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Preventing loss with fire retardant fabric
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN IT is said that fire makes a good servant, but a bad master. The effects of fire are devastating, not just in terms of fiscal and personal property losses, but emotional ones as well. A fire can instantly raze a house full of memories, and leave one homeless with nothing but the clothes on your back. During a talk hosted by Fabrica Interior Furnishing Co. on Saturday, 8 May 2010, at the Radisson Hotel, Olivier Delhomme spoke about the advantages of fire retardant fabric in the use of furnishings around the home which could help lessen the damage and losses, and perhaps prevent certain fires altogether. Delhomme, who is the Principal of FR One Belgium addressed an audience of architects, interior designers, members of the Fire Brigade and representatives from the Ministry of Development about the developments in the qualities of fire retardant fabric for interior design. Properties of furnishing fabric that are flame retardant, as required by national regulations, are called “FR” and the FR standards from country to country vary widely, while some countries have no established standards. In a short demonstration video, a fire which started from a cigarette dropped on a sofa chair spread from the chair to nearby curtains within 24 seconds, and engulfed the room in flames up to temperatures of 800 degrees Fahrenheit (approx. 426 degrees Celsius) in just under three minutes. It’s a harrowing scene to watch and emphasizes the importance of fire safety. If the house was 8 minutes away from the nearest Fire Station, the whole house could be easily consumed by the time the fire brigade was informed and rushed to the scene. “We need fire retardant products as a safety measure. During a fire, there is no sense of urgency. It’s easy to think that we have 5 minutes to pick up important documents or a purse, when in reality, it’s about urgency and personal safety,” said Delhomme. “The Grand MGM fire in 1980 in Nevada, USA, which caused over 80 deaths sparked a reaction to improve standards of fire safety. For example, American standards focus on early warning systems, but European standards look at confining the fire.” Delhomme also mentioned that there were new international revised standards that would be introduced in 2011, which would require high safety and fire standards in cars, which he likened to a “petrol bomb on wheels”. The misconception about fire retardant fabric is that it does not burn. Fire retardant fabrics are engineered so that the flame does not spread quickly, that they do not contribute to the cause of fire and have some self-extinguishing characteristics, but it does not mean that if the fabric is ignited, it will extinguish itself. There are also two kinds of FR qualities: FR Treated and FR inherent permanent. FR treated fabrics are often treated with chemicals after they have been produced. However, though the chemicals may have FR qualities, the fabric itself may be flammable. Treating the fabric with different FR chemicals may also have worse results, as the chemical reactions may actually start a fire. In FR inherent fabrics, FR components are embedded within the molecular structure of the yarn, and the yarn is then weaved into a fabric with the FR fabrics inherent. Though most standards are now enforced and applied in work places and public spaces, such as hotels, there is merit in taking these standards and applying them to private residences. “Most people work their whole lives to buy or build the house of their dreams, and when a tragedy like a fire happens, their dream is lost. By investing just an extra amount of money into buying FR products, like curtains and furnishing, the assurance from the safety of fire retardant fabrics could save the home and the memories which it contains,” said Alex Chai, Project Manager of Fabrica Interior Furnishing Co. “The recent statistics in the newspaper show that the total property and asset losses due to fire was cost at about three million dollars. We want to introduce and create the awareness of FR products in Brunei as a safety measure and set a standard that, when building or furnishing a home, we should not just think about the aesthetics, but also the components of safety,” he continued. Dina Matussin and Elna Sausa, representatives from Arkitek Idris, expressed keen interest in the FR products. “Looking at the safety features and the designs of the fabrics that were on display today, I think that there could be a lot of use and applications for the fabrics. It was not something that we were aware of before, so we may just use them in future designs,” said Sausa. Dina adds, “At the moment, most of the commercial areas already have fire prevention systems such as sprinklers, but it’s not something that’s common in residential areas. So in future there is a possibility that the FR fabrics could be introduced in residential projects. The quantities needed in a residence are not a lot, but the cost in the investment could be worth it for the safety. It’s a new standard that we should be looking at”. source: http://news.brunei.fm/2010/05/11/preventing-loss-with-fire-retardant-fabric/ |
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