Automatic doors with a break-out system: how the passage is cleared in an emergency
Automatic sliding doors are chosen for comfort, accessibility, and their ability to handle high volumes of people. When the entrance is part of an evacuation route, the same door must also be assessed for situations where the power supply is interrupted, a fault occurs, or a large number of people must leave the building quickly.
P118/1-2025 updates the terminology and explicitly defines the “automatic sliding evacuation door with a break-out system”. This reference clarifies that a configuration different from a conventional swing door exists, without turning every sliding door into a solution suitable for every route.
How the break-out system works
In normal use, the door operates as an automatic sliding door. In the evacuation scenario, the leaves can be pushed in the direction of exit and mechanically folded out. Depending on the configuration, the side panels can also pivot, so that a significant portion—or even the full available width—of the opening is cleared.
The system therefore combines two operating modes:
- automatic sliding operation in day-to-day use;
- mechanical opening by pushing and folding out in an evacuation situation.
The solutions supplied by KADRA are intended for high-traffic entrances and can allow the leaves—and, depending on the product, the side panels—to pivot. The exact configuration, dimensions, resulting clear width, and compliance documents must be verified for each project.
What P118/1-2025 clarifies
The code uses the term “automatic sliding evacuation door with a break-out system” and also mentions the redundant automatic sliding door. In KADRA’s day-to-day communication, the solution is referred to as an automatic door with a break-out system; its role on the evacuation route is established through the design.
Including this category in the code provides designers with clearer technical vocabulary, but acceptance of a specific solution results from the design, the fire safety scenario, and the complete product documentation.
The break-out function must be aligned with evacuation design
Door selection starts from the building, the established routes, and the people who will use the space. Depending on the project, the following must be assessed:
- the number and distribution of evacuation routes;
- the required clear width and the number of flows;
- the direction of evacuation and the mechanical actuation method;
- the door’s behavior in the event of power loss or a fault;
- the force required to activate the break-out function;
- integration with detection, alarm, and access control;
- requirements specific to buildings with large numbers of occupants or vulnerable persons.
Where this solution can be useful
Doors with a break-out system are relevant where the main access point must combine high traffic, accessibility, and the ability to clear the passage quickly: shopping centers, airports and terminals, hospitals, hotels, office buildings, showrooms, public institutions, and other spaces with high pedestrian flow.
In the modernization of the passenger terminal at the Port of Constanța, for example, the break-out sliding doors supplied by KADRA combined everyday transit with the option of mechanical operation in an emergency.
What must be checked during commissioning and handover
The break-out function must be checked in the actual configuration in which the door will be used. Testing covers:
- activation of the break-out function and the push force;
- free folding out of the leaves and any panels included in the configuration;
- the effective width achieved after opening;
- absence of obstacles in the pivoting area;
- correct return and reset to the normal position;
- operation of the sensors and automation;
- behavior upon power interruption;
- staff training and the availability of operating instructions.
Maintenance keeps the function available
A door may operate flawlessly in the usual automatic cycle, while the folding-out mechanism has not been activated for months or even years. In operation, friction, deformation, mechanism jamming, misadjusted sensors, objects placed in the opening area, unauthorized interventions, or loss of operating information may occur.
EN 16005 and KADRA’s technical guide for applying the standard emphasize commissioning, user training, periodic verification of safety functions, and recording maintenance work. For a door installed on an evacuation route, the inspection must explicitly include testing the break-out function, not only checking the automatic opening and closing cycle.
From product to a solution that works
The break-out system adds a mechanical opening mode to the automatic door for evacuation situations. For the solution to fulfill its role, the product, sizing, installation, testing, and operation must collectively meet the project requirements.
Are you designing an automatic entrance located on an evacuation route?
The KADRA team can assess the appropriate configuration and how it integrates into the design.