3.1.8.1 — General Requirements

(1) A door assembly having a fire-protection rating not less than 20 min is permitted to be used as a closure in, (a) a fire separation not required to have a fire-resistance rating more than 1 h, located between, (i) a public corridor and a suite, (ii) a corridor and adjacent sleeping rooms, or (iii) a corridor and adjacent classrooms, offices and libraries in Group A, Division 2 major occupancies, or (b) a fire separation not required to have a fire-resistance rating more than 45 min, located in a building not more than 3 storeys in building height. (2) The requirements for noncombustible sills and combustible floor coverings in NFPA 80, “Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives”, do not apply to a door described in Sentence (1). (3) A door described in Sentence (1) shall have a clearance not more than 6 mm at the bottom and not more than 3 mm at the sides and top. (4) In elementary and secondary schools, a door assembly conforming to Articles 9.10.13.2. and 9.10.13.3. is permitted to be used as a closure in a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating of 30 min.

(1) Except as provided in Sentences (2) to (5) and 3.3.3.2. (5), every door in a fire separation shall be equipped with a self-closing device designed to return the door to the closed position after each use. (2) Self-closing devices need not be provided on doors to freight elevators and dumbwaiters. (3) In a building that is not more than 3 storeys in building height, a self-closing device is not required on a door that is located between a classroom and a corridor providing access to exit from the classroom, except that a self-closing device is required on a door between a hazardous classroom and the corridor in an elementary or secondary school. (4) In a building that is not more than 3 storeys in building height, a self-closing device is not required on a door between a public corridor and an adjacent room or suite of business and personal services occupancy if the door is not located in, (a) a dead-end portion of the corridor, or (b) a corridor that serves a hotel. (5) Within a fire compartment in a hospital or long-term care home that complies with the requirements of Article 3.3.3.5., a self-closing device is not required on a door that is located between, (a) a patient’s or resident’s sleeping room and a corridor serving the patient’s or resident’s sleeping room, or (b) a patient’s or resident’s sleeping room and an adjacent room that serves the patient’s or resident’s sleeping room.

(1) Except as provided in Sentences 3.1.8.9. (1) and 3.1.8.9A. (3), a hold-open device is permitted to be used on a closure in a required fire separation, other than on an exit stair door in a building more than 3 storeys in building height and on a door for a vestibule required by Article 3.3.5.7., provided the device is designed to release the closure in conformance with this Article. (2) Except as provided in Sentences (5) and (6), where the building is provided with a fire alarm system, a hold-open device permitted by Sentence (1) shall release, (a) in a single-stage system, upon any signal from the fire alarm system, and (b) in a two-stage system, (i) upon any alert signal from the fire alarm system, or (ii) upon actuation of any adjacent smoke detectors. (3) Where the building is provided with a fire alarm system, a hold-open device permitted by Sentence (1) shall release upon a signal from a smoke detector connected to the fire alarm system and located as described in CAN/ULC-S524, “Installation of Fire Alarm Systems”, where the hold-open device is used on, (a) an exit door, (b) a door opening into a public corridor, (c) an egress door referred to in Sentence 3.4.2.4. (2), (d) a door serving an assembly, care, care and treatment, detention, or residential occupancy, (e) a door in a fire separation referred to in Clause 3.3.1.7. (1)(b) or in Sentence 3.3.3.5. (4) or 3.3.4.11. (4), or (f) a door required to function as part of a smoke control system. (4) Where the building is not provided with a fire alarm system, a hold-open device permitted by Sentence (1) shall release upon a signal from a smoke alarm located on either side of the fire separation at ceiling level within 1.5 m horizontally of the closure opening in the fire separation, where the hold-open device is used on closures described in Clauses (3)(a) to (e). (5) Where a hold-open device is used on closures other than those described in Sentences (3) and (4), it is permitted to be released upon actuation of a heat-actuated device. (6) A hold-open device used on a door located between a corridor used by the public and an adjacent sleeping room in a care and treatment occupancy need not release automatically as described in Sentence (2).

(1) Except as permitted by Sentence 3.3.3.2. (5) and Article 3.3.3.5., a swing-type door in a fire separation shall be equipped with a positive latching mechanism designed to hold the door in the closed position after each use.

(1) Except as permitted by Articles 3.1.8.16. and 3.1.8.17. for the separation of exits, an opening in a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating not more than 1 h is permitted to be protected with fixed wired glass assemblies or glass blocks installed in conformance with NFPA 80, “Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives”. (2) Wired glass assemblies permitted by Sentence (1) and described in MMAH Supplementary Standard SB-2, “Fire Performance Ratings”, are permitted to be used as closures in vertical fire separations without being tested in accordance with Sentence 3.1.8.4. (1). (3) Glass blocks permitted by Sentence (1) shall be installed in accordance with Subsection 4.3.2. and reinforced with steel reinforcement in each horizontal joint.

