The fire door sector finally has a (national) standard which dictates the guidelines for operators, whether they are installers or maintenance technicians.
Italy has, for once, anticipated the other European countries by first publishing a standard that represents the rule of the art in relation to installation operations and maintenance interventions, for the purpose of maintaining the efficiency of these fundamental fire prevention devices .

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A properly installed and regularly functioning fire door is the essential prerequisite for limiting fire damage and, in this case, capable of saving human lives threatened by the event.

Until January 17, 2013 improvisers were almost legitimized to operate at the limits of common sense due to the lack of certain rules; the only operational reference before the new standard was represented by the instructions prepared by the manufacturers of doors and gates, instructions generally destined to disappear when the door is released from its protective packaging and which in most cases are limited to a sheet A4 containing text and images relating to installation, use and maintenance .... certainly a little.

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UNI 11473-1 does not go into detail as each type of door has its own characteristics and components. However, it defines procedural aspects and the necessary checks aimed at determining the efficiency of the closure and its components and accessories.

For the installer it indicates how to approach the installation both from a procedural/organizational and from an operational/practical point of view. The standard also specifies which preliminary and final checks must be carried out and reiterates the importance of completing the declaration of correct installation which now assumes even more importance if possible.

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The professional maintainer finds definitions relating to the contractual phase in the regulatory text, with particular reference to taking charge and the related report; in the operational part, UNI 11473-1, inspired by the content of the product standards of the various components, provides important indications to be able to carry out checks, checks and reports on the basis of well-defined parameters.
According to the provisions of point 7.7.1, the operator must be a competent and qualified person.

These requisites cannot have self-referential origins, but must  be the result of serious  and specific training courses, as well as experience gained over time. Therefore, the aspect linked to training is fundamental and, in order to be such, it must be provided by specialized organizations and certified by a non-partisan third party body, which operates in compliance with the European standard relating to unregulated professions.

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