Fire Attenuation Screens

25 January 2018

Fire attenuation screens are screens which have been engineered to be a solution that meets the Building Code of Australia. Fire attenuation screens are meant to give adequate protection from fire outbreaks by reducing the risk of fire spreading in buildings.

Requirements for Fire Attenuation Screens

The Building Code of Australia requires that there be fire attenuation screens stipulated in the fire safety report which can be verified by a fire engineer. The report is meant to describe the methods by which alternative solutions can reach the required performance satisfactory standards of the building Certifier, the regulatory authority and the Queensland fire and rescue service.

Fire Attenuation Screens Installation

Fire attenuation screens need to be installed by specialists who have the professional skills to get the job done. The specialist is important because of their skills in designing of ways in which fire attenuation screens can be installed based on the project location, materials used in building the premises in which the fire attenuation screens should be installed and the openings in which the fire attenuation screens will be placed in. The process of installing fire attenuation screens is different based on each specific project because there needs to be an assessment to ensure the requirements which are stipulated in the fire safety report are met. Assessment of the fire attenuation screens installation process also ensures that after the project is professionally done a form 16 can be issued to guarantee that the project is of a high standard.

The fire attenuation screens installation does not need to be an expensive affair. You can be able to make the installation process cost effective by:

• Ensuring the fire attenuation screens are placed on the exterior side of the building.
• It requires a galvanized sub-frame made of steel to install
• Perform prior analysis to ensure the type of window which will be placed is able to retain the airflow in a building.
• When fitting fire attenuation screens to substrate the current block work a fire engineer needs to be involved ensuring that you will not have to pay hefty costs associated with rewriting of the fire safety report and the engineering costs accompanied by them.

Provision

Metallic mesh screens need to be provided to ensure that airborne embers or brands are not able to pass freely through an open window. The mesh is meant to serve as a block off a portion of radiant heat by reflection, absorption, and scattering of the heat. This process is meant to reduce the risk of fire spreading in a building.