Released On 19th Mar 2024

A Comprehensive Guide to Fire Shutters

Safety is a top priority for every workplace manager, and when it comes to fire safety, investment in high-quality fire shutters is crucial to protect both personnel and property.

Easy-Roll are experts in fire shutter maintenance and installation, and if there’s one thing we’ve come to understand over our many years’ experience, it’s that every business environment has unique problems with differing needs. 

In this guide, we'll explain why fire shutter doors are so beneficial in commercial or industrial environments, but please get in touch for further advice or to talk about fire shutter solutions at your premises if you’re based in Somerset or the south-west. 

Fire and smoke containment

Obviously, the primary function of fire shutters is to contain the flames and prevent a fire’s rapid spread throughout the building. While other fire safety systems such as alarms and sprinklers are crucial, fire shutters provide an additional layer of defence. The existence of a barrier helps to confine a fire and minimise damage and loss.

Smoke can spread even faster than flames and pose as great a danger to health, but properly installed fire shutters will help to contain and limit its impact.

Reduce fire-fighting challenges

Fire shutters also buy time for emergency services to be called to the site. For example, the Flame Armour Fire Shutters that Easy-Roll supplies are manufactured with integrity ratings that provide between 60- and 240-minutes’ fire resistance, which is sufficient in most scenarios to restrict a fire’s progress until emergency services on are the scene to extinguish it effectively and safely.

Protecting life and property

Robust fire safety measures, including fire shutter doors, reassures employees and customers that their wellbeing is a priority. In the actual event of a blaze, adequate containment of a fire provides precious time for staff and customers to be safely evacuated via controlled paths, reducing the risk of accident or injury.

By limiting fire damage, the structural integrity of a building can be preserved, which is crucial for post-fire recovery and rebuilding efforts. Fire shutters are also indispensable to protect crucial machinery or other assets, which are often integral to industrial and commercial businesses.

Business continuity

A fire incident can disrupt business operations and lead to significant downtime and financial losses. Take for example the complete destruction of an Ocado distribution centre in 2019 and a smaller but equally catastrophic blaze at one of their warehouses in 2021, resulting in lost jobs, millions of pounds’ worth of rebuild costs and a fall in the company’s share prices.

Fire shutters help mitigate these risks. By containing the fire and minimising damage, a business can retain the confidence of its employees, customers and shareholders, and resume operations swiftly and with lower costs after an incident.

Compliance with regulations

By law, all UK workplaces must have appropriate fire protection measures in place. These will vary from one business to another, but premises that present a high enough risk to require the installation of fire curtains or shutters could include:

• Factories, workshops and warehouses
• Chemical and power plants
• Hospitals and laboratories
• Schools, colleges or campus buildings
• Shopping centres and large department stores

Fire shutters must comply with legislation and meet certain building codes and standards.

Since 1st November 2019, new legislation was introduced regarding the manufacturing, testing and installation of fire shutters. It is now a mandatory requirement that all fire shutters must be CE marked to BS EN 16034:2014 under the Construction Product Regulations (EU) 305/2011.

Easy-Roll takes care of these requirements for you. Flame Armor Fire Shutters meet all required manufacturing legislation in the UK, and we’ll install them in line with all mandatory construction requirements. We’ll also ensure your business is supplied with all the documentation necessary to demonstrate your fire shutters’ compliance.

Meet insurance requirements

Depending on the level of fire risk at your premises, your insurer may require fire shutter doors to be installed as a condition of coverage. Your policy could be invalidated if they don’t comply with current UK legislation, so be extra vigilant that your supplier installs fire shutters to the correct standards, as mentioned earlier.

Your insurer may also ask for fire shutters that can be integrated with fire alarm systems or heat sensors, so they close automatically in the event of an emergency. Make sure your supplier is competent to handle this extra layer of complexity (Easy-Roll has experience with this).

For useful resources to help your business manage its fire safety strategy, visit the Fire Protection Association website.

The Easy-Roll Advantage   

Easy-Roll understands the critical importance of fire safety for your business. If you’re considering fire shutters, we guarantee the following:

• Rigorous Testing and Certification
• Reliability and Durability
• Seamless Integration with existing fire detection and alarm systems
• Scheduled maintenance and 24/7 repair services
• Customisation options

See our Fire Shutters page for more details or get in touch to arrange a quote.