Fire Curtain
What is the purpose of fire curtain?
The implementation of fire-resistant barriers, such as fire doors and fire curtain, into a building’s design divides a space into compartments. In large commercial premises, there are multiple challenges when it comes to building compartmentalization and passive fire protection. With the rise in popularity of open plan layouts, it has become impossible to utilize fire doors, due to the lack of walls. Where fire doors cannot be implemented, fire curtain can be installed easily.
Stored discretely in a steel head-box located above a ceiling, lobby or doorway, a fire curtain is a highly robust piece of fire-resistant material. In the event of a fire, the curtain is released by a trigger from a fire alarm or local detector, which allows it to fall vertically via gravity obscuring the space, doorway or lift shaft above which it is located. Once deployed, the role of a fire curtain is crucial for the prevention of flames spreading either laterally or vertically, acting as a physical barrier between the fire and the escape routes to be used by occupants in the evacuation of the building.
Where can fire curtain be installed?
Additionally, lifts and lobbies, which tend to be the most critical escape routes for a building’s occupants, can utilize fire curtains to help control smoke and fire spreading through the lift shaft.
Purpose
Building regulations require escape routes to be protected and any opening, such as a doorway or lift opening, that does not utilize fire-resistant barriers poses the risk of fire spreading into designated escape routes. Therefore, fire and smoke curtains are used to protect building occupants when evacuating a building.
With the assistance of certification and testing, a fire barrier is meant to face up the warmth and effects of a fire for a selected period of your time. This length of your time is specified to enable an efficient evacuation with enough time to form the required checks of the building, so as to attenuate the danger to human life.
Product testing & integrity
The fire resistance and integrity of components used in building construction has come under increased scrutiny. This in turn has placed a higher degree of focus on the level of integrity of every product. In relation to the fire resistance test for curtains and other fire barriers, testing certification is EN BS/DIN EN 1634-1. It investigates how a fire curtain maintains its integrity when exposed to fire. The extent of integrity illustrates a product’s fire resistance level.
BST 53 Fixed Fire Apron
Classification: DIN EN 4102-2 1100°C / EN 12101-1 Smokeproof
Curtain: glass filament woven fabric, non-flammable DIN 4102-2 / A2 / AbZ
Zinc-plated steel or round profile Ø 42 in the hem
BSV 55 Automatic Fire Curtain
BSV 55 Automatic fire curtain seals off room, with roller guide.
Standard housing 203 x 250 mm for unit size 15 x 6m max. unit size on request.
Classification according to EN 13501: E30 – E180 / C2
Zulassung: Z-6.60-2116 (mx. 5 x 4 m)
Test certificate: DIN 4102-2 1100°C EN 1634-1 1100°C impenetrable by smoke as per EN 12101-1
Curtain: Glass filament woven fabric with stainless steel, non-flammable DIN 4102-2 / A2 / AbZ
Design: Free falling, including without power by gravity, with side guide tracks with roller guide
Drive unit: 24V tubular motor, standard or fail-safe 230V tubular motor, standard or fail-safe
Installation: fixed to the ceiling, in front of a wall, in a recess
BSV 55.1 Automatic Fire Curtain
BSV 55.1 Automatic fire curtain, seals off room, with pole guide
Standard housing 203 x 250 mm for unit size 15 x 5 m max. unit size on request and by agreement
Classification according to EN 13501: E30 – E180 / C2 Z-6.60-2116 (max. 5 x 4m)
Test certificate: DIN 4102-2 1100°C EN 1634-1 1100°C impenetrable by smoke as per EN 12101-1
Curtain: Glass filament woven fabric with stainless steel, non-flammable DIN 4102-2 A2 / AbZ
Design: Free falling, including without power by gravity, with side guide tracks with pole guide in various designs
Drive unit: 24V tubular motor, standard or fail-safe 230V tubular motor, standard or fail-safe
Installation: fixed to the ceiling, in front of a wall, in a recess
BSV 55.1 Automatic Fire Curtain
BSV 55.1 Automatic fire curtain seals off room, with pole guide
Standard housing 150 x 150 mm for unit size 4 x 2.80 m
Classification according to EN 13501: E30 – E180 / C2 Z-6.60-2116 (max. 5 x 4m)
Test certificate: DIN 4102-2 1100°C EN 1634-1 1100°C impenetrable by smoke as per EN 12101-1
Curtain: glass filament woven fabric with stainless steel, non-flammable DIN 4102-2 A2 / AbZ
Design: free falling, including without power by gravity, with bevel-edged guide track with pole guide
Drive unit: 24V tubular motor, standard or fail-safe 230V tubular motor, standard or fail-safe
Installation: fixed to the ceiling, in front of a wall, in a recess
BSV 55-1 EW Automatic Fire Curtain
BSV 55.1 EW Automatic fire curtain, seals off room, with pole guide.
