Why Fire Retardant Fabrics Are Important?

A theater owner has to consider a lot of theater fabrics be for purchasing stage curtain. That’s because people consider the theater stage curtain as a normal curtain but in many situations, it can be a lifesaver. Nowadays, because of safety reasons, schools, colleges, and auditorium owners are only considering flame retardant theater curtains. However, many of them are compromising with safety by using normal tarps made of Muslin. There is no denial in the fact that curtains made of muslin are excellent. The only issue is they are not flame retardant. Fabrics like cotton and linen can easily catch the fire if fire retardant chemicals are not applied. The type of surface also matters as sometimes curtains with rough surface ignite easily. Let’s first Check-out what is flame retardant material:

Most of the curtains sold by verified curtain manufacturers are flame retardant. Moreover, before purchasing them buyers can check the tags. These curtains are treated with fire-resistant chemicals in workshops. The chemical applied reacts with the fire and naturally slowdowns the burning process. There are two main categories of fire retardant fabrics. These are Durably flame retardant (DFR) and non-durable flame retardant (NDFR).

Durably fire retardant is a process in which fabrics are treated with fire-retardant chemicals in the workshop. A non-water soluble chemical is added during the manufacturing process. These curtains can easily face all the dry cleaning methods without losing flame retardant properties. In comparison to this in the non-durable flame retardant method, the curtains are passed through the water-based solution. This solution is flame retardant in dry form. Just in case if the curtains are wet then they can catch fire easily. That’s why to restore the flame retardant properties, the curtains should be treated with the mixture again.

Talking about the warranty, the flame retardant properties are Certified for only one year. But in many cases, the curtains show fire retardant properties for more than two years. Also, the fire-retardant properties are based on the number of times, curtains are dry cleaned. If any curtain is dry cleaned multiple times then it’ll lose flame retardant properties quickly. That’s why it is said that a curtain should be passed through the fire retardant chemical after one year.

As DFR curtains are resistant to fire in all conditions, they are costly in comparison to NDFR. Theater owners should check this before purchasing these curtains. Also, if they are purchasing NDFR curtains then they should check there should be no contact of liquid.

Why fire retardant fabrics are important?

In many cases, it is advised by the local fire department that fire retardant curtains should be used in public places. This way in case of happening they can easily control the fire. Accordingly, there will be less damage.

How to check if the fabrics are flame retardant?

Most of the standard Fabric manufacturing companies produce fabrics meeting fire-retardant properties. They should also meet NFPA 701 standards. NFPA 701 has some standard rules and regulations for checking out fire-retardant properties. The company should also name them as FR/DFR curtains or fabrics. These standards are developed by the National fire protection association (NFPA) of the United States.

According to the standards, a part of fabric or curtain is checked by applying flames, checking out residue and length. If the fabric passes the test, only then it is labeled as fire or flame retardant. In many countries, the British standards are used for checking out flame retardant properties are used.

Why the NFPA 701 test is important?

The federal government has made it mandatory for all institutions to use flame retardant theater curtains or fabrics. With the help of these fabrics, it becomes easy for firefighters to handle the situation. Also as NFPA 701 test three basic standards, it is easy for the officials to maintain public security. Basically, during the test, the sample is ignited for approximately 12 seconds and the residual is checked. If it can maintain the original composition after 12 seconds only then it is selected.

The basic three standards are:

•              Char length should be less than 6.5”

•              After flame should be less than 2 seconds

•              The sample should not be burning while reaching the test chamber.