Fire Curtain Systems
A fire curtain is used to provide fire separation between two spaces. It may provide smoke control, but that is not its primary purpose, which is to prevent the spread of fire. It typically may be used to protect an open stairway or to prevent fire moving from one floor to another, through an open atrium.
Fire Curtains are required to provide two main functions:
- To maintain any compartmentation of buildings needed to limit the spread of fire and smoke;
- To allow access to protected escape routes, both vertical and horizontal, without any loss of fire resistance, and to limit smoke entry into these routes, i.e., protected corridors and protected shafts.
Types of Fire Curtains:
- Automatic Fire Curtains – Most non-static fire curtains are in fact automatic. They are linked to fire alarm systems so they automatically descend when there is a fire or when the alarm is triggered.
- Static Fire Curtains – Also called fixed fire curtains, these curtains are permanently in place and are used to provide compartmentation in open spaces such as warehouses or lofts.
- Insulated Fire Curtains – These curtains provide extra insulation and allow people to pass by much closer to the curtain without being affected by the heat of a fire on the other side.
British standards that were introduced in 2014 stipulate that all fire and smoke curtains must be fitted with a failsafe gravity system which ensures that a curtain will still descend even if there is no mains power or backup power from a battery.