How Does a Fire Shutter Work?

A fire is a dangerous and devastating occurrence in any circumstance, however there is something unnerving about the possibility of an entire warehouse catching alight. After all, they are extremely large and often have hundreds of people working inside at any given moment. Luckily there are ways that fires can be prevented in order to keep people safe and properties damage free. With this said, it pays to be prepared for all things and a fire shutter could be the difference between life and death. Read on to find out how exactly they work…

Role

A fire shutter is different from a regular roller shutter because it has a very specific and important job during the event of a fire. In harmony with other applications like sprinklers and smoke extractors, a fire shutter works to compartmentalise a warehouse in order to prevent it spreading from room to room. Of course, this isn’t a permanent solution and fire shutters are only said to last half an hour however this is an extra 30 minutes that people trapped inside have got to find a way to evacuate safely. After all, preventing a fire from spreading around a warehouse rapidly is going to save lives as well as minimise the damage that is caused.

Activation

Unlike other fire related safety measures, a fire shutter is only activated when a fire is detected which means that during regular day to day activities it can serve its purpose acting in the place of a regular roller shutter. With this said, some fire shutters are fired into the fire alarm system so that when it is alerted, the fire shutter automatically kicks into action where are others comes with a heat detection system to sense any drastic changes in heat. When the mechanism that tells the shutter there is a fire is triggered, the shutter either rolls under its own weight or closes with a motorised mechanism. The last one only allows the shutter to close to a certain distance so that people still escape by crawling underneath.

Here at Sheridan Doors, we understand how devastating a warehouse fire can be which is why we want everybody in the industrial world to take all the measures necessary in order to prevent one. Simple things like checking any machinery for faults can make all the difference. In the event of a fire however it is a great relief to know that extra measures like fire shutters could save someone’s life! To find out more information, get in contact with the best shutters Manchester has to offer today!