ASFP Update On UKCA/CE Marking of Operable Fabric Curtains (Fire Curtains)

The Association of Specialist Fire Protection have released an update on Technical Document 21 relating to operable fabric curtains (fire curtains) and CE/UKCA marking. The update discusses the BS EN 16034 and BS 8524-1 standards and instances or which the scope of each standard is applicable

BS EN 16034

The update clearly identifies that the scope of BS EN 16034 only applies when a fire curtain is being used as a door to allow personal access / egress in retail premises and that the vast majority of fire curtains fall outside of this scope.

Unfortunately, due to misinformation provided by resellers of European manufactured fire curtains whose products are not sufficiently robust to meet the requirement of BS 8524, there has been confusion caused within the marketplace. Fire curtains are life critical safety product and the information being provided to aid procurement, if incorrect, can have a detrimental effect on a project’s cost and timeframes let alone the buildings occupants if it leads to procurement and installation of a non-compliant product.

The update of TD21 clarifies the foreword in BS EN 16034 states “Users’ attention is drawn to the fact that fabric curtains tested in this standard only apply to the fire door sets fire text. This standard does not cover their operation deployment speeds, initiation devices or warning devices, etc. and as such should comply with BS 8524-1 and BS 8524-2.”

In addition to the operations deployment speeds, initiation devices and warning devices mentioned above, BS EN 16034 also does not cover the hot motor test (operation after 30-minute, 400 degrees fire test) or cyclic testing to C1 Class (500 + cycles). in the opinion of A1S group the aforementioned tests are pivotal to a fire curtains life span and operational use in the event of a fire. The robustness of the standards and required testing is why, in our experience, Building Control, Architects and competent Fire Engineers demand fire curtains to BS 8524.  

While BS EN 16034 is a valuable standard for evaluating the fire resistance of door and shutter assemblies, it should not be used as the sole basis for specifying fire curtains. The ASFP recommends that where the limited scope of BS EN 16034 applies, this should still be augmented with certification to BS 8524-1 and BS 8524-2.

BS 8524-1 specifically deals with the performance and testing of active fire curtain barrier assemblies, and it provides comprehensive guidelines and testing procedures for fire curtains, addressing their specific functionality and operation.

A1S Group wholeheartedly supporting the ASFP’s stance on BS 8524 1 and 2 as a national standard for fire curtains and the appropriate standard to use when specifying fire curtains to ensure they meet the necessary performance and fire safety requirements.

The Flameshield EW120 Sa to 10 metres wide

With Warrington Fire approving the Flameshield EW 120 with smoke seals to 10 metre widths, (WF Report no. 520547) based on Warrington Fire tests 405074/504026/504211 it is no surprise that orders and enquiries are coming in thick and fast for the UK’s highest radiation performance fire curtain. Designed to avoid any deflection of the bottom rail the video below shows the T- section rail sitting perfectly flush to the head box, giving a seamless finish.

The key performance benefit is the curtain’s ability to maintain BOTH 120 minute integrity and radiation levels below the required 15kw/m2 across the entire width of the 10000mm curtain to a drop height of 3600mm (see article) https://a1sgroup.com/blog/flameshield-ew120sa-fire-curtain The curtain is also approved to provide 120 minutes integrity and 90 minutes radiation below 15kw/m2 at a drop height of 6000mm.

As well as BS EN 1634-1 and BS EN 1634-3 testing, the curtain also benefits from BS 8524 testing including C1 class reliability and durability testing, elevated motor testing, response time and velocity testing.

Flameshield EW 120 Sa during inhouse development trials

This makes the curtain an ideal proposal for scenarios including protected means of escape, compartmentation, boundary protection and egress and corridor separation.

For further information, including enhanced data sets for calculations, please contact info@a1sgroup.com

A1 Shutters Limited assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. The information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness. Analysis of product properties and their suitability for any given application should always be undertaken and confirmed by competent professionals.