Standard housing 203 x 250 mm for unit size 15 x 5 m max. unit size on request and by agreement.
Classification according to EN 13501: E 120 / EW 20 – EW 60
Test certificate: EN 1634-1 1100°C impenetrable by smoke as per EN 12101-1
Curtain: glass filament woven fabric with stainless steel, laminated on one face with aluminum foil non-flammable Classification : A2-s1,d0
Design: Free falling, including without power by gravity, with side guide tracks with pole guide in various designs
Drive unit: 24V tubular motor, standard or fail-safe 230V tubular motor, standard or fail-safe
Installation: fixed to the ceiling, in front of a wall, in a recess
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the lead times on the supply and installation of your fire curtains?
Total turnaround time from the date of order placed and deposit received will be confirmed once the details are checked by our sales team but this is usually around 2-3 weeks.
Can you provide a service & maintenance on our curtain?
How do fire curtains work?
Fire curtains are composed of an aluminium fibre glass fire rated fabric, capable of resisting high temperatures, smoke and gases which is rolled onto a steel barrel and powered by a special internal tubular geared motor. With a heavy bottom bar attached to the curtain, the fire curtain will descend fully to the floor on command down steel side guides. When not required the unit can either be manually reset or automatically retract into its concealed position until activated again.
Are fire curtains easy to install and how much room do they take up?
Due to the compact nature of the product, Window Techs India Pvt Ltd products can be installed unobtrusively, almost anywhere. They are not a product designed to be seen and therefore tend to be concealed within the ceiling void, above the false ceiling. Due to their compact size, they can also be incorporated into structural steel works, beams and other architectural finishes.
How can fire curtains be affixed?
There are numerous ways that the units can be attached to the structure. Some of the most common are suspension from threaded drop rods, attachment direct to the underside of the slab, attachment to an RSJ or steel beam and attachment direct to the side of the slab. Anybody with good building and electrical experience should have no problems installing our automatic fire curtains. We provide technical help from the outset, ensuring our supply only clients are provided with the tools required to carry out a site survey. A full installation and operating & maintenance manual is provided to ensure a smooth and simple installation process; technical help is always available over the phone if there are any queries or if help is needed to get the fire curtain fully up and running.
Due to the layout of the property I would not have access to the keyswitch in order to bring the fire curtain back up manually; how can the fire curtain be brought back up?
In case of a false alarm, once the signal is lost to our control panel the fire curtains will automatically retract. Please note that if the fire curtain is set to automatically retract the key switch provided will be made redundant, so cannot be used in order to test the functioning of the fire curtain. The fire alarm will have to be set off in order to test the fire curtain.
What are fire curtains?
In its simplest form, a fire curtain is similar to a roller shutter but it is much lighter and fire rated material is hidden away in a metal top box, which automatically unrolls downwards when needed. When not required it retracts back into position hidden from view.
Can the curtain be brought back up if there is a false alarm?
Do you provide horizontal curtains?
No, unfortunately we only provide the vertical fire curtains. We may look to add it to our portfolio of products in the future but there is not too much demand for them at the moment.
How much will the fire curtain weigh?
Can you describe the product?
Our smoke and fire curtains are automated and drop down upon activation of the fire alarm panel or individual smoke or heat detector. They are fitted to the exact measurements of the area so once they have fallen they secure the opening and will withstand a fire for between one to four hours.
What is the connection to the alarm?
