Smoke Inhalation is the primary cause of death for victims of indoor fires. At design stage, building construction will plan fire safety around smoke and fire compartments using fire rated ducting as a means of smoke extraction to steer the smoke to a suitable outlet from the building.
Smoke extraction is the evacuation of smoke and toxic gases, which could otherwise reduce human visibility and compromise the occupant’s safe exit, in the event of a fire. The correct application of Fire Rated Ductwork facilitates the escape of buildings occupants, minimises property damage and assists fire fighters in locating the source of the fire and extinguishing it.
Smoke Extract and EN Standards Regulations
Traditional test standards for BS 476 Part 24 required three different test scenarios, duct A (fire exposure from outside to inside), duct B (fire exposure from inside to outside) and duct C (smoke extract). The standard required the duct to maintain at least 75% of its cross sectional area (Integrity).
The New EN 1366 tests include more stringent and robust criteria. It requires firstly that the duct has passed all tests mentioned in BS 476 above and more importantly, that the duct withstands testing to EN1366-8 (multi Compartment) and EN1366-9 (single Compartment) for smoke extract. The critical difference with this test is where the duct now must retain 90% of its cross sectional area.
Following from this, BS EN 12101-7 has become a mandatory and harmonised product standard. CE marking of products with harmonised (hEN) standards became mandatory on the 1st of July 2013 as stated within the requirements of the European directive.
Consequently smoke extract duct covered by product standard BS EN 12101-7 must be CE marked (DW144). The old standard BS 476 cannot support CE marking of construction products and has been withdrawn where a harmonised standard exists Breffni Air is Ireland and the UK’s leading specialist Ventilation Manufacturer and Contractor. We are currently working on large scale projects in the UK, Ireland and Europe across the Pharmaceutical, Construction and Telecommunications Industries.
Breffni Air is proud to conform to all requirements of a fire duct manufacturer:
- Tested to the EN Standards at a UKAS accredited laboratory.
- Has ISO 9001 quality management systems for manufacture
- Carries out FPC (Factory Production Control) yearly assessed by a nominated body.
- has third party accreditation for the installation (FIRAS)
CONTACT US
Our highly qualified team of engineers makes all the difference. Please call our team on +353 (49) 433 6554 or email our technical estimating team about your project at info@breffniair.ie.