(1) Except as permitted by Article 3.1.8.17., the maximum temperature rise on the opaque portion of the unexposed side of a door used as a closure in a fire separation in a location shown in Table 3.1.8.15., shall conform to the Table when tested in conformance with Sentence 3.1.8.4.

(1) Except as permitted by Article 3.1.8.17., the maximum area of wired glass in a door used in the locations shown in Table 3.1.8.15. shall conform to the Table. (2) Except as permitted by Article 3.1.8.17., the maximum area of glass block and wired glass panels not in a door, used in the locations shown in Table 3.1.8.15., shall conform to the Table.

(1) The temperature rise limits and glass area limits required by Articles 3.1.8.15. and 3.1.8.16. are waived for a closure between an exit enclosure and an enclosed vestibule or corridor provided, (a) the vestibule or corridor is separated from the remainder of the floor area by a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating not less than 45 min, (b) the fire separation required by Clause (a) contains no wired glass or glass block within 3 m of the closure into the exit enclosure, and (c) the vestibule or corridor contains no occupancy.

(1) A sprinkler protected glazed wall assembly shall be constructed in accordance with the requirements of ULC/ORD C263.1, “Sprinkler-Protected Windows Systems”. (2) A sprinkler protected glazed wall assembly shall not be installed in, (a) fire separations requiring a fire-resistance rating of more than two hours, (b) a firewall, (c) a high hazard industrial occupancy, or (d) any part of an exit serving, (i) a floor area subject to the requirements of Subsection 3.2.6., (ii) a care occupancy, (iii) a care and treatment occupancy, (iv) a detention occupancy, or (v) a residential occupancy. (3) Where a sprinkler protected glazed wall assembly is installed in an exit fire separation permitted in Sentence (2), (a) the building shall be sprinklered, and (b) the exits protected with the sprinkler protected glazed wall assemblies shall not comprise more than one-half of the required number of exits from any floor area.

(1) Except as permitted by Sentences (2) and 3.1.8.14. (1), the fire-protection rating for a closure shall be determined in accordance with, (a) CAN/ULC-S104, “Fire Tests of Door Assemblies”, (b) CAN/ULC-S106, “Fire Tests of Window and Glass Block Assemblies”, or (c) CAN/ULC-S112, “Fire Test of Fire Damper Assemblies”. (2) Except as permitted by Sentence 3.1.8.10. (1), the fire-protection rating of a closure shall conform to Table 3.1.8.4. for the required fire-resistance rating of the fire separation. (3) The leakage rate of smoke dampers and combination smoke and fire dampers shall, (a) be determined in accordance with the applicable provisions in CAN/ULC-S112.1, “Leakage Rated Dampers for Use in Smoke Control Systems”, and (b) conform to Class I, II or III of that standard. (4) The leakage rate of a door assembly shall be determined in accordance with ANSI/UL-1784, “Air Leakage Tests of Door Assemblies and Other Opening Protectives”.

(1) Except where fire dampers, window assemblies and glass block are used as closures, closures of the same fire-protection rating installed on opposite sides of the same opening are deemed to have a fire-protection rating equal to the sum of the fire-protection ratings of the closures. (2) Except as otherwise specified in this Part, every door, fire damper, window assembly or glass block used as a closure in a required fire separation, (a) shall be installed in conformance with NFPA 80, “Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives”, and (b) where required to have a fire-protection rating, shall have labels or classification marks to identify the testing laboratory. (3) Except as otherwise specified in this Part, every smoke damper used as a closure in a required fire separation shall be installed in conformance with NFPA 105, “Smoke Door Assemblies and Other Opening Protectives”. (4) If a door is installed so that it could damage the integrity of a fire separation if its swing is unrestricted, door stops shall be installed to prevent the damage. (5) A leakage-rated door assembly rated in accordance with Sentence 3.1.8.4. (4) shall, (a) be installed in fire separations in protected floor areas described in Clause 3.3.1.7. (1)(b), (b) be installed in fire separations in care or care and treatment occupancies referred to in Sentence 3.3.3.5. (4) and installed in fire separations in retirement homes referred to in Sentence 3.3.4.11. (4), (c) except as provided in Sentence (7), be installed in fire separations of public corridors serving dwelling units in storeys that are not sprinklered, and (d) be installed in firewalls that are a horizontal exit referred to in Sentence 3.3.3.5. (3). (6) Leakage-rated door assemblies required by Sentence (5) shall conform to NFPA 105, “Smoke Door Assemblies and Other Opening Protectives”. (7) A leakage-rated door assembly need not be installed where a dwelling unit served by a public corridor has, (a) a second and separate means of egress, or (b) an open-air balcony that is sized to accommodate the number of occupants for which the dwelling unit is intended.

