Fire curtains are safety measures that activate in case of a fire to create a fire resistant barrier to guard and separate a section of a building from fire damage and prevent the spreading fire from one area to another. Smoke curtains do a similar job by preventing the passage of smoke by creating a physical barrier between the smoke-filled area and the rest of the space. They are usually installed in commercial properties, such as shopping malls, airports and hangars, and are generally installed in such a way that they pushes smoke to a ventilation system.
Made out of a highly robust piece of fire-resistant material, fire curtains remain discretely suspended from a ceiling, lobby or doorway, until they are activated and lowered when the smoke or fire alarm within a building is triggered. At that point, the curtain becomes a barrier between the fire and the escape routes that building occupants are expected to use during an evacuation. In that respect, it is crucial for the compartmentation or prevention of flames spreading, either laterally or vertically, and putting people’s lives at an increased risk.
One of the main benefits of fire curtains as part of a building’s safety regime is that they can be, and generally are, located in several areas throughout a building. A fire curtain can be used to replace a non-load bearing wall and fire rated glazing, for example, which in turn allows open plan building designs to meet the relevant regulations. Similarly, elevators and lobbies can be protected by vertical curtains, which prevent the spread of smoke and flames through the shaft.
Smoke curtains help address the other major concern during a fire - smoke inhalation. The ideal solution for smoke control, smoke curtains can be easily installed into existing buildings, and work with other detection and response systems already in place. Unlike other smoke control equipment such as outdoor exhaust vents, smoke curtains provide a physical barrier against smoke. When activated, they deploy vertically from their housing located in the ceiling and seal off doorways and elevators, and can even form an independent perimeter around staircases and atriums where no walls are present.
There are four main types of smoke curtains, making them the right choice for building owners who want the control smoke in the most effective way possible. Each style of curtain is compatible with other fire safety systems and can be installed to automatically deploy when a fire or smoke sensor is tripped.
Elevator Smoke Curtains: Elevator smoke curtains perform the vital function of blocking smoke from entering and exiting through elevator doors. Elevator shafts cause air to be pulled upwards through to the roof of the building. In the event of a fire, this can cause smoke to spread quickly to other floors of the building.
Vertical Smoke Curtains: Vertical smoke curtains are typically used to close off openings from standard doorways to larger atriums. They are located within the ceiling above the opening and are deployed downwards to prevent smoke from spreading through the building. These curtains help to divide the building into smaller spaces and contain smoke to individual rooms. This allows occupants to evacuate more easily and firefighters to more quickly enter the building.
Draft Curtains: Draft curtains are a type of static curtain that is most often placed in warehouses or manufacturing environments. Typical buildings, such as office and retail buildings, probably won't find draft curtains necessary, but those with expansive, open facilities with high ceilings should consider them. This type of curtain doesn't form a total barricade against smoke but instead breaks up the airflow along the ceiling. They should be strategically placed near exhaust vents to slow down the travel of the smoke and push it outwards through the vents.
Perimeter Curtains: If your building has large open staircases or escalators, perimeter curtains are an ideal solution for containing smoke. They function similar to vertical curtains, but instead of blocking off one entryway, they form a totally independent perimeter, requiring no walls or corner posts to be present. Although perimeter curtains are designed specifically to slow flames, they will help to slow the movement of smoke as well.