Flameshield fire curtains now tested to 90 minutes for flexible (timber and stud) structures

When installing fire and smoke curtains, it is important to understand that different fire tests are applicable for different structures. A fire test is required for rigid structures and a separate fire test would be required for fitting to flexible structures. Contained within any BS EN 1634-1 fire test document will be the following statement under the Supporting Construction Section. “The fire resistance of a door assembly tested in one form of standard supporting construction may or not apply when it is mounted in other types of construction. Generally, the rigid and flexible types are not interchangeable. “ This is taken from BS EN 1634‑1:2014+A1:2018 13.5.1 General.

Whether you are extending fire curtains as per BS EN 15269-11 Extended Applications for Fire Curtains or a UK assessment to general principles outlined in BS EN 15725, the guidance couldn’t be clearer. It is NOT POSSIBLE without an additional full scale fire test to fit a fire curtain to a flexible i.e.  stud or timber structure. Fitting fire and smoke curtains to such flexible structures when the product has only been fire tested to rigid structures (i.e. brick) is potentially dangerous and irresponsible as well as contrary to the BS EN 1634-1 test standard enshrined within UK Building Regulations.

BS EN 15269-11 2018 (Part II Fire Resistance for operable fabric curtains) Page 32 (J1.2)

A1 had previously tested to a flexible stud system and achieved 60 minutes, but with increasing requests to achieve 90 minutes for a flexible structure we carried out a successful full scale fire test, Warrington reference 525487.

If you have any timber or stud system on your project, we would recommend that you ALWAYS ask to see the required fire test documentation showing testing to stud. Without this test evidence, you are running a genuine commercial risk that Building Control will not approve your installation; worse still you are risking that the fire curtain will not be fit for purpose. For further information on this test contact info@a1sgroup.com

A1 Shutters Limited assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. The information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness. Analysis of product properties and their suitability for any given application should always be undertaken and confirmed by competent professionals.

The trouble with insulated fire curtains

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that five times a week, a phone call or a fire strategy report and a fire curtain or fire curtains and smoke curtain specification lands on my desk with the requirement for insulated fire curtains or fire curtains tested with an insulation zone. From Building Control in Southampton, to an architectural practice in Singapore, the same question comes up time and time again.

“Do you manufacture fire curtains with 60 minutes, 90 minutes or 120 minutes integrity AND insulation? Or what are the EIs of your Flameshield fire curtain range?

Within overall fire resistance criteria, where E = Integrity and I = Insulation, the requirement is for EI 30, EI 60, EI 90 or EI 120. Now I know what is trying to be achieved - namely a fire curtain that will provide 30-120 minute integrity and protection from spread of flames and hot gases (E 120), coupled with defined measurements to prevent fire spread by spontaneous non-piloted combustion and radiation (total heat flux) and to protect people and property against exposure to high temperatures and associated risks.

The answer is that none of the leading Fire Curtain UK manufacturers produce an insulated fire curtain or a fire curtain with insulation properties to EI 30.60.90 and 120 minutes. They certainly should NOT be advertising such performance characteristics. Insulation properties (i.e. EI) are simply not available with fire curtains in the UK. If you think otherwise, please feel free to touch a millimetre thin fire curtain on it’s surface after 60 or 120 minutes. (And apologies to our European friends who still use this term although predominantly for insulating zone, or EI1 (tested at 25mm) and EI2 (tested at 100mm) this is a UK-centric article.) The only UK exception to this would be in conjunction with a sprinkler system but nobody is further than a desk top appraisal on this.

The misnomer associated with an insulated fire curtain was worsened with the misconceived introduction of an insulating zone for fire curtains in PAS 121 which mercifully was confined to the annals of fire curtain history and totally scrapped in July 2013 so the confusion is understandable. Updated and precise guidance is now available in BS 8524-2.

The reasons why are common sense, but do not worry about your project, there is good news and a documented alternative and clear guidance as to the use of radiation and radiation tenability data (instead of insulation) in the UK’s preeminent fire curtain standard BS 8524-2, Active fire curtain barrier assemblies – Part 2:Code of Practice for Application, Installation and Maintenance.

