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Fire Prevention Division

Resources for Schools
Five Minutes to Fire Safety - School Edition
Check out our new publication, 'Five Minutes to Fire Safety'! These are emailed out on a weekly basis during the school year and are short, one-page PDF documents that offer fire prevention tips specifically to schools and facilities containing education occupancies. To have your email address added to the list, contact Kenya Patzer at patzerk@ksfm.state.ks.us. Copies of 'Five Minutes to Fire Safety will be archived here:

2008-2009 School Fire Drill and Tornado Drills Records

The new Fire Drill and Tornado Drill records have been posted! During the next week, they will be mailed to each school district office, but not to each individual school. If you have not received the new records check with your office or download the forms here.

Colleges
With a new group of college freshman moving into on-campus housing across the state, parents and students alike will want to check out this new guide to staying safe in dormitories. Find easy ways to stay safe and learn about the most common causes of fires and fatalities in dorms.
Featured Frequently Asked Question - Classroom Doors

One of the most frequently asked questions from teachers and school administrators alike is why classroom doors can’t be propped open. The answer to this (and almost every inspection-related question) is, “it depends!”

The question of classroom doors is one of separation. A quick glance at any life safety, building, or fire code will reveal some discussion or requirement for fire-rated separation in some specific location. The intent of the rated separation is to limit or control fire
spread in such a way that it aids life safety, whether by protecting exits or allowing for some sort of sheltering.

When a fire-rated wall is designed by an architect, any hole in that wall – whether it’s for electrical wires, plumbing, or a door or window – takes away from the integrity of that protection. This is why fire-rated caulk is required for filling any small holes in rated walls, and also why doors and windows in these walls must bear a specific fire-rating. If
a door or window bears a fire-rating, you will be able to find the label somewhere on the assembly. Doors will typically have a metal plate screwed on to the top of the door or on the hinge side. Older doors may exhibit a small colored plug in one of these locations, instead of the metal plate.

In order for a fire-rated door to function, it must be closed. This is why fire-rated doors can only be held open by magnetic hold-open devices that are tied into the fire alarm system. If the fire alarm goes off the doors will automatically close and latch, allowing them to function properly. They can not be held open by wedges or kick-downs. If the
doors are propped open with wedges or kick-down devices, they can not function properly in the event of a fire.

So, in a nutshell, fire-rated doors are there for a reason: they help protect the occupants and the building from fire spread. And if a fire-rated door is between your classroom and the corridor, it can only be held open by a magnetic hold-open device and it must be able to latch at all times.

What about non-rated classroom doors?

Since that separation was not designed or required by the architect or building codes, these doors can be propped open – but only when the room is occupied. Unoccupied rooms must still have closed doors.

Is this confusing? It can be, especially in older schools with recent additions. It’s not uncommon to find a school where part of the building has no fire-rated corridors and the classroom doors can be propped open, and just around the corner is a newer addition with a rated corridor – where the doors can not be propped open. In schools like this, administrators may choose to require all doors be kept closed in the interest of equity.
As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact our office.