Mostly, we understand that a fire rated door in a home or commercial building will hold fire back for a period that enables individuals to evacuate the area safely. Without the fire door in place, the fire will break through into the room far quicker. The same methodology applies to fire rated access panels which hide engineering services from vandals and provide fire protection for between one and two hours.
Where to Protect Your Engineering Services?
From hidden areas where water can be turned on or off or access to electrical supplies and HVAC controls, fire rated access panels are excellent choices. As an inexpensive building requirement, they are designed for ceilings and walls, to provide an extra layer of protection should a fire break out in that area. Where they form part of a fire protected wall or ceiling, they complete the bond so that one area is not weaker than the surrounding wall or ceiling.
Fire rated access panels can be provided in a range of materials, with steel finished in powder coated paint often one of the most popular. They can be purchased with hinges that are kept out of sight to reduce vandalism.
The locking mechanism can be relatively straightforward in areas where individuals are unlikely to gain unauthorized access. For public zones that may become a security issue, you can ask for high security sealed lock options to be incorporated within your access panel.
The fire rating can vary from 30 minutes to 2 hours, providing you with a variety of options to protect your building services.
You will be able to choose a variety of fire rated access panel frame options, depending upon the final location of your fire rated access panel. While all are safe and secure, some models are stronger where an individual may need to lean on the outside of the panel while gaining access to the equipment inside.
The panels can be painted so that they blend with the colors and design wherever they are located.