Page 13, 5.3.1 states that “Barrier assemblies replace static partitions and therefore have to descend within a clear space. Therefore the problems of surface temperatures DO NOT APPLY, but integrity, radiation and occupant tenability is still relevant.” A further note states that “Where it is impracticable to fix or hang thermocouples to the surface of the test specimen, as it would prevent the intumescent process working, the insulation performance of the specimen cannot be determined and the barrier assembly can only be tested for integrity and radiation.”

5.3.2.1 of BS 8524-2 continues, where radiated heat flux as opposed to insulation, is to be used to assess whether conditions are tenable, three distinct approaches should be used :

• simplified approach for horizontal routes in dwellings (which can be explained based on the guidance in BS 8524)

• fully fire engineered approach for horizontal escape routes (which I am not qualified to explain) but the guidance is on page 25 of BS 8524-2 with the important data and matrices on subsequent pages.

• fully fire engineered approach for all other applications

I should definitely draw your attention to two pages of data B1 and B2 which provides permitted radiation performance, R maxA and accounts for minimum separation between escaping occupants and barrier assembly, d separation and speed of escaping occupants, v occupants. These indicate the performance criteria required from a fire curtain to achieve the requisite tenability. The definitive conclusion is that if your project requires active barrier fire curtains to form an exit route, they will definitively require testing to E for integrity and W for radiation so EW 30/60/90/120 not EI.

BS EN 13501-2 2016 also provisions for products to be classified as E or EW without insulation.

5.22.1 General states that, “Classification for integrity (E) shall be according to whether or not the element is also classified for insulation (I, I1 or I2). Where an element is classified both for integrity and insulation, the value of integrity is that determined by whichever of the three aspects fails first. Where an element is classified without an insulation classification (i.e. for the classifications E, EW, RE and REW), the value of integrity is that determined by the time to failure of only the cracks/openings or sustained flaming aspects, whichever fails first.

All A1S Group fire curtains are actually witness sampled, cyclic tested and furnace tested by Warrington Exova and within the test documentation is key radiation data, particularly kw/m2 at fifteen minutes and time elapsed before radiation reaches 15 kw/m2.

AS A NOTE THE A1S GROUP HAVE NOW SUCCESSFULLY TESTED THE UK’S FIRST EW120 CURTAIN, TO C1 CLASS WITH WARRINGTON FIRE WHICH ACHIEVED A UK INDUSTRY LOW 2.62 KW/M2 AT 15 MINUTES. 6.30 KW/M2 AT 1 HOUR AND 10.71 KW/M2 AT 120 MINUTES.

Hopefully, this article will complement the information you as a fire engineer or architectural specifier require for using the correct radiation data instead of the now defunct and highly confusing insulation data. Extended data sets including radiation minute readings between 0-120 are available on request to help establish which Flameshield fire curtain or indeed whether our product is even suitable for your application.

For details of A1S Group industry leading fire curtain radiation readings, must have test data and any general enquiries, please contact info@a1sgroup.com

A1 Shutters Limited assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. The information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness. Analysis of product properties and their suitability for any given application should always be undertaken and confirmed by competent professionals.

The Flameshield EW120(Sa) Fire Curtain – Market Leading Fire Performance from the A1S Group

When you consider its permissible parameters, smoke testing, integrity and of course market leading radiation control, is the Flameshield EW120 (Sa) from the A1S Group the UK’s leading performance fire curtain? We think definitively yes. Certainly, with the life critical safety benefits of higher radiation control, we thought a thorough comparison between the UK’s leading products was more than merited. So we decided to take the Flameshield EW120 Sa for a “test drive” against other fire curtain manufacturer’s leading radiation performance single vertical curtains. The problem is only one other UK manufacturer appears to have completed the required test run AND responsibly published data and parameters in the public domain. Our view is that this transparency is fundamental in allowing fire professionals to make informed and sometimes life critical safety calculations.

Of course, both products have been fire tested by Warrington. They are tested in accordance with the “pass/fail annexes of BS 8524-1”, so as well as the fire test, response speed, impact testing, elevated motor testing, reliability and durability and testing of ancillaries are passed. Having completed the test run, the Flameshield EW120 is pending third party certification from an alternative scheme to IFC’s SDI 11-02 (8524-1 which is withdrawn) to comply with third party specification requirements when required.

