The most important element of a fire curtain is the fire fabric. Coopers is woven by their specialists, in the manufacturing UK plants. After the fabric is woven, they proceed to a coating treatment. They apply technically advanced coatings developed by their chemical engineers, designed to meet and even exceed the highest standards of safety.
They’re able to give each curtain a rating, based on the amount of time it will be resistant to fire. The next most important, but equally crucial element, is the deployment mechanism and housing.
Automatic fire curtains
Automatic fire curtains are similar to the metal roller shutters one might see at the front of some shops after closing time. Like these shutters, a fire curtain descends vertically as it unrolls from a housing at the top. Automatic fire curtains use a motorized deployment and retraction system that can be integrated with the fire alarm in a building.
They can also be deployed separately by remote control. All of the controls are made by them; provenance is important to them as it ensures that they achieve the highest quality and reliability. Unlike a shutter, a fire curtain is flexible and compact – so it can be precisely fitted within a space, providing better compartmentation and reducing impact on aesthetics. Also, there are fail safes built into the design – so that if there’s a power cut or the motor should fail, gravity will pull the curtain into position.
Installation of fire curtains
Fire curtains are ideal for both small spaces and for large, open-plan areas
Fire curtains are ideal for both small spaces and for large, open-plan areas. When fire curtains are factored into the design stage of a building, they can be recessed into walls and ceilings, making them all but invisible.
Even retrofitted curtains can be made to fit in perfectly with their surroundings, and they specialize in the manufacture and installation of fire curtains for historic and heritage buildings. Coopers can be traced back to 1874 – when they were a manufacturer of blinds and curtains, serving architects and designers with custom solutions.
Fire safety systems
In the mid-1970s, Andrew Cooper was challenged by a pioneering architect to find a non-invasive method of safely controlling hot smoke. Cooper set about applying five generations of family engineering knowledge, to develop the first automatic smoke curtain. The system he developed became Coopers’ patented Gravity Fail Safe System – the benchmark system used worldwide.
Since then, they’ve remained true to their origins and continue to work closely with architects to develop high performance fire safety systems. Their products exist to ensure the safety of all inhabitants, to protect buildings and to reduce the impact of fires if they do happen.