The connection to the alarm is a normally closed, volt-free connection system and our control panel is 24 volts. The fire alarm system will need to be able to work with our low voltage control panels. If the fire alarm panel or detector is mains powered a relay will need to be put in place to ensure the fire curtain control panel does not blow a fuse. The only thing we don’t do during the installation is to connect to an already existing fire alarm system. The electrician or fire alarm technician will connect the alarm to the panel and our installers will advise on site how to do this. If the smoke or heat detector is provided by Window Techs India Pvt Ltd then our installers will made the connection to the alarm.
Do you offer a Service & Maintenance on your products?
Yes, we offer a 12 month guarantee with our product (as long as it’s a mechanical fault). After that a maintenance program can be offered and this is quoted as the amount for us to send a technician to site. Our engineers would come out once a year to the property to make sure the fire curtain(s) runs okay. We will test the equipment off the alarm; we will change the batteries on the control panel and check the motor limits. When complete, we’ll send through a Service & Maintenance certificate via email. Once the service and maintenance annual check has been carried out the working units are guaranteed for 12 months thereafter.
Why not use standard steel fire shutters?
Fire curtains are a lot more efficient that normal steel shutters. Fire Curtains contain heat more efficiently than steel shutters and are comparably more compact, stylish and safer than heavy steel shutters which can roll down unexpectedly. Automatic Fire Curtains are also far quieter, using highly advanced electronics & controls, ensuring they are suitable for refits and building refurbishments, designed to work with building management systems.
Why Choose us?
We understand the importance of fire safety and protection and strive to create and provide the best products for every single one of our clients, whatever the industry they are in.
Choosing from our products has a number of benefits, including:
- Slim and lightweight fire curtains for minimum footprint and disruption to your building
- Unlimited width fire curtains with a drop of up to 16 meters.
- Insulated and non-insulated fabrics available.
- All driven by 24V and 240V-operated motors (will work during the event of loss of mains power)
Easy installation - Delivery will take between 2 to 5 weeks.
How fire curtain operate?
The fire curtains can all use up to two alarm inputs to initiate closing. These inputs can be from your local fire alarm panel, smoke detectors or any volt-free contact.
After the alarm input, there are a number of closing settings for you to choose from, including:
- Close as soon as any local warning systems are set off
- To wait for a given time period before closing
- It gets partially closed and then wait a given period of time before closing completely
Another alarm output available is the incorporation of other local alarm equipment, such as voice warning systems, flashing beacons, and sirens.
What is a fire curtain and what does it actually do?
The advantages of a using our fire curtain systems are:
- Our curtain system has been fully certified to BS EN/DIN EN 1634-1 and has been specially developed for fire curtains requiring an unlimited width.
- We can design and manufacture fire curtains up to 18 meters in height.
- We can design invisible fire curtain systems that are only ever seen when your fire or smoke alarm is triggered.
- Our intelligent systems can be used to create instant and secure fire escape corridors throughout a building.
- They come in 30,60,90,120,240 minute integrity specifications (Integrity is the amount of time the curtain has held back the flames of a test furnace. Our curtain systems have been fully tested and certified at different world class fire laboratories, with temperatures well in excess of 1000 centigrade)
- All our curtians have a full 12 months parts and labor warranty.
What is the difference between a fire curtain and an insulated fire curtain?
There has not been to date, a curtain developed by anyone, that has the true values of “insulation” applied to it. Meaning, a fire curtain that can be touched by a bare hand, without sever burning occurring.
Do fire-smoke curtains and fire shutters need to be inspected on a regular basis?
If a system has been damaged in some way (usually side guides are prone to being damaged through a collision) then its very important that your system is checked immediately.
Our systems are built to save lives so making sure they are working correctly and effectively, is on paramount importance. If should the unthinkable should happen and your system fails because of maintenance neglect, you could well see quite a few people knocking on your door wanting answers.
Do leave it until its to late. Get in touch today for more advice and a free quotation
Do you supply your products and services outside India?
We regularly manufacture and supply all of our products to different destinations across India and some other parts of the world and all product technical documentation can be found online.
You will be very hard pushed to find any other manufacturer or supplier who has the same level of dedication, which is why Window Techs are leading the way with this new life saving technology.
Do I need to supply project drawings?
Our in-house qualified CAD professionals will be able to cater for all your drawing requirements.