It is the radiation performance from the actual fire testing where the Flameshield EW120 really starts to accelerate away. It is important to understand, whilst fire test documents  must state radiation data, radiation performance diminishes as the curtain size increases beyond the original tested size so additional testing and assessment is required.

Beyond the Flameshield EW120 from the A1S Group, there appear to be no alternative published  sizes for EW 120 – obviously because radiation levels breached 15kw/m2 well before 120 minutes. (Fact checked as of 08/09/2022) The only current and comparative data shows maximum published parameters for EW 90 at 2000mm  x 7000mm  or 3000mm  x 3000mm, or 10000mm x 2000mm. So, the reality is no other company  can legitimately manufacture a fire curtain to 3500 x 2200 for even EW90 let alone EW120.

Because the Flameshield EW120 only reached 10.7kw/m2 after 120 minutes – so nowhere near the limit of 15kw/m2, the sizes listed below are not just market leading, they create significantly improved tenability.  

The importance is, this kind of radiation differential could potentially save occupant and building user lives, provide substantially more tenable environments for emergency services, and dramatically reduce thermal degradation of building fabrics.

There are many fire curtain applications where it is vital to assess the ability of “a separating element”, when exposed to fire on one side, to restrict the radiation on the “unexposed” side. The purpose of this blog is not to explain where and why there is a requirement for radiation control, that is the province of qualified fire strategists; rather it is designed to highlight the comparative data as published by the two leading radiation performance product manufacturers in the UK.

The above data is based on our EW120 fire test originally carried out on 01/01/2018. To reiterate, because tested sizes are approximately  2400mm wide by 2600mm high, (dictated by the size of Warrington’s test furnace) to compliantly manufacture and install larger products requires further test evidence. A small-scale test (Warrington reference 504026) was subsequently carried out as was a  smoke leakage test Warrington reference WYC 504211), allowing Warrington to produce an Extended Size Assessment to include permissible substrates including steel and importantly permissible increased parameters for integrity, radiation, and smoke. Our Extended Size Assessment is Warrington reference  520457. The document cites the methodology under BS EN 15254-4:2018 and the calculations required to determine radiation intensity at larger sizes. We have published the results in matrix form below.

The above matrix describes radiation performance to higher levels and significantly larger parameters than anything else available (current as of 01/09/2022) in the UK; and because smoke seals were burnt during Flameshield fire testing our extended report cites, use of such seals at the published extended sizes to comply with the requirements of BS EN 1634-3. As a company we are getting significant and increasing interest from the wider fire community around the Flameshield EW120 (Sa). Specifications and drawings of this product are readily available for architects, fire strategists, design managers, quantity surveyors and Building Control at: https://firecurtain.co.uk/

For any other questions or comments on the Flameshield EW120(Sa) please contact

Our Sales Team on 01204 383839 or email sales@a1sgroup.com

Third Party Certification for Manufacture of Fire Curtains in Accordance with BS 8524-1

On the 23rd June 2022, International Fire Consultants (IFC) published a withdrawal notice on their website from “Product Certification Scheme for Active Fire Curtain Barrier Assemblies” (SDP11-02). With Warrington Fire also having withdrawn their EWCL5 scheme on the 16th December 2021, this effectively would leave the UK without a Third Party Certification scheme for BS 8524-1.

Discussions between alternative certifying bodies, the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (UK Trade Body) and leading manufacturers are already taking place.

In spite of IFC’s published notice, the A1S Group has received a letter (see below) from IFC offering a further year of Third-Party Certification under SDP11/02 to allow us to seek an alternative certifying body. As such, we will continue to manufacture fire curtains to BS 8524-1 under IFC’s Third Party scheme until 08th June 2023.

IFC’s Third Party scheme SDI 05 which covers the installation of fire curtains to BS 8524-2 is not currently affected.

A1S Group Policy When Quoting UKCA* or CE Marked Fire Shutters For our UK and European Customers

• The UK Government have extended the UKCA deadline until 2025.

