Where there is smoke there is fire. It’s an old saying that highlights fire as the primary concern and positions smoke as an afterthought. However, in the real world we know that smoke can be dangerous and damaging in its own right. It’s important to take precautionary measures that help consider smoke-related predicaments. NFPA 105-2019: Standard for Smoke Door Assemblies and Other Opening Protectives is one such precaution. This American National Standard exists to keep smoke from hurting people and their property.
NFPA 105-2019 sets parameters to defend against the movement of smoke. From school and work fire drills to fire safety lectures given by hat-wearing cartoon bears, people have knowingly participated in conversations about the importance of fire safety all their lives. It’s clear that fire is not just an issue that is considered only once. It doesn’t go away or disappear. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) realizes that fact and has continued to modify and improve NFPA 105 since the standard’s origins.
In NFPA 105-2019, amongst other important information, users can find not only guidelines regarding smoke doors, or doors that keep smoke from passing from one side of the doorway to the other, but also smoke dampers and smoke protective curtain assemblies. NFPA 105-2019 is a standard for the installation, upkeep, and examination of smoke door assemblies.
The first edition of NFPA 105 was published in 1985. It recognized that smoke was a major killer in hazardous fires. In essence, smoke can be just as dangerous as the actual fire. According to NFPA, “Prior to 1999, smoke inhalation fire deaths outnumbered burn deaths in fires by roughly 3-to-1.” Where’s there is fire, there’s smoke.
The 1985 edition of NFPA 105 was introduced to cap the amount of smoke that might pass through an opening in a door. Subsequent revisions to that original document have materialized since.
NFPA 105-2019 revises NFPA 105-2016. Most of the changes to the current edition involve the provisions in smoke dampers. Some of these changes include:
- An update that “requires smoke damper manufacturer’s installation and maintenance instructions be maintained on site for new smoke damper installations.”
- It also “continues to update the requirements for the inspection, testing, and maintenance of smoke dampers with the addition of new 7.6.3.3 on a remote inspection method.”
- “Clarification on inspection requirements for single-inaccessible dampers”
- “A new 7.6.2.3 clarifies application of inspection requirements for single inaccessible dampers.”
NFPA 105-2019: Standard for Smoke Door Assemblies and Other Opening Protectives is available on the ANSI Webstore.
