Elevator smoke curtains have gained significant attention as crucial safety devices in high-rise buildings. These curtains contain smoke and prevent its spread during a fire, providing valuable time for evacuation and fire suppression. Understanding the code requirements for elevator smoke curtains is essential in building design and maintenance, ensuring both safety and regulatory compliance.

What Are Elevator Smoke Curtains?

In the event of a fire, flexible smoke curtains can be deployed to effectively seal off elevator shafts and prevent the spread of smoke and heat through the elevator doors. Elevator shafts often act as chimneys, allowing smoke to rapidly rise through a building during a fire. This dangerous vertical migration of smoke can be significantly reduced by deploying a smoke curtain.

Are Elevator Smoke Curtains Required?

In commercial buildings, smoke and fire curtains are crucial, particularly around elevator entrances. Their main function is to confine fires and stop smoke from traveling to other floors, thereby saving lives. Commonly installed in elevator shafts – which can behave like chimneys in high-rise structures – these smoke curtains effectively block the spread of smoke.

How Do Elevator Smoke Curtains Work?

Smoke curtains automatically deploy when fire or smoke is detected, creating a physical barrier that prevents smoke from spreading and cutting off the fire’s oxygen supply. Despite their critical functionality, these curtains are designed to blend discreetly with architectural aesthetics until activated.

What’s the Difference Between Smoke and Fire Curtains?

There are two distinct types of fire safety curtains: smoke and fire curtains.

Smoke curtains are specifically designed to block the spread of smoke and guide it out of hazardous areas. They meet UL 1784 Standard for Air Leakage Tests of Door Assemblies and Other Opening Protectives and can withstand temperatures up to 400°F.

In contrast, fire curtains act as physical barriers to prevent flames from spreading further, possessing a fire-resistance rating of up to 3 hours and being able to withstand temperatures of over 2000° F. Fire Curtains should be tested to UL 10B Standard for Fire Tests of Door Assemblies to be acceptance in a fire rated wall.

What are the Code Requirements for Smoke Curtains?

The International Building Code (IBC) in Chapter 30 for Elevators and Conveying Systems outlines the conditions that require hoistway opening protection for elevator shafts connecting more than three stories as indicated in 3006.2.

These conditions include:

1. Buildings not protected with an IBC-compliant automatic sprinkler system.
2. Shafts exceeding 75 feet in height from the lowest to the highest floor.
3. Buildings or portions used for institutional purposes where occupants require assistance or supervision, such as healthcare facilities and detention centers.

Hoistway coverings

The model building codes provide several exceptions to the standard hoistway and shaft protection requirements. Hoistway coverings are not mandatory if the elevator hoistway serves only open parking garages.

Similarly, shaft opening protection is unnecessary at exit discharge levels with compliant automatic sprinkler systems. Additionally, elevator lobbies and hoistway protection are not required on floors where the hoistway opens directly to the exterior.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has numerous standards related to hoistway closures. For instance, NFPA 105 Standard for Smoke Door Assemblies and Other Opening Protectives includes Chapter 9, which focuses on Smoke-Protective Curtain Assemblies for Hoistways and provides guidance on mounting, assembly, power requirements, installation, inspection, testing, and maintenance.

Testing

Testing must be conducted by a qualified individual who inspects for any damaged, modified, or missing components that could pose a hazard. Smoke curtains require a closing rate between 6 and 24 inches per second, and they must be installed per the manufacturer’s instructions and the ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators.

Post-installation, the curtains undergo operational and drop testing, which a witness must sign off on and provide to the (AHJ) authority having jurisdiction for the life of the installation. Annual drop and operational testing, as well as yearly visual inspections, are also mandated.

The building owner or property manager is responsible for all required maintenance and repairs, ensuring they are completed promptly by qualified personnel.

Can Smoke Curtains Be Added to Existing Elevators?

Retrofitting elevator smoke curtains in commercial buildings offers property owners several advantages in meeting current building code standards, such as the requirements outlined in the International Building Code Section 3006.

Elevator Smoke Curtains have several advantages

Cost Effective

Elevator Smoke Containment Systems are generally more affordable than alternatives like smoke doors, pressurization systems, or enclosed lobbies with fire doors, making them a cost-effective choice for meeting the requirements of IBC 3006.3 Elevator Hoistway Door Protection.

Valuable Space Savings

Unlike other solutions, elevator smoke curtains eliminate the need for an enclosed elevator lobby. This feature opens valuable space in commercial buildings, allowing for more flexible, open-concept designs – a crucial consideration for commercial property layouts.

Aesthetic Appeal

Virtually invisible elevator smoke curtains blend into a building’s design, preserving its aesthetic appeal. These visually discreet curtains can be fully concealed in a suspended ceiling, only deploying when necessary – a stark contrast to smoke doors’ bulky, unattractive appearance.

Low Maintenance

Smoke curtains offer a simpler installation process and lower maintenance costs than alternatives such as pressurized elevators, which can be complex to design and expensive to upkeep.

Flexibility

In the event of a fire, elevator smoke curtains automatically deploy to create a barrier that prevents smoke from spreading through the elevator shaft. Even after activation, these curtains allow for safe evacuation and access. The smoke curtain can be easily raised using the built-in emergency switch mounted as described in the criteria established by ICC-ES AC 77, providing egress from either side of the curtain.

Retrofitting commercial buildings with elevator smoke curtains can provide cost-effective, visually appealing, and space-optimizing fire safety solutions that are easy to maintain while preserving functionality during emergencies.

Although your warehouse meets legal fire safety requirements, it may not provide sufficient protection against the risk of a devastating fire. While fire codes and OSHA standards regulations set the baseline for warehouse safety, they should be viewed as the bare minimum, not a guarantee of comprehensive fire prevention and preparedness.

Despite meeting fire code and passing safety inspections, warehouses can still benefit from enhanced fire prevention measures. With warehouses sustaining an average of $155 million in annual property damage, investing in additional safeguards is a financially prudent decision that can yield long-term savings.

While there are various warehouse fortification options, draft curtains provide an affordable yet highly effective solution for improving fire and smoke control.

Purpose of Draft Curtains

Draft curtains are a type of smoke curtain installed in warehouse ceilings. They attach directly to the overhead beams, making them easy to install without any remodeling. Typically made of smoke- and fire-resistant fiberglass, these curtains are designed to control smoke as it billows through the warehouse.

Although