The Grenfell inquiry has highlighted the issues with all fire rated products in the UK and how they are tested. The government has basically improved the standards of how fire products are tested and installed. All Fire Rated Shutters and Steel Doors in the UK have had to be retested to the new fire standards BS EN 16034:2014 and must be CE Marked to BS EN 13241-1:2003. This is because compliance with the Construction Product Regulations (EU) 305/2011(CPR) becomes mandatory for both manual and powered fire-resisting industrial doors on this date.
All our Fire Rated Shutters and Steel Doors have been independently tested, approved and certified by Exova Warrington Fire Test facility. The testing has become a lot stricter, the main differences are:
Pre November 2019 Standards
BS EN 1634-1 – Fire resistance tests for door and shutter assemblies
BS 476-22:1987 – Fire tests on building materials and structures. Method for determination of the fire resistance of non-loadbearing elements of construction
These standards only covered the fire resistance characteristics, there was no requirement to ensure the product would release under the receipt of a fire alarm signal.
BS EN 13241 Industrial, commercial and garage doors and gates – product standard
This standard was only used to CE mark the shutter characteristics. Prior to Nov 2019 you could not CE mark a fire shutter to suit fire and shutter characteristics. This is because there was no harmonised standard for fire shutters and BS EN 13241 specifically excluded fire shutters.
Post November 2019 Standards
The tree below breaks down the complexity of the new standards. There is now a harmonised standard that covers the characteristics of a fire shutter (BS EN 16034) and BS EN 13241 was amended to include fire shutters. This now means the industry can CE mark a fire shutter. There is also now one set of rules to extend your product range past what was tested, EN 15269:11, if this standard states you can’t make change i.e reducing your expansion from your tested sample, the shutter can’t then be classified as a fire shutter.
Main changes
A fire shutter should be CE marked to both BS EN 16034 and BS EN 13241-1
Characteristics that need testing for the 16034 part of the CE mark:
Certain characteristics can be classed as no performance determined (NPD). E.g. Durability of ability to release and of self-closing, smoke control can be NPD this means the product can’t be advertised as a smoke barrier.
Please CLICK HERE to download the full report on changes to the Regulations from the DHF (Door Hardware Federation).
If you have any questions then please contact our Sales Team and we will help answer any questions.
The compact Fire Shutter is ideal for smaller openings ie; Kitchen Serveries and Reception Counters. The box is smaller, neat and compact because it uses a single phase tube motor, located inside the barrel. The compact Fire SHutter is tested and certified to new fire standards BS EN 16034:2014 and is CE Marked to BS EN 13241-1:2003. It's available in 30mins, 60mins, 120mins and 240mins Fire ratings to suit all levels of fire protection.
The compact fire shutter uses a single phase tube motor, which will operate fire shutters up to 6m wide. As standard it comes with a Battery Backup, so the shutter can self close in the event of a power failure. A manual override is fitted to the shutter, so the shutter can be manually raised by the fire brigade if required. The fire shutter has to be wired into a Fire Alarm System or an independent heat detector. If the fire alarm system doesn't provide any Audio or Visual Warning, near to the shutter, the shutter must be fitted with Audio Visual Warning devices.
One of the big changes is what the fire shutter can be fitted into. It has to be fitted into 6mm thick steel or masonry, these have to be fire rated to the same level as the fire shutter. You can no longer fit a fire shutter to a stud wall.
Our industrial Fire Shutters are designed for large openings (up to 12m wide) or in locations where a power source is limited. They use a Single Phase (240V) or 3 Phase (415V) Chain Drive Industrial motor that sticks out from the endplates making the box size very large, even on small openings. The Industrial Fire Shutter is tested and certified to new fire standards BS EN 16034:2014 and is CE Marked to BS EN 13241-1:2003. It's available in 60mins, 120mins and 240mins Fire ratings to suit all levels of fire protection.
The industrial fire shutter comes with a Chain Drive Motor (Single or 3 Phase) with a chain override. It has fusible link which is fitted to the motor brake. If the lead fusible link melts (67oC) it releases the motor brake and the shutter will close. The fire shutter is also fitted with a Solenoid Release which is a Fire Alarm relay. We recommend every industrial fire shutter is fitted with an Audio Visual Warning panel.
It is essential that the structural surround to the opening has a fire rating of at least the equivalent to the fireguard product specified and is sufficient for fixings to ensure fully compliant installation.
Our Fire Rated Steel Doors also had to go through re-testing and are compliant to fire regulations BS 476 Part 20 & 22, BS EN 1634 and CERTIFIRE. Our doors are tested up to 6hrs depending on the door specification and hardware. These fire rated steel doors are suitable for internal or external applications. These doors can also be compliant to the Disability Discrimination act (DDA)
These steel doors are custom made to suit your openings and available with a choice of Personnel Entry Hardware, Fire Exit Hardware, and Mechanical Locking options. We also have a range of glazing panels that are also certified when fitted into the doors. We also have a range of Fire Rated doors which are Security Rated and available with Acoustic ratings up to 50 db.
Call our sales team today to discuss your requirements further.
