Rolling Fire Door Repair & Drop Testing in Evansville, IN
For rolling fire door repair and drop testing in Evansville, IN, call (385) 325-7138 about a fire door that closed and won't reset, one that didn't close all the way in a test, or an annual inspection that's due. This covers rolling steel fire doors and counter fire doors at warehouses, plants and other commercial buildings, in Indiana and in Henderson, Kentucky. Tell us the facility location and where the door is.
Call to describe the problem—if the door is stuck open or the dock is down, say so first.
Independent service-request website. Calls may be shared with an independent commercial dock-and-door repair company. That provider confirms availability, scope, pricing, and service terms.
Facts checked: September 23, 2026.
How often does a rolling fire door need a drop test?
At least once a year. DASMA's current guidance says a rolling steel fire door "shall be inspected and drop-tested not less than annually by a Trained Rolling Steel Fire Door Systems Technician," citing NFPA 80. That includes doors that stay closed all the time. A drop test lets the door close by itself, the way it would in a fire, to prove it works. It's done twice: once to show the door closes fully, and again to show it was reset right.
Most rolling fire doors stay open during the workday. When heat melts a small metal link (a fusible link), or the fire alarm signals the door, the door drops and closes the opening. A door that never closes gets no everyday test. That's why the drop test exists.
What the door industry's guidance says
| Topic | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| How often | "shall be inspected and drop-tested not less than annually by a Trained Rolling Steel Fire Door Systems Technician" | DASMA TDS #271, Rev. 6/25 |
| Doors that stay closed | "This requirement applies to all fire doors – even those that are not used and remain in the closed position." | DASMA TDS #271 |
| The reset | "The door must be drop-tested a second time to verify that the automatic closing device was properly reset." | DASMA TDS #271 |
| Closing speed | The average closing speed "must not exceed 24 inches per second and must be at least 6 inches per second." | DASMA TDS #271 |
| A service contract | "DASMA recommends that facility managers establish a contract with a rolling door service provider for an annual, or more frequent, inspection and drop test." | DASMA TDS #271 |
| Repair parts | "All fire doors shall be repaired with parts obtained from the original manufacturer of the fire door needing repair" | DASMA TDS #257, Rev. 06/20 |
| No parts available | "When parts are not available from the original manufacturer of the fire door needing repair, it is required that the complete fire door be replaced" | DASMA TDS #257 |
| After a repair | "Two successive successful drop tests are required" | DASMA TDS #257 |
| Who tests | NFPA 80's 2025 edition, as amended, says the tester is a technician with documented training and hands-on experience inspecting, testing and maintaining rolling steel fire doors. | NFPA 80 TIA 25-1 |
DASMA is the door industry's trade group. Its guidance is not a local law, but it tells you what a qualified provider will be working from. Your fire code official decides what applies to your building.
Call about a test that's due, or a door that failed.
What's wrong with the fire door?
Say what you see from a safe spot, and keep clear of the door's path. A repair company that takes the work finds the cause on site.
| What you see | What a qualified provider may check | Why it matters | How to report it |
|---|---|---|---|
| The door dropped and won't reset | Release device, closing mechanism, speed control | Fire protection is out of service | That the fire door dropped and won't reset |
| It didn't close fully in a test | Closing mechanism, curtain, guides, bottom bar | It may not stop a fire | How far from the floor it stopped |
| It closes too fast or too slow | The speed control | DASMA's TDS #271 gives a 6 to 24 inch-per-second average | Too fast or too slow |
| The fusible link is missing, painted over, or the door is tied up | Release device and its parts | It may not close in a fire | What looks wrong with the release device |
| The guides or curtain were hit | Guides, curtain, bottom bar | It may bind when it's released | What was hit |
| Storage sits in the door's path | — | The door can't close | Tell your facility's fire-safety contact that the path is blocked, and mention it on the call |
| The fire alarm test didn't close the door | Alarm release, controls | The door doesn't answer the alarm | That the alarm didn't release it |
Don't reset, tie up or disable a fire door's release device. Leave that to a trained fire door technician. Tell your facility's fire-safety contact, and describe it on the call.
Example of what you might say: "Our rolling fire door in Evansville is due for its annual drop test, and last year it didn't close all the way." That's only an example. You don't need a script.
If a fire door dropped and won't reset, say so first.
Indiana and Kentucky fire-door rules
Evansville and Henderson sit in different states with different fire codes. Indiana uses a fire code based on the 2012 International Fire Code, and adds a sign rule for fire doors. Kentucky's fire code adopts NFPA 1 and NFPA 101, 2018 editions.
| Question | Indiana (Evansville, Newburgh, Mount Vernon) | Kentucky (Henderson) |
|---|---|---|
| Fire code in effect | 2014 Indiana Fire Code, based on the 2012 IFC. An update based on the 2024 IFC is drafted, not in effect. | Kentucky's Standards of Safety (815 KAR 10:060): NFPA 1 and NFPA 101, 2018 editions |
| How NFPA 80 comes in | Indiana's amendments don't name an NFPA 80 edition. Ask your fire code official. | Through the standards that NFPA 1 references |
| Sign rule | A permanent sign on or near each required fire door, in letters at least one inch high: "FIRE DOOR - DO NOT BLOCK" on normally open doors, "FIRE DOOR - KEEP CLOSED" on normally closed doors (675 IAC 22-2.5-8) | Not in the Kentucky rule we reviewed |
| Who enforces | Your local fire code official | The State Fire Marshal, unless a local government runs its own fire inspection program by ordinance |
| Records | Keep your inspection and test records. Your fire code official or insurer may ask for them. | Same |
Indiana's fire code also says fire doors and other "opening protectives shall be maintained in accordance with the rules of the commission."
