Fire Curtains Included in Updated BS 9999:2017 Fire Safety Standard
Latest Edition of BS 9999:2017 Recognizes the Utilization of Fire Curtains in Modern Buildings, Offering Guidance on Specification, Installation, and Maintenance
Increased role of fire curtains in fire safety engineered solutions for complex building designs
Fire curtains are gaining popularity in fire safety solutions for complex building designs. The latest edition of BS 9999: 2017, which provides recommendations and guidelines on designing, managing, and using buildings to achieve reasonable fire safety standards, acknowledges this growing trend.
Flexible protection solution for large open plan areas
Unlike traditional compartmentation, fire curtains offer designers more flexibility for creating larger open plan areas as part of a fire-engineered solution. However, since they often replace other fire safety measures, they play a critical life safety role and must be maintained to high standards to ensure they perform as expected in a fire.
Key aspects of BS 9999:2017 regarding fire curtains
The new standard outlines various recommendations for using active fire curtains in protecting means of escape and as part of a smoke control strategy within complex buildings, such as shopping malls. It also advises specifying, testing, and installing fire curtains in accordance with BS 8524-1 and BS 8524-2 — Code of practice for application, installation, and maintenance.
The importance of maintaining fire curtains throughout their lifecycle is highlighted, since a failure to deploy could compromise the fire-engineered design solution.
BS 9999:2017 recommendations for active fire curtain assemblies
The standard provides a range of recommendations for designing active fire curtain assemblies in buildings, including ensuring they should be initiated by an appropriate automatic fire detector and must be self-closing under gravity.
Various safety recommendations for active fire curtains are laid out, such as a capability for multi-stage deployment, inclusion of emergency retract controls and obstruction warning devices, and deployment speeds that range between 0.06m/s and 0.15m/s.
The fire curtain assemblies should achieve the same level of fire resistance and smoke separation as the surrounding structure, and when used to protect a means of escape route, the escape route's width should be increased by the deflection of the fire curtain fabric element.
Fire Curtain Specification in accordance with BS 8524-1
Fire curtain assemblies should meet the requirements of BS 8524-1, which offers recommendations for the design, testing, and classification of active fire curtain barrier assemblies. This covers every aspect of the finished assembly, including the fabric curtain materials, motor drive systems, frame, electrical power and control systems, and ancillary devices.
Proper Installation and Maintenance of Fire Curtains as per BS 8524-2
BS 8524-2 provides guidance on the installation and maintenance of active fire curtain barrier assemblies. It emphasizes the importance of planned inspection, testing, and maintenance, to be carried out by competent personnel who can verify the barriers are functioning as intended.
It's recommended that documentation is provided with all fire safety measures installed, and fire curtains should be installed and maintained in accordance with BS 8525-2. This places strict requirements on specifying barrier assemblies, system design and installation, and offers guidance on assembly selection, operational performance, and methods of deployment.
Ensuring Competency and Quality in Fire Curtain Service Providers
BS 8524-2 mandates planned inspection, testing, and maintenance being carried out by a competent person and highlights the importance of assessing the capabilities of the likely occupants of a building when determining whether such systems would be appropriate. Manufacturers, such as [Company Name], offer specialized after-care packages tailored to specific requirements and ensure compliance with regulatory bodies like Exova Warrington fire and International Fire Consultants (IFC).
Regular checks and maintenance to ensure optimal performance
BS 8524-2 recommends regular checks by Responsible Persons, including checking for obstructions, testing deployment mechanisms, monitoring sensory detection equipment, and maintaining system records. Annual inspections and regular servicing are also advised, with more frequent checks for larger installations like shopping malls.
By following these recommendations, buildings equipped with fire curtains ensure optimal performance and protection for occupants and assets, making fire curtains a valuable addition to modern fire safety systems.
In the context of modern buildings and complex designs, data-and-cloud-computing technology can aid in the implementation and management of fire safety systems that include fire curtains, given these systems often follow guidelines such as BS 9999:2017.
The role of technology becomes paramount in the specification, installation, and maintenance of fire curtain assemblies, as standards like BS 8524-1 and BS 8524-2 provide detailed specifications for fabric materials, motor drive systems, and ancillary devices, ensuring the optimal performance of fire curtains throughout their lifecycle.