CE (now UKCA for the UK or UKNI for Northern Ireland) marking of all powered doors under the machinery directive has been mandatory since 1995. This has not changed.  

The following represents a simplified compliance guide to fire shutter certification following the mandatory changes and additional requirements due to the Construction Products Regulation (EU) 305/2011 which is NOW (as of 01/11/19) a legal requirement in Europe. UK Construction Products Regulations 2013 apply in the UK. A1 Shutters Limited’s certification is valid in both the UK and Europe and our UK notified body has established a subsidiary in the EU27 to facilitate this process.

1.  As per our internal policy, we will always ask a customer if they are fully aware of the new legislation? If they say yes, we reconfirm that they know manufacturers must be able to provide installers with a certificate of constancy of performance. (see below) Without this the install is illegal as the product cannot be UKCA/CE marked. It is the installer’s responsibility to check this and there are serious legal consequences for the installer if the product is not UKCA/CE marked or perhaps more relevantly, correctly UKCA/CE marked. We will always check what structure, usage requirement, fire performance and dimensions the customer needs for the shutter before quoting.

2. If a customer is not familiar with the new harmonised legislation, we will ask what structure the shutter is to be fitted to, what fire performance is required, how many times a day the shutter will be used (to determine the appropriate motor) and what are the dimensions.  We will then explain the following. Fire shutters must be UKCA/CE marked. It is illegal to manufacture a fire shutter without a UKCA/CE mark. It is illegal to install the shutter without a UKCA/CE mark. It is illegal for an employer or landlord to use a shutter that is not UKCA/CE marked. To be able to UKCA/CE mark, the manufacturer must go through the following process in its entirety.

3. Separate fire tests to flexible (timber stud) and rigid (steel/masonry) structures are now mandatory. If a manufacturer does not have any tests they cannot manufacture any fire shutter. If they have one test they can only manufacture a fire shutter for that end use, and the installer can only install to that one type of structure. The A1S Group has tested successfully to both flexible and rigid structures.

Flameshield fire shutters BS EN 1634-1 tested to 1 hour flexible structure and 4 hour rigid structures

4.  Following the test an extended application MUST be provided by a notified body, i.e. Warrington. Certification must also be registered with an EU 27 notified body to be able to CE mark. Without an Extended Application, variant sizes on those tested CANNOT be manufactured. The document looks like this.

If a manufacturer cannot provide an EXAP, they cannot UKCA/CE mark so again the products are illegal and cannot be fitted or used. At the back of the EXAP are 12 pages of permissible sizes against structure and fire performance. Fire performance can be up to 240 minutes depending on the structure, and dimensions. If the required structure, size and performance is not on the EXAP, the product cannot be made. The matrices must be checked on every occasion. They look like this. If the matrices do not have a section for fitting to timber stud, the product CANNOT be used for such a structure and it is the responsibility of the installer and the end user to verify the manufacturer’s certification.

5.  Factory audits are then required. No audits, no UKCA/CE mark.

6.  Next, a Certificate of Constancy of Performance is granted to the manufacturer to verify fire resistance characteristics. It looks like this.

If a manufacturer cannot provide this document, the shutters are illegal as they cannot be UKCA/CE marked. There is absolutely no wriggle room and this document which can take many months to obtain following the test, audit and extended application process MUST be held at point of commissioning.  

7. We must provide end users and installers with a Certificate of Conformity and a Declaration of Performance. Essential characteristics covered by EN BS 13241 and EN BS 16034 will always be cited on this document. This declaration can only be given by a company with the testing, extended application and certificate of constancy of performance in their name from a notified body, i.e. Warrington Fire. The certificates look like this. Variants now include UKCA and UKNI against the UK Construction Products Regulations 2013 as well as CE marking against Construction Products Regulation (EU) 305/2011.

8.  All fire shutters must be UKCA/CE marked with a label against the relevant essential characteristics of both EN BS 13241 and EN BS 16034:2014 as well as the long-standing Machinery Directive. The UKCA/CE Marking label looks like this.

