What is the main function of fire doors in a building?

Fire doors play a crucial role in a building's fire protection strategy by preventing the spread of fire from one area to another. They are designed to resist fire for a specified amount of time, which allows occupants additional time to evacuate and helps protect valuable property. This function is vital in safeguarding life and minimizing damage during a fire event.

While fire doors can also have a certain level of aesthetic appeal and may help control airflow, these aspects are secondary to their primary purpose of fire containment. Additionally, the security function commonly associated with doors focuses on theft prevention but does not pertain to the core life safety and fire protection responsibilities that fire doors fulfill. Thus, the essential characteristic of fire doors remains their ability to act as a barrier against fire and smoke, supporting safety and regulatory compliance within the building design.