DASMA's TDS #299 quotes the 2024 International Fire Code's annual-testing rule. As of September 23, 2026, neither Indiana nor Kentucky has put the 2024 IFC into effect. Indiana has drafted it.
Kentucky facilities: see Henderson, KY.
Who should inspect and test the door?
Someone trained on rolling fire doors. NFPA 80's 2025 edition, as amended, defines a trained rolling steel fire door systems technician by documented training and experience. DASMA says the drop tests, reset, repairs and maintenance "should be performed by a Trained Rolling Steel Fire Door Systems Technician." Ask the repair company about the technician's fire-door training.
Repair or replace a rolling fire door?
DASMA's repair guidance says fire doors are repaired with the original manufacturer's parts. If those parts can't be had, the whole door is replaced. After a repair, the door needs two successful drop tests in a row. A plain rolling door isn't a fire door just because it rolls up. A fire door is a labeled, listed assembly, and it keeps its rating only with the right parts.
Replacing a fire door is a bigger project, with a new listed door, its labels and testing. Call about it the same way. The installation & replacement page covers the permit and design-release questions that come with any new door.
What's not covered here
This page is for rolling fire doors and counter fire doors on commercial buildings. It doesn't cover:
- swinging (hinged) fire doors and their closers and hardware (call a commercial door-hardware company);
- fire alarm and sprinkler systems (call a fire protection contractor);
- garage doors at homes;
- parts-only orders.
Ordinary rolling doors are covered on the roll-up door page.
If it's a rolling fire door, call and describe it.
What happens when you call
You describe the facility, where the door is, and whether a test is due or it failed. Your call may be shared with an independent commercial dock-and-door repair company. That company confirms whether it can take the work, then agrees scope, timing, price and its own terms with you.
- You call and describe the facility location and the observable problem.
- Your call may be shared with an independent commercial dock-and-door repair company.
- That provider confirms whether it can take the work and agrees scope, availability, pricing, scheduling, and its own service terms directly with your facility.
We are a service-request website, not the repair contractor. Read how Uptime works and about Uptime.
If you reach voicemail, leave the facility address, the door or dock number if known, what's wrong, and a callback number.
Call to describe the fire door.
What to have ready—and what you don't need
The facility location and where the door is are enough. These help if you already know them:
- how many fire doors you have;
- when each was last tested, and your records;
- whether the door is released by a fusible link or by the fire alarm;
- the maker's name on the label, only if you can read it from a safe spot;
- work windows, since a test closes the opening.
You don't need the label number, the rating or a diagnosis to call.
What affects the cost?
We can't quote a fire door test or repair from a web page. The price depends on how many doors, their size, the release type, the parts, and access. Here's what to ask before you authorize work.
| Cost driver | Why it changes the price | Ask |
|---|---|---|
| Number of doors | Each door is tested on its own | "Is it priced per door?" |
| Door size | Bigger doors take more time | "Does size change the price?" |
| Release type | Fusible-link and alarm releases are different | "Will the fire alarm company need to be there too?" |
| Original-maker parts | DASMA's guidance calls for them | "Are the parts available? What's the lead time?" |
| Re-testing after repair | Two successful drop tests after a repair | "Is the re-test included?" |
| Records | A written record of the test | "Do we get a written test record?" |
| Access and after-hours work | Lift equipment and work windows | "Is there a different rate at this time?" |
The repair company sets the price. Start with a call, then ask these questions before you say yes.
Where facilities can call from
Facilities in Vanderburgh, Warrick and Posey counties, Indiana, and in Henderson County, Kentucky can call about rolling fire doors. Henderson facilities follow Kentucky's fire code. The repair company that takes the work confirms the facility address and availability. See the full Evansville service area or go back to Evansville dock & door home.
Questions before you call
Does a fire door that's always closed still need an annual drop test?
DASMA's guidance says yes. Its annual inspection and drop-test rule "applies to all fire doors – even those that are not used and remain in the closed position."
Can any door company repair a rolling fire door?
DASMA's guidance calls for the original maker's parts, testing after repair, and a trained rolling steel fire door systems technician. Ask the repair company about its fire-door training.
What happens if the door fails its drop test?
Tell your fire-safety contact, and call. The repair company finds why it failed. After a repair, DASMA calls for two successful drop tests in a row.
What is Indiana's fire door sign rule?
Indiana's fire code calls for a permanent sign on or near each required fire door, in letters at least one inch high. Doors normally open get "FIRE DOOR - DO NOT BLOCK." Doors normally closed get "FIRE DOOR - KEEP CLOSED."
Call about your Evansville fire door
Tell us where the door is, and whether a test is due or it failed.
Call to describe the problem—if the door is stuck open or the dock is down, say so first.
Independent service-request website. Calls may be shared with an independent commercial dock-and-door repair company. That provider confirms availability, scope, pricing, and service terms.
Sources
All checked September 23, 2026.
- DASMA TDS #271, Rolling Steel Fire Doors: Periodic Inspection and Drop-Testing (Rev. 6/25)
- DASMA TDS #257, Procedure for Repair of UL Classified Rolling Steel Type Fire Doors (Rev. 06/20)
- DASMA TDS #299, inspection and technician training (4/13/23)
- NFPA 80 Tentative Interim Amendment 25-1 (2025 edition; effective December 24, 2024)
- Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission rules
- 675 IAC 22-2.5-8, Indiana fire code amendments
- 815 KAR 10:060, Kentucky Standards of Safety
- Kentucky State Fire Marshal
- National guide: commercial roll-up & rolling-steel door repair
- More detail: fire door drop test requirements