As anyone who works around fire safety will tell you, the flames of a fire are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the risk to life. The smoke produced in a blaze is just as, if not more deadly, causing a choking fog that, with enough exposure, causes severe respiratory problems that can lead to loss of life as well as making escape from the building problematic.
Whilst flames cause burns, smoke has several ways in which to cause fatalities. Firstly, as the fire burns it uses up the available oxygen in the environment. This alone makes breathing more difficult, but combined with the release of carbon monoxide into the air, it creates a deadly combination. Certain materials can create even more noxious gasses when combusting which adds another deadly aspect to smoke, coupled with the poor visibility that a smoke-filled environment creates, it’s easy to see why many victims of a domestic or commercial building fire are claimed by smoke inhalation as opposed to burns.
How can I prevent the spread of smoke in the event of a fire?
Fire and smoke go hand in hand, smoke is a by-product of the combustion process as the old saying goes, “there’s no smoke without fire”. Whilst there’s little you can do to prevent smoke in the event of a fire, you can install fire safety measures to control the spread of smoke throughout a building and as a result, create more avenues to exit the building safely.
Install a smoke curtain system to compartmentalise smoke
Smoke curtains are an effective way to control the spread of smoke in a building, acting as a physical barrier to contain smoke in one place. This has several benefits, it allows the occupants in unaffected rooms of the building to leave quickly and safely, whilst the compartmentalisation method also allows firefighting personnel quicker and more efficient access to the affected areas to begin the task of extinguishing the blaze.
As a secondary benefit, the containment of smoke reduces the amount of smoke damage throughout the building, enabling repairs to be carried out in a more efficient manner once the fire has been put out and the building is declared safe.
How do smoke curtains work?
Smoke curtains can be deployed vertically or horizontally in the event of a fire and many models like the SmokeSafe D120 can be set to deploy automatically in the event of sensors detecting smoke.
Smoke curtains are particularly useful for sealing areas such as stairwells, escalators and elevator shafts to prevent smoke (which has a natural propensity to rise) from travelling up these and spreading to other floors, unaffected by the initial blaze.
Talk to a specialist and install smoke curtains as part of your commercial fire safety system
Smoke and Fire Curtains Ltd have been involved in the design, manufacture and installation of approved and certified fire curtain and smoke barrier systems for over 18 years. With a global client base of highly reputable companies, we can create a truly bespoke system based on your company’s requirements.
Contact us today for a quote and take a further step in protecting your staff and business against fire.