November 12th, 2014 | 1 min read
What's a Fire Curtain?
Curtain provides fire and smoke barrier that separates the stage house from the auditorium
Fire curtains provide a fire and smoke barrier that separates the stage house from the auditorium. In the event of a fire, the fire curtain automatically descends to provide theatre patrons extra time to safely evacuate.
Local building and fire codes vary and require different types of fire protection. Most states use a modified version of the National Fire Protection Association's code (http://www.nfpa.org/). As a guideline, note that all Rose Brand fire curtains are designed, manufactured and installed according to NFPA80 and ANSI E1.22 standards. The curtains are made of 40 oz., non-asbestos, high temperature coated fiber glass fabric. However, before specifying a fire curtain for your venue, it's wise to check with your local fire marshal to insure that you're specs will meet local requirements.
The two most common fire curtain installations are Straight Lift and Brail Lift systems. The Straight Lift Curtain is rigged to always hang flat, so it requires a large fly space above the proscenium for storage. The Brail Lift Curtain requires much less space. It's rigged similar to an Austrian curtain to gather in pleats above the proscenium.
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