Fire curtains and barriers provide fire and smoke separation in places where a solid wall or a conventional fire door would be impractical, such as large openings, atria and escalators. Held out of sight until needed, an active fire curtain descends automatically when the alarm is raised to form a fire or smoke-resisting barrier, creating compartmentation on demand. This allows open, flexible spaces to be designed while still meeting fire safety requirements. MEP designs, supplies and installs fire curtains and barriers across the UK.
An active fire curtain is a fire-resisting fabric housed discreetly in a headbox above an opening. On a signal from the fire alarm system it lowers automatically under gravity, in a controlled way, to form a barrier that resists the passage of fire and smoke for a rated period. Some curtains descend fully to close off an opening, while others drop partway to channel smoke or create a reservoir. Because they are hidden in normal use, they preserve the appearance and flexibility of the space they protect.
Fire and smoke curtains are widely used in open-plan and architecturally ambitious buildings: shopping centres, atria, open stairs and escalators, large retail and commercial spaces, and anywhere fixed barriers would spoil the design or obstruct daily use. Static smoke barriers are also used to hold smoke back at high level. We assess the opening and the fire strategy, select curtains and barriers rated for the required performance, and install them to the relevant standards, integrated with the fire alarm so they deploy exactly when needed.
Get in touch with our team of fire suppression experts to discuss your requirements and receive a tailored solution.
A fire-resisting fabric barrier, hidden above an opening, that descends automatically when the alarm sounds to form a fire or smoke-resisting barrier on demand.
In large openings, atria, escalators, open stairs, shopping centres and open-plan spaces where a wall or conventional fire door would be impractical.
On a signal from the fire alarm system it lowers automatically in a controlled way to close off or partly close an opening.
A fire curtain resists the passage of fire and smoke, while a smoke curtain is designed specifically to hold back and channel smoke, often to create a reservoir at high level.
It allows open, flexible spaces to be designed while still providing compartmentation, staying hidden until it is needed.
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