(1) The size of an opening in an interior fire separation required to be protected with a closure shall be not more than 11 m2, with no dimension more than 3.7 m, if a fire compartment on either side of the fire separation is not sprinklered. (2) The size of an opening in an interior fire separation required to be protected with a closure shall be not more than 22 m2, with no dimension more than 6 m, provided the fire compartments on both sides of the fire separation are sprinklered.

(1) Except as provided in Article 3.1.8.8., a fire damper having a fire-protection rating conforming to Sentence 3.1.8.4. (2) shall be installed in conformance with Article 3.1.8.9. in ducts or air-transfer openings that penetrate an assembly required to be a fire separation. (2) Except as provided in Article 3.1.8.8A., a smoke damper or a combination smoke and fire damper shall be installed in conformance with Article 3.1.8.9A. in ducts or air-transfer openings that penetrate an assembly required to be a fire separation, where the fire separation, (a) separates a public corridor, (b) contains an egress door referred to in Sentence 3.4.2.4. (2), (c) serves an assembly, care, care and treatment, detention or residential occupancy, or (d) is installed to meet the requirements of Clause 3.3.1.7. (1)(b) or Sentence 3.3.3.5. (4) or 3.3.4.11. (4).

(1) Except as permitted in Sentences (2) to (4), the requirement for fire dampers described in Sentence 3.1.8.7. (1) is permitted to be waived for, (a) ducts that serve commercial cooking equipment, (b) continuous noncombustible ducts having a melting point above 760°C that penetrate a vertical fire separation required by Sentence 3.3.1.1. (1) between suites of assembly, mercantile, low hazard industrial, medium hazard industrial or high hazard industrial occupancy, (c) ducts or air-transfer openings that penetrate a vertical fire separation not required to have a fire-resistance rating, and (d) noncombustible ducts or air-transfer openings that penetrate a horizontal fire separation not required to have a fire-resistance rating. (2) The requirement for fire dampers described in Sentence 3.1.8.7. (1) is permitted to be waived for noncombustible branch ducts having a melting point above 760°C that penetrate a fire separation, (a) provided the ducts, (i) have a cross-sectional area not more than 130 cm2 and serve only air-conditioning units or combined air-conditioning and heating units discharging air not more than 1.2 m above the floor, or (ii) extend not less than 500 mm inside exhaust duct risers that are under negative pressure and in which the airflow is upward as required by Article 3.6.3.4., or (b) provided the fire separation separates a vertical service space from the remainder of the building and provided each individual duct exhausts directly to the outdoors at the top of the vertical service space. (3) In elementary and secondary schools, a continuous noncombustible duct having a melting point above 760°C that pierces a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating of 30 min need not be equipped with a fire damper at the fire separation. (4) In a Group B, Division 3 occupancy which contains sleeping accommodation for not more than 10 persons, which has not more than six occupants who require assistance in evacuation in case of an emergency and which is equipped with a fire alarm system, a duct need not be equipped with a fire damper at a fire separation, provided duct-type smoke detectors have been installed to control smoke circulation as described in Article 3.2.4.13.

(1) A fire damper shall be arranged to close automatically upon the operation of a fusible link conforming to ULC-S505, “Fusible Links for Fire Protection Service”, or other heat-actuated or smoke-actuated device. (2) A heat-actuated device referred to in Sentence (1) shall, (a) be located where it is readily affected by an abnormal rise of temperature in the duct, and (b) have a temperature rating approximately 30°C above the maximum temperature that would exist in the system either with the system in operation or shut down. (3) A fire damper shall be installed in the plane of the fire separation so as to stay in place should the duct be dislodged during a fire. (4) A fire damper shall be installed in the vertical or horizontal position in which it was tested. (5) A tightly fitted access door shall be installed for each fire damper to provide access for the inspection of the damper and the resetting of the release device. 3.1.8.9A. Installation of Smoke Dampers (1) Where smoke dampers are used as a closure in an air-transfer opening, they shall be installed in the plane of the fire separation. (2) Where combination smoke and fire dampers are used as a closure in a duct, they shall be installed within 610 mm of the plane of the fire separation, provided there is no inlet or outlet opening between the fire separation and the damper. (3) Except as required by a smoke control system, smoke dampers and combination smoke and fire dampers shall be configured so as to close automatically upon a signal from an adjacent smoke detector located as described in CAN/ULC-S524, “Installation of Fire Alarm Systems”, within 1.5 m horizontally of the duct or air-transfer opening in the fire separation, (a) on both sides of the air-transfer opening, or (b) in the duct downstream of the smoke damper or combination smoke and fire damper. (4) Smoke dampers or combination smoke and fire dampers shall be installed in the vertical or horizontal position in which they were tested. (5) A tightly fitted access door shall be installed for each smoke damper and combination smoke and fire damper to provide access for their inspection and the resetting of the release device.