are two main types of emergency exit doors:

1. Fire door

Manufactured from fire resistant material, these doors provide a safe escape route in case of fire as their frame is made of fire resistant steel.

2. Emergency exit door

Gates in public areas clearly marked with green and white exit signs, located in easily accessible locations for a quick exit if needed.

Doors on exit routes leading to an exit or fire doors.

Fire doors require special hardware and the hardware fitted to the fire door must also be fire resistant. The lock of the fire door must be fire resistant and self-locking.

In order to stop the heat, control the smoke and not feed the fire, a fire resistant automatic door closer should be installed on the fire door.

Emergency Exit Door Features

The emergency exit door should be such that the people inside the building or those working in the production areas can open it quickly, easily and safely in case of an emergency.

The emergency exit door should open outwards and should not be a rail door. Emergency exit doors are not used as revolving doors.

Emergency exit doors must not be locked or connected. Number of emergency exit doors, their qualities, dimensions and locations are determined according to the nature of the work done, the size of the workplace, the way of use, the equipment in the workplace and the maximum number of people that can be found.

The location of the emergency exit doors should be clearly shown on the building's location map.

To reach the emergency exits, there must be signs showing which direction to go.

The emergency exit door opening mechanism should be able to be pushed and pulled easily, even by the sick, the elderly, the disabled, or people with any hand problems.

The emergency exit door should be able to be pushed open to easily drag an unconscious or injured person to help.

There should be only one lock on the emergency exit door, with no key locks on the inside of the door.

If the emergency exit door is in an area where there may be a large number of people, a guard bar should be installed against the risk of crowd crushing.

The emergency exit door's compliance with standards and regulations can be ensured by evaluating the needs of the building by experts and having the doors installed by professionals.

Fire Door versus Emergency Exit Door

Persons who are not experts in fire safety may not know the difference between an emergency exit door and a fire door. However, it is essential to understand the difference between the two in order to secure and improve the exit of the building.

Fire Door

A fire door is a fire resistant interior door designed to prevent and reduce the spread of fire and smoke from one part of a building to another.

All parts of the fire door, which must be kept closed at all times, are made of fire resistant materials, from the door frame to the hinges and locks.

The fire door is made from a combination of fire resistant materials such as steel, aluminum, galvanized iron, wood and glass. The fire door must have fire resistant equipment.

The door panel and frame must bear a manufacturer's label that guarantees that all components pass and meet fire rating standards.

A fire door with a certified fire door holder should be preferred that automatically closes the door when the fire alarm goes off.

Correct installation of the fire door is very important to ensure its efficiency and effectiveness. Any gap between the wall and the door frame can provide enough room for a fire to break out. In order to comply with the requirements specified in the fire door certificate, a fire door suitable for the needs of the building must be selected.

Fire Exit Door

A fire exit door is an exterior door that should not be closed and is not necessarily a fire resistant one. While the purpose of the fire door is to prevent the fire from spreading into the building, the fire exit door is designed to provide fast and safe exit of the people inside the building.

Some basic requirements apply to emergency exit doors for commercial, public and other business buildings:

It includes the emergency exit doors being open from the inside and the absence of equipment or alarms that prevent people from using the doors in an emergency. Emergency exit doors should also open outwards.

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In order to explain the differences between the emergency exit door and the fire door more clearly, it is necessary to make the subject clearly understandable.

The primary purpose of an emergency exit door is to facilitate a quick and easy escape in the event of a fire or other emergency.

The primary purpose of the fire door is to prevent or slow the spread of fire between different rooms.

Fire door and emergency exit door are usually located in different parts of the building due to different usage purposes.

The fire exit door functions on the exterior of the building as the last door of the exit route.

The fire door is usually found in the interior doors of an apartment, on the stairs, between the rooms and on the front doors.

The emergency exit door is never locked from the inside, preventing easy keyless escape. For safety reasons, most emergency exit doors open without a key. Emergency exit doors can be left open even if they pose a security risk.

The fire door must have a self-locking feature to ensure it is always closed. Fire doors rarely need locking as they are installed and designed internally just to stop the spread of fire and smoke.

Both types of fire safety doors are not blocked at any point.

Fire door and emergency exit door must comply with standards and building project regulations. Regulations should apply to fire door and emergency exit door specifications, installation and maintenance.

There should be a green sign on the emergency exit door, which means "go, get out", indicating the exit. Emergency exit signs should be suitably illuminated by a reliable light source.

In an emergency, both fire and emergency exit doors should be regularly maintained and checked for obstructions and tested to determine whether the doors themselves are damaged.

Fire escape doors must have a working push rod. Gasket, gap and hinges on the fire door should be checked.

The emergency exit door is never locked from the inside. For security reasons these can be locked from the outside. However, pressing the panic hardware or the crash bar attached to the door from the inside unlocks the lock.

While the sign for the fire door is blue and white, the signs at the emergency exit door should be green.

Emergency Door Requirements and Exit Ways

Building managers are required to post emergency exit road signs at various locations to guide people to the exit quickly and safely with the application of mortise lock, electric lock or magnetic lock that meets emergency exit requirements.

Lock Types

Locks play a crucial role in protecting building occupants from internal and external threats. Building managers can use different types of locks to secure the building, such as magnetic lock, electric lock, and wireless lock.

There are two components in the magnetic lock, an electromagnet and a rigging type plate. On the electromagnet door frame, the armature plate is mounted on the door so that it touches the electromagnet when the door is closed.

When electricity emits electromagnetic energy, it connects to the armature plate and locks the door. The door opens by itself when the flow of electricity to the electromagnet stops. A mobile device, key fob or access cards are used to activate the release system that unlocks the door.

Magnetic locking devices are fail-safe, a mechanism that unlocks the door when power is lost. It is recommended for emergency exits for businesses, banks, meeting rooms, museums, public buildings and civic institutions.

In case of emergency fire, the fire alarm acts as an evacuation system. The fire alarm cuts off the electricity to the electromagnet and unlocks the emergency exit door.

The key components of the electric lock are the latch, the bolt and the electric lock striker. When the door is closed, the electric striker catches the latch and locks the door.

Electricity passes through the electric strike plate to trigger the release action and unlock the door. A password, fob key, access card, or motion sensor is used to activate the release action.

Electric locks are fail-safe against a mechanism that keeps the door closed even after a power outage. Electric locks are ideal for lockout situations.

Electric door locks, which lock the doors from the outside, prevent outsiders from entering the room during locking. However, it can be used by converting an electric lock to safe mode for emergency exits with the help of an integrated key.

Emergency Exit Signs

Building managers must ensure that emergency signs are properly illuminated 24/7. Failure to maintain emergency exit signs can cause distress for businesses, schools, hospitals, hotels and commercial real estate buildings.

System Solutions for Emergency Exit Doors and Access Control

Cloud-based access control is the dominant system solution that automates emergency exits and helps businesses meet exit door compliances.

Cloud-based access control system helps businesses in the following emergencies:

Emergency exit during fire

A cloud-based access control system can be integrated with fire alarm systems so that when the fire alarm detects smoke or fire inside the building, it sends an automatic signal to unlock the door.

Emergency locking

A cloud-based access control system allows building teams to stop all active credentials and make all doors inaccessible to users from a remote location.

This solution is useful when the building prefers an emergency lockout to protect people from an outside threat. The access control system is flexible enough to allow building crews to exclude certain doors from emergency locking as needed.

Emergency hold

A cloud-based access control system gives administrators the ability to unlock all access points of the building with one click. Emergency hold open is very useful in emergencies such as fire, flood and hazardous material spillage.

Increase Emergency Exit Door Security

Access control is not just about deterring unauthorized persons from entering the building. It should facilitate the rapid exit of people in emergency situations.

Emergency exit doors and access control systems go hand in hand. Facility teams may need to implement a cloud-based access control system that provides the flexibility to operate emergency exits from a remote location in an emergency.