Healthcare facilities continue to improve the processes necessary to ensure life safety and meet their compliance requirements. Over the last decade we have seen planning and design enhancements to achieve those goals. Technology is now being used to augment the inspection process, documentation, and necessary record keeping. Today, facility managers have come to recognize the importance of regular inspection and maintenance programs.
Manufacturers also continue to make improvements in door and hardware fire-protection performance. Products used to repair deficiencies in fire-rated assemblies have seen further development and testing, resulting in new items and/or expanded capabilities. Pace Compliance Services, through regular consultation and feedback, helps inform that development and refine the execution or implementation of some of those products.
One of the most common deficiencies found during fire door inspections is an excessive clearance between the door and the frame. Until recently, most of the products used to remedy those clearance issues involved a steel stop extender fastened with screws and an adhesive intumescent gasket.
As of early 2025, multiple manufacturers now sell products that can remediate many of these deficiencies with an adhesive intumescent product alone. This streamlined application reduces material cost and labor during installation. This one innovation could potentially save thousands of dollars on a typical fire door repair project in a hospital. As cost is often one of the biggest challenges associated with maintaining compliance when it comes to fire doors, this advancement is even more significant.
One product listing permits application on 20- and 45-minute fire-rated doors with excessive clearances up to 3/8”. A similar product from a different manufacturer has been tested for use on 60-minute rated doors with excessive clearances up to 1/4”. These differences, while slight, highlight the importance of installing the correct product for each door based on ratings and limitations.
Contact the experts at DH Pace Compliance Services to find the right solutions for your doors to maintain fire and life safety compliance at your facility.
