Fire curtains and smoke curtains are, as their names suggest, curtains that prevent the damage and threat from heat and smoke in the event of a fire. Coming in all shapes, sizes and materials fire curtains are found in commercial, public and domestic properties. This article will explore the benefits that installing fire curtains in schools can bring.
Fire and smoke curtains are wired into a building’s automatic fire alarm system – or have their own fire or smoke detectors attached. When either of these is triggered, the curtain is automatically deployed to offer protective compartmentation in the event of a fire.
Traditionally, smoke and fire curtains are made from E-glass and fibreglass fabrics. This type of basic glass fibre cloth can withstand temperatures of up to 600°C. However, recent research into fire resistant materials has led to glass fibre fabrics being woven with a metal thread. This adds strength, resistance to flex fatigue and increases the temperature resistance to 1000°C. The flexibility in strength and material properties that this brings allows fire curtains and smoke curtains to be adapted to all situations.
As mentioned above, the very way in which fire curtains are manufactured lends them a high level of flexibility; the amount of metal thread that they are woven with, the coating that this is given and their primary material is variable. This variability means that fire and smoke curtains can be customised and build from scratch to suit any project, building and/or application.
For instance, below is a non-exhaustive list of the most common areas that fire curtains in schools are used to protect in the event of a fire:
• Atrium, Lobbies & Receptions
• Openings in Walls
• Egress & Corridor Separation
• Boundary Protection
• Compartmentation
• Stairs & Escalators
• Lifts & Lift Lobbies
• Protected Means of Escape
In many schools, open-plan environments are necessary for their functioning. For example, sports halls, theatres, large classrooms and dining rooms are all essential features for a school.
However, the development of such spaces usually requires the elimination of non-load-bearing walls which offer much protection and control if a fire were to break out. Consequently, designers and architects have difficulty reconciling open space plans with fire safety regulations. By installing a fire curtain you can comply with the fire safety regulations and avoid any compromise on your beloved designs and rest easy knowing that you, your staff and all your pupils are kept safe at all times.
The most significant benefits that fire curtains bring schools are listed below:
Fire curtains provide the ultimate solution to making open-space safe: Their ability to divide or compartment a room, corridor or space so as to provide reliable boundary protection – especially as a means of protected escape – has allowed designers to replace non-loadbearing fire walls and doors, and other more traditional and bulkier fire protection methods to achieve modern and safe open plan environments.
Fire curtains in schools to eliminate the need for a member of staff to go charging into a potentially hazardous building in order to ensure fire safety measures are in place. Because fire curtains function via automatic deployment that is triggered via the building or the curtains alarm system, once an alarm sounds a school’s curtains will automatically deploy into their protective positions to ensure that all spaces are compartmented, all escape routes protected and the spread and damage of a fire are limited.
Fire curtains in schools eliminate the need for a member of staff to go charging into a potentially hazardous building in order to ensure fire safety measures are in place. Because fire curtains function via automatic deployment that is triggered via the building or the curtains alarm system, once an alarm sounds a school’s curtains will automatically deploy into their protective positions to ensure that all spaces are compartmented, all escape routes protected and the spread and damage of a fire are limited.
This can prove to be an invaluable benefit especially in schools where there is a lot of people spread throughout a building.
Included in all Coopers Fire fire curtain aftercare packages is the option of regular fire curtain servicing and maintenance. This is not only a legal requirement, but it ensures that your school’s fire curtains are a solution that is not only great value for money but one that is durable and reliable.
At Coopers Fire, being the UK’s only fire curtain manufacturer that is approved by an Independent Third Party Accreditation to undertake fire curtain servicing, recommend bi-annual servicing, especially for larger installations and those in schools.
Combined, these three benefits guarantee that if you install fire curtains in your school, they will not only perform in the event of a fire but that their reliability will last.
At Coopers Fire, we are proud to see out fire curtains as life-cycle products and as such we consider the bigger picture. Coopers Fire fire curtain servicing saves lives and money.
As a result, all our fire curtains and smoke curtains are tested to UL or BS EN standards, and we are more than happy to provide all CAD drawings to help designers in a project’s design phase.
If you want to discuss your options further, please visit our fire curtains page or contact us directly.
