Q & A of the Day – Must power supply to door closers be wired in fire protected cable?

Question: We are currently involved in the full design of electrical installations for a few nursing homes, where we are finding that automatic door closers and magnetic door holders are being installed at the bedroom and corridor doors respectively, and that these are to be linked to the fire alarm system.

My query is - is there a requirement for the power supply to the door holders/closers be wired in fire protected cable, such as FP200, MI etc?

Bear in mind that our link from the fire alarm system will be fire protected (FP200), although I would have thought not as these will fail safe in the event of a fault within the supply/circuit. However, I cannot see anything to support this within any of the British Standards.

Answer: Actuation of other fire protection systems or safety facilities is dealt with under Clause 9 of BS 5839-1:2002. When the fire alarm system interfaces with another safety system, such as door closers, then the two systems may be regarded as an integrated system. Although there is little practical guidance, BS 7273 and BS 7807 may give further guidance, as may the FSA Short Guide series on fire detection and alarm systems.

In reality, fire resistant cables (or enhanced fire resistance cables if required) should be used for all parts of the fire alarm system.

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