To conclude, as a company, we will always

1) Demonstrate proof of testing to both or the relevant flexible or rigid structure.

2) Reference our extended application matrices to confirm the shutter can be legally manufactured to the correct dimension, structure and fire performance.

3) Attach our certificate of constancy of performance to our quotation. This has been awarded because all other stages are completed along with requisite factory visits.

4) Provide our manufacturer’s declaration of performance and a certificate of conformity.

5) Finally, a correctly applied UKCA/CE label citing the machinery directive, BS EN 16034: 2014 and BS EN 13241 : 2003 + A 2 :2016 will be attached to every shutter. Audit is required from in our case Warrington Fire to confirm use of UKCA marking.

View fullsize

As of January 2021 CE, UKCA or UKNI labels should be used in the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland. If any part of this process is missed, a fire shutter is illegal to produce, install or use in the UK and Europe.

For a more detailed discussion or any general enquiries relating to UKCA/CE marking of fire shutters or the Construction Products Regulation (EU) 305/2011/UK Construction Products Regulations 2013, please contact info@a1sgroup.com

A1 Shutters Limited assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. The information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness. Analysis of product properties and their suitability for any given application should always be undertaken and confirmed by competent professionals.

A National Regulator for Construction Products - There’s A New Sheriff in Town and he’s got a Retrospective Gun

Resulting from the horror of Grenfell and Dame Judith Hackitt’s subsequent review of building regulations, the UK Building Safety Bill 2022 has now received Royal Assent. (28th April 2022) The Building Safety Act 2022 will enshrine a Building Safety Regulator in law, who will provide oversight of the new system. They will have power of enforcement and sanction. The Building Safety Bill will create the authority to regulate construction products and create a statutory list of “safety critical” construction products where their failure would result in death or serious injury. 

A separate regulator will also have powers to remove dangerous and non-certified products from the market. Last month the UK Government published a factsheet for this new National Regulator for Construction Products who will be established within the existing Office for Products and Safety Standards.

Not only will the new regulator maintain a national complaints hotline, they, will also lead and coordinate the enforcement of the strengthened construction products regulations, including removing products “that pose a safety risk from the market.” Powers will include entering, inspecting, and searching premises, requiring removal of products, and recovery of costs. Where a criminal offence has been committed under the new construction product regulations,  “sanctions will include, fines, imprisonment or both.” Regulations will apply to any new product that a company wants to sell in the UK and to any existing products that a company continues to sell. Secondary legislation may take another 18 months, however the Government has also provisioned for retrospective action.

“Where a company previously sold a product that breached regulations, but no longer sells that product, the regulator may be able to act against the company for breaching the rules that were in place at the time of the offence”.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-bill-factsheets/national-regulator-for-construction-products-factsheet

Obviously the new Regulator will sit across a broad range of life critical products. Our interest is fire rated barriers, and we suspect that given recent conversations we have had with contractors, fellow manufacturers, our internal marketing and industry sub contractors, there are potentially cases where fire shutters are still being installed into masonry, steel and timber stud structures without any legitimate CE marking paperwork, or incorrect paperwork. If you understand that 70 per cent of “tube motor” fire shutters in the UK are fitted into flexible stud structures, and you have a discussion with the very, few manufacturers who are compliant (and we think 2, maybe 3), the maths on unit manufacture nowhere near stack up. Unless we have our sums badly wrong, non-compliant products must be being installed. Likewise, masonry and steel fixing kits are potentially being used for timber stud structures - which if you have ever fire tested a shutter to BS EN 1634-1 is a catastrophic recipe for disaster. Manufacture and installation of fire shutters fall firmly within the remit of the new regulator as, they obviously fall under CPR 305/211 and are life safety products. The Door and Hardware Federation cite that “conforming to a hEN has legal consequences” and irrespective of BREXIT, hEN (Harmonised European Standards) apply. It follows that, fire shutter parameters must be set by an Extended Application (BS EN 15269-10) and no fire shutter can ever be installed into a flexible or timber stud structure if it does not have a separate fire test for such structures.

Compliant manufacturers will be able to demonstrate fire testing to multiple substrates within their Extended Applications.

Extract from A1S Group’s Extended Application to BSEN 15269-10 Evidencing Flexible AND Rigid Testing

The regulatory direction of travel for life critical products in the UK is clear, and the national complaints hotline will quickly and efficiently help expose breaches across the entire range of life safety construction products. Certainly, manufacturers and installers of life safety products will be under the microscope. Ignorance of CE marking and Construction Product Regulations will never be a defence, nor will obfuscation or confusion over any fixing structures and certification requirements under harmonised European Standards. Fines and retrospective costs could be crippling.

To reiterate, as a company, the A1S Group is accredited to manufacture fire shutters for BOTH flexible (timber stud) AND rigid (masonry and steel) structures. It is not our role to police manufacturer’s certification within our industry, but we are glad that there is a new sheriff in town.

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 For a simplified guide on the mandatory legislation and required certification from November 2019, please see: https://a1sgroup.com/blog/a1s-group-policy-when-quoting-ce-marked-fire-shutters

A1 Shutters Limited assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. The information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness. Analysis of product properties and their suitability for any given application should always be undertaken and confirmed by competent professionals.

LET’S TURN “SILLY SEASON” INTO “SENSIBLE SEASON”.

If you have worked in UK construction for a few years, you are probably familiar with the phrase “silly season”.

What is “silly season?”

PRONOUNCED \ SIL-ee-SEE-zun\ noun

Silly Season is the time around late July/August when the newspapers are full of unimportant or silly news stories because there is not much political news to report.

[British English]

Well not at the A1S Group. “Silly season” for us, is when nearly every main UK contractor and most of our 250 trade partners are screaming for their fire curtains, smoke curtains, fire shutters and insulated shutters to come out of production from mid-July through to late August and even early September so that their school, college, and university projects can be completed during the summer holiday. The increased demand spike within the educational sector during such a small window effectively disrupts the entire construction industry, It is the time when our factory is absolutely flat out and when we have unprecedented demand for our installation teams. It is the time when clients are ringing and throwing accelerated payments around to try and obtain an impossible turnaround on packages because they are so up against practical completion.

And it never changes. Over the years we have tried limiting holidays (where possible), provisioned overtime, and put on additional shifts. And July to August is always hectic. Last year, we further invested in a CNC punch system to produce millimetre perfect head boxes,  guides, end plates, joining strips and bracketry in a fraction of the usual time, and helped to keep fire and smoke curtain lead times around the three-to-four-week timeframe; but the truth is there are no guarantees. Lead times are always contingent on demand, but there are 2 things you can do which will definitely help us to maintain the best possible service for you and your project team.

1)    Get your project on our radar as soon as possible, by emailing by return that our quote is of interest.

2)    Let us know if you anticipate a production requirement of fire and smoke curtains, fire shutters and industrial shutters for July August or early September, thus allowing us to better plan.

Of course, we will always do our utmost to maintain what we think are the UK’s best lead times, and if you get truly stuck, we are here to be as accommodating as possible, but with your help and a little planning, we might well be able to look back in September 2023 and complement ourselves on how well “Sensible season” went.  

To discuss forthcoming orders and installations for July/August/September 2023

FOR UK TRADE SALES CONTACT DAMIAN LAWSON

damianlawson@a1sgroup.com 01204 383839 ext 110

FOR UK SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION SALES CONTACT ANDY MARTIN

andy@a1sgroup.com 01204 383839 ext 104

The Difference Between A1S Group Fire and Smoke Curtains and Fire Shutters.

The Difference Between A1S Group Fire and Smoke Curtains and Fire Shutters.

For those not used to procuring these two distinct fire rated products, we thought it would be helpful to post a simple guide. Of course, procurement of fire curtains, fire and smoke curtains, smoke curtains and fire shutters can be a complex area. We advise that guidance is always taken from your Building Control, Design Team, and Fire Strategist – and of course with our significant project experience, we are always here to help.

1) Components

The first obvious difference between fabric fire curtains, fire and smoke curtains, smoke “only” curtains and fire shutters is the component build. Whilst both product ranges share commonalities, particularly as both are motorised and are generally activated by an alarm signal and generally descend within guide channels, a fire shutter is manufactured from, in our case 76mm curved solid galvanised steel lath. Curtains are manufactured from a range of tested fabrics, usually a heavyweight glass fabric which is reinforced with stainless steel wire, coated with a formulated fire-retardant aluminium pigmented polyurethane or intumescent fire-retardant silicon elastomer .

A1S Group fire curtain and fire shutter specifications and drawings are available at https://a1sgroup.com/specifications-and-drawings

2) Performance

Fire shutters are available with 1-, 2-, and 4-hour integrity and have been fire tested to BSEN 1634-1. Fire curtains are available with 1- and 2-hour integrity and additionally our Flameshield fire curtain range provides 85 minutes before breaching 15 kw/m2 radiation for the unexposed side of a curtain. Neither product is sold with insulating properties. Fire curtains provide smoke compliance to BS EN 1634-3 with the inclusion of specialist smoke seals and as such make the product suitable for protecting means of escape. Smoke seals are burnt as part of the fire testing to confirm integrity of the whole product. Smoke compliance is not available with a fire shutter range because of ingress between the curved lath section. A fire shutter can provide a degree of physical security when in the closed position. Fire and smoke curtains are designed to sit within their headbox and only become operable during fire conditions or on receipt of an alarm signal. For more detail, please see :

Link: https://firecurtain.co.uk/

Link: https://fireshutter.co.uk/

3) Standards

It is a legal requirement that fire shutters are manufactured under harmonised European standard BS EN 16034 and BS EN 13241. Our Flameshield range benefits from being the first tested to multiple substrates in the UK under this now required CE markable, and is approved for masonry, blockwork, structural steel and flexible stud systems.

Our Flameshield fire curtains are offered to BS 8524-1, BS EN 1634-1 as well as BS EN 1634-3 and we are finalising CE marking as despite preference for BS 8524 by many Building Controls in the UK the general direction of travel is for a CE marked fire curtain under BS EN 16034. Smoke “only” curtains are offered under the harmonised European Standard BS EN 12101. All of our fire testing is carried out by Warrington Fire, and we hold third party certification for both manufacture of fire curtains and installation of fire and smoke curtains under International Fire Consultants SDI 05 and SDP -11 02 Scheme.

4) Design

We host all indicative drawings across our product range at : https://a1sgroup.com/specifications-and-drawings

Both fire curtains and fire shutters benefit from internal tubular motors contained neatly within the head box. Fire shutters can also have external motors, generally where larger sizes are required. It is readily noticeable that fire shutters have larger head boxes which give fire curtains the edge when headroom is restricted. Permissible parameters for both ranges are available above. Likewise, both product ranges are available to be fitted to your structure either face fix or reveal fix. Indicative product weights are 22kg per linear metre for single vertical fire curtains, 36kg per linear metre for overlapping systems, and 35kg/m2 for fire shutters. Our testing documentation requires that all designed structures are load bearing to the above and have a fire performance equal to or greater than the performance required by our product. Fire curtains are also available as “horizontal” products to protect atria, light wells, escalators, and stairs from fire. Extended applications to BS 15269-10 and BS 15269-11 as well as product assessments from Warrington give further detail on structural requirements.

5) Applications

Fire and smoke curtains and fire shutters should be specified by trained and competent professionals. Broadly speaking fire shutters are used to provide integrity when there are openings in walls, for boundary protection and for compartmentation. Smoke only curtains are used to channel smoke, usually in conjunction with a ventilation system. Fire and smoke curtains can be used for, protected means of escape, egress and corridor separation, boundary protection, compartmentation, openings in walls and lift and lift lobbies.

For further information on our range of fire curtains, fire and smoke curtains and fire shutters, or any costing requirements, please contact :

info@a1sgroup.com

A1 Shutters Limited assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. The information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness. Analysis of product properties and their suitability for any given application should always be undertaken and confirmed by competent professionals.