The Advantages of Using Fire Curtains to Comply With Approved Document B (fire safety), Part B (2006 Ed., amended 2007)

This document sets out defining principles for building control and design in the UK. Volume 2 Part B specifically looks at fire safety in buildings other than dwellinghouses. The five key aspects the document identifies are shown below. In particular points B1 and B5 reference the requirement to provide protected means of escape, and to slow the passage of fire through a building to both protect the occupants and aid the fire service. BLE smoke and fire curtains are perfectly designed to help achieve these goals whilst having the advantage of remaining hidden and out of the way during times of normal building use. Our curtains boast significant aesthetic, weight and cost advantages over bulky fire shutters and expensive glass screens to achieve the best possible finish without compromising on fire safety.

Part B. Fire safety

The Regulations consider five aspects of fire safety in the construction of buildings:

B1 Means of escape
1. That sufficient provisions are made in design of the building so that in the event of fire the occupants can escape to a place of safety by their own efforts. This includes incorporating a suitable fire alarm system to give early warning of fire to the occupants and users of a building.

B2 Internal fire spread (linings)
2. That the internal linings of a building do not support a rapid spread of fire

B3 Internal fire spread (structure)
3. That the structure of the building should not collapse prematurely and should slow the spread of fire through the building and in unseen cavities and voids by providing fire resisting walls and partitions where necessary;

B4 External fire spread
4. That the spread of fire between buildings be discouraged by spacing them apart sufficiently and controlling the number and size of openings on boundaries;

B5 Access and facilities for the fire service
5. That the building (and the site layout & access roads) are designed in such a way as to aid the fire brigade fight fire and effect rescue of persons caught in a fire.