Smoke & Fire Curtains on Escalators & Stairs

Escalators and staircases cause a breach to be formed between floors i.e. compartments. It is often a part of any fire engineered solution that these breaches are protected to prevent the flow of smoke from one floor to another. One practical and unobtrusive way to do this is to surround the escalator or staircase with Elite Smoke & Fire Curtains. This will allow unimpeded access through the stairs or escalator in normal use and when the alarm goes off either the area can be sealed or the smoke reservoir depth can be increased to reduce seepage of smoke to the upper level. Controls are often put in to allow the escalators to continue another cycle prior to the last curtain coming down to allow full evacuation.

Design Solutions:

• Means of escape and protected routes
• Shop fronts
• Stairwells
• Atria
• Escalators
• Lift lobbies
• Boundary protection
• Alternative to traditional fire doors, shutters, glazing partitions and non-load bearing walls

Fire & Smoke Control in Office & High Rise Blocks

The construction of these ever more imaginatively designed and engineered buildings requires a uniquely flexible and innovative product to meet the stringent Life Safety requirements.

Products such as the Elite Fire and Smoke Curtain are advised on the specification of many of these projects worldwide. Our Fire & Smoke Curtains are instrumental in fire engineered solutions which allow the safe design and construction of office and high rise blocks. Elite Fire & Smoke Curtains are used to facilitate the construction of requirements such as Fire Fighting Lobbies, Protected Stairwells and Lift Shaft Protection. Elite intelligent Fire and Smoke control systems for Offices and High Rise Blocks mean that the high-rise building is protected at all times, and at no time does this protection hinder the emergency services.

Protected Means of Escape

When considering the placement of a protected means escape route, protection from fire and smoke are the paramount considerations.

Traditionally a protected means of escape would be along a brick or concrete corridor. However it may be that the building design does not lend itself to permanent, structural barriers. Using the Elite Fire Curtains it is possible to provide a protected means of escape that, when not in use, is retracted into the ceiling. The length of this escape route is potentially infinite utilizing Elite’s overlapping roller technology. The reduced irradiance of heat provided by a fabric barrier allows the construction of an insulating zone in accordance with current fire and smoke legislation.