Fire Curtains: The Forefront Of Safety

By Author: Jeremy Peters
Total Articles: 1
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As health and safety becomes more of an issue and an important one at that, having fire curtains installed within business areas is an extremely important investment. European standards that will eventually be introduced will require that fire curtains be installed into public buildings which include offices.

Fire curtains in their simplest form are simply barriers that are designed to minimise the spread of fire. In the case of an outbreak of fire these barriers can be brought down to secure an area allowing more time for people to make a safe and quick escape from a premises. Fire curtains can be programmed to move into position normally descending downward to protect a passageway which aids people in their safe escape.

Fire curtains work by having side guide channels either side of the curtain which acts to retain the fire resistant curtain material which is subjected to the pressure caused by fire. A good fire curtain should have an insulation value of 30 minutes.

The technology of fire curtains is cutting edge and they have many benefits one ...
... of which is helping with the architecture of a premise. Instead of having bulky fire doors and fire shutters, fire curtains allow for a lot more flexibility both for refurbishing buildings or constructing new ones. People continually want to make the most out of the space they have and fire curtains can be discreetly placed in buildings meaning that they do not get in the way and yet will be there when you need them to be. This is extremely important for businesses such as supermarkets and open plan offices here you do not want to jeopardise the look of the surrounding area and yet need to be equipped to deal with evacuation of a building in case of fire.

The benefits to your safety make fire curtains a very good investment. Safety should be at the utmost priority for all businesses and so it is important that you choose a quality fire curtain from a reputable company. Fire curtains should be fully tested in accordance with British and European Standards (BS) and if in any doubt whatsoever about this you should ask to see documentation to clarify this.

The technology involved in the fire curtain you purchase should be fail-safe and this means that they should be supplied with battery backup and emergency power operation in the event of a mains failure.

You should also check to see if the control systems for smoke curtains are designed to be robust and as simple as possible to provide minimum maintenance requirements while providing for features such as retract buttons, obstruction sensors and audio visual warnings.

Safety is extremely important and over time you may not have much of a choice when it comes to installing fire curtains. The really do however make a massive difference to your workplace not just for safety but also for the whole look of your work area. Knowing a little bit more about fire curtains should help you in your search for the product as you venture on your quest to make your business a lot safer.

Jeremy Peters has worked in fire safety and has many years experience installing fire curtains. More information can be found at http://www.blegroup.co.uk