Fire Roller Shutters and Standard Roller Shutters in the West Midlands

Today, you'll find fire roller shutters and standard roller shutters worldwide - installed in all types of businesses and premises in a variety of colours.

But for something so universal, you might be surprised to learn their origins date back 140 years to Aadorf, a quite district of north-east Switzerland.

In 1882, Anton Griesser filed a patent for his first roller shutter design. Although constructed of individual wooden slats, it closely resembled today's roller shutter by opening and closing vertically.

But developments in the mass production of steel and aluminium in the late 1800s finally led to the metal design we know today. And along with easier manufacture came roller shutters that offered better physical security and, eventually, the ability to resist fire.

When and where are Fire Roller shutters required?

No matter what type of business you run, under UK law, you must have all necessary fire protection measures in place.

But some businesses and premises are at greater risk of fire than others. And so what those measures are, can vary considerably. For example, an estate agency will obviously have a much lower risk than a business working with flammable materials does.

One legal requirement for all UK businesses is the regular undertaking of a Fire Safety Risk Assessment.

Conducted by your company's 'Responsible Person', this inspection must assess whether your fire risk has changed at all since the last inspection. It must also test, check and review all other fire safety equipment and procedures your business has.

However, it's Building Control Regulations that initially determine whether your business is legally required to install fire roller shutters or not. But even if your risk of fire is deemed low enough not to make fire roller shutters mandatory, it's an investment still worth making. After all, the potential consequences and costs of a fire could be much higher for your business without them.

Where can a Fire Roller Shutter be fitted?

Fire roller shutters are designed to be installed directly above a doorway or large opening.

But no matter what size that opening is – a standard doorway or one you could drive an HGV through – fire regulations state it must have a solid supporting surround. This should be in the form of masonry (brick or reinforced concrete) and/or structural steel.

The supporting surround must also have an equal or greater level of fire resistance as that of the fire roller shutter. Without this resistance, the integrity of the dividing wall could fail and smoke and flames break through the other side, completely defeating the object of having a fire roller shutter.

But not all fires are the same

Just as no one fire is ever the same, there's also more than one way to prevent a fire from spreading. Alongside Fire Roller Shutters, Fire Curtains also offer a highly effective yet different way of controlling a fire's spread.

What's the difference between Fire Roller Shutters and Fire Curtains?

The most obvious difference is how they're made.

A Fire roller shutter is made from slatted galvanised steel – with the steel's gauge varying according to the width of the opening the shutter is to cover.

A standard doorway, for example, requires a lighter gauge of steel than one with a much wider opening. Here, steel with a heavier gauge is used to ensure the shutter's strength and integrity are maintained.

Fitted into metal guides on either side of a doorway or opening, fire roller shutters are linked to a fire alarm system. In the event of a fire, this alarm system will trigger the roller shutter to close to confine the fire to where it started.

While Fire curtains are also connected to a fire alarm system and operate in much the same way, there are some important differences, too.

One is that they are typically made from a woven fibreglass material rather than steel. This makes them both lighter and more flexible. It also means they can be used to cover wider openings than is possible with fire roller shutters.

They also take up much less space. Being light and flexible makes them easier to conceal within a ceiling, for example. With a fire curtain you'll probably only know it's there once it has been released from its housing. Fire roller shutter fixings, on the other hand, are much bulkier and so far more obvious.

Because smoke often contains harmful toxic particles, preventing its spread is as vital as containing the flames of a fire. And this is one area where fire curtains outperform fire roller shutters. With shutters, smoke can still leak through the slats.

Where a building has multiple floors, fire curtains are often fitted so that each floor level can be sealed off in the event of a fire. As well as being triggered by a fire alarm system, they can also be programmed to close and provide fire protection when a building is empty overnight.

What works best, Fire Roller Shutters or Fire Curtains?

Both provide protection against the spread of fire and smoke, as well as help create safe escape routes for the occupants of a building.

But the overriding factor in determining which is going to be best for you is what the fire regulations demand for your premises.

Fire curtains are mainly used in low-risk locations such as stairwells, lobby's and lift areas. As well as in open-plan offices. Locations where they'll be less intrusive than shutters. But fire roller shutters do offer some additional physical security with their steel construction. Something you won't get with a fire curtain.

And fire roller shutters are always going to be required where any fire could lead to an explosion. In such and event, a fire roller shutter will contain – or at least limit – the effects of a blast. Whereas fire curtains aren't made or designed to do either.

However, besides being connected to a fire alarm system, fire roller shutters and fire curtains do share one other feature: they both have a certified Fire Resistance Level rating.

Are all Roller Shutters fire rated?

The hottest part of a candle flame burns at around 1400°C! Having said that, the average temperature is more likely to be around 1000°C. For such a small flame, that's still very hot. But even at this lower temperature, it's still hot enough to seriously threaten the structural integrity of a standard roller shutter in a fire.

But a standard roller shutter isn't made to withstand prolonged contact with heat and flames.

Whereas fire roller shutters are designed and constructed to do just that. And that's how they gain a Fire Resistance Level (FRL) rating.

So, what is a Roller Shutter's Fire Resistance Level rating?

In effect, fire roller shutters are designed to buy time.

By confining a fire to where it starts, it buys time for people to escape from a building. And time for the fire services to arrive and tackle the blaze before it can spread any further.

And so the Fire Resistance Level rating is basically how long a fire roller shutter can resist a fire for. There are three rating levels – 1, 2, or 4 hours and is usually expressed as 60, 120, and 240 minutes.

However, to be given a legally certified FRL rating every fire roller shutter design has to undergo Fire resistance testing at an independent specialist laboratory.

Fire curtains receive the same FRL ratings (60, 120, and 240) and although the tests are slightly different, they also have to undergo rigorous fire resistance testing at a specialist laboratory.

Do Roller Shutters and Fire Roller Shutters need servicing?

The simple answer is yes. Because when your roller shutters are well maintained, the fewer breakdowns you'll have. And so fewer disruptions to business.

Regular servicing also means your shutters will continue to run safely and smoothly. And you'll be helping to extend their operational life in the process. But even more importantly, you will be complying with Health and Safety laws.

For standard roller shutters, Health and Safety laws mean they and their components must be professionally inspected and serviced at least every 12 months. And each service signed off by the engineers undertaking the work.

For fire roller shutters (and fire curtains) servicing intervals are shorter and must be carried out every six months. Again each service must be recorded and records kept. This will ensure that you're fully compliant with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

A lack of maintenance could also have unexpected consequences. The failure of a fire roller shutter during a fire could lead to serious damage to both your premises and business. And even death or injury.

And in the case of the latter (this could also apply for a standard roller shutter), you could face a significant fine or even imprisonment. And possibly both.

Insurance cover could also be invalidated. And without an insurance payout to cover the costs of a fire, for example, it could spell the end of your business. On a slightly lesser scale, a lack of regular servicing could invalidate any warranties that came with your shutters as well.

The good news, however, is that neither roller shutters or fire roller shutters need major maintenance or components regularly replacing.

FIRE ROLLER SHUTTERS AND STANDARD ROLLER SHUTTERS IN THE WEST MIDLANDS

Roller Shutters and Fire Roller Shutters are an important part of your fire safety arsenal. If you are based in the West Midlands and your Fire Risk Assessment has specified these, we can help.

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