Firehouse Labs completed a field test of the FF30 and FF300 four-fold apparatus bay doors from Door Engineering, a Senneca Brand. The evaluation consisted of a product review and interviews with station crews at South Metro Fire Rescue Stations 15 and 20 in the Denver area, long-term clients of the company.
Both products are customizable in configurations, windows and options; however, the FF30 doors are made specifically to help to reduce cost by using standardized door sizes.
Both doors provide aesthetic appeal, reliability, quick opening and ease of use and are built to endure the test of time. They are low maintenance, generally requiring lubrication and checks of the safety systems, which is appealing when you consider the total cost over the lifetime of the door. Door Engineering works with local dealers and will train new dealers if a department doesn’t have one nearby.
Although parts for the doors have a quick turnaround, they rarely are needed, because they are constructed with extreme durability. Firefighters at one station showed us a piece of an apparatus that came off when the rig accidentally struck the door; however, the door sustained minimal damage, only needing to have a seal and sensor replaced.
Safety
When considering safety, these four-fold doors have multiple safety systems available or can be installed as manual doors. Safety sensors include light curtains, pressure sensors and detectors that can identify the presence of an object in the close path. In the latest version, the doors are designed to be even safer, with large gaps between the doors to prevent pinching injuries; they also include options for adding indicator lights that inform drivers when the doors are fully open. They work with proximity sensors or timers, should a department want to automate the closing of the doors after an apparatus has left for an emergency.
Customizable
The company has several examples of custom-design options that include adjustments to the door sizes, colors and window placements. They offer ballistic protection options plus doors that are built to withstand tornado/hurricane-force winds. Even the mounting options can be adjusted to fit a department’s needs, which is particularly helpful when considering retrofits for existing stations.
One of the most impressive designs was one that was installed at a historically protected station where they matched the old door’s details and color. The architects that worked with a Door Engineering dealer stated that the door options allowed them
to have flexibility to design a station that would aesthetically fit into the area in which it was being built.
When considering how many times a fire station apparatus door is used, even in less-than-ideal conditions, a helpful offering is the manual release, should there be a power outage, to allow effortless opening and closing of the doors by hand.
The time-tested opening mechanisms are designed to quickly open and close the doors, with speed adjustments available in the programmable control panel.
The doors are ready for use with any pre-action controls that tie into station-alerting systems. Ultimately, they are designed to be quick, convenient, with limited maintenance, and with firefighters’ use in mind.
Firefighters at one station love the doors. When asked why the department ultimately decided to go with the FF30 and FF300 doors, they said that it came down to the overall lifetime cost and crew preference. A department representative added, “No matter the time of day or night, these doors operate and cause zero negative impact to our operations.”
For these reasons and by showing the long-term value of these iconic-looking and extremely reliable four-fold doors, the FF30 and FF300 doors have earned the Firehouse Labs seal of approval.
