Dorgard and Other Fire Door Holders

What is Fire Door Retainer?

Fire door retainers are accessory devices for fire doors which enable them to be held open during normal use of the premises. This improves accessibility for those with limited mobility, while improving ventilation. In the event of a fire, the devices will be triggered (either by an electronic signal from the fire alarm panel, or the sound of the alarm) to release the door, causing it to close. This ensures that the fire door is shut and will be effective in slowing the spread of smoke and flames throughout the building.

Fire doors are an important part of any building's fire safety strategy. They have two functions: to enable movement throughout a building, and to slow the spread of smoke and flames throughout the building in the event of a fire. Fire doors can only be effective if they are shut completely during a fire, which provides occupants more time to evacuate safely. This is why it is dangerous and illegal to hold fire doors open with a wedge or extinguisher.

Fire doors can be held open only with specialist devices. These retainers allow occupants to hold fire doors open in a legal and safe manner, while removing the temptation to wedge the doors open. These devices hold the doors open in the day-to-day running of the building but will release the fire doors if there is a fire, allowing the fire door closers to shut the door completely.

Acoustic sensors

Some devices, like the Dorgard, use acoustic sensors to 'hear' the fire alarm. This can be done through the detection of loud noises, or through recognising the sound of the fire alarm, depending on the technology installed. These are typically battery powered, and are usually quick and easy to install, even retrospectively.

Wiring in

Some devices are wired into the building's fire alarm system. This means that when the alarm system is activated, the retainer system will be notified, and activated. These can be battery or mains powered, depending on the technology. These must be installed by a competent electrician, and some systems require extensive wiring, making them better suited for new builds than as retrospective additions.

Fail Safe These devices also have a failsafe function, which will be activated during a power cut, or if the battery of the device dies. When power is lost, the retainer releases and causes the door close completely with the aid of a door closer. This ensures that in the event of a fire, compartmentalisation is maintained throughout the building.

What is a Dorgard?

The standard Dorgard is a wireless fire door retainer, requiring neither mains power nor a fire alarm connection. It must be installed where the alarm sound level is above 65dB in order to trigger release. The battery-powered device ‘listens’ and triggers when a sound about 65Db is detected for 14 seconds or more, causing the door it is installed on to close. These devices are quick and easy to install, require very little maintenance, and are fully certified to BS EN 1155 (the standard which defines manufacturing and testing requirements for "Electrically Powered Hold Open Devices for Swing Doors" including fire doors).

Dorgard units allow a fire door to be held open at any angle by simply pressing the plunger down with your foot. If the fire alarm is detected, either in a drill or a real fire, the device will release automatically, retracting the plunger, causing the door closer to completely shut the door. The standard model listens for a sound level of over 65 dB, while the Pro model is wired directly into the building’s alarm system.

Safelincs offer an exclusive FREE 5 year extended warranty on all three Dorgard models, excluding consumables such as batteries or feet, and any order containing a Dorgard qualifies for FREE shipping.

Hold Open & Free Swing

Some door closers have retainer features, allowing them to hold open a fire door. These devices, such as Freedor, remove the need to install standard fire door retainers. When activated, these closers have the ability to hold a door open at certain angles (Hold Open models) or to temporarily disengage their mechanical components so that fire doors feel as light as normal doors (Free Swing models). Both models require power to work, either wired into a power supply or fitted with batteries, and will "fail safe" during a power failure – meaning that electricity is used to disengage the closing force and by default they will keep the door closed when no power is supplied.

If the building’s fire alarm is triggered, the mechanical force of the closer will engage, causing the door to shut. Therefore, these types of closer require either a wired connection to the fire panel, or to be in proximity of a fire alarm sounder.

Hold Open allows a fire door to be retained once it has been opened to a certain angle.

Free Swing also requires the door to be opened a certain amount before it activates, but from then on, the closing force of the device will be deactivated, allowing the door to operate and swing as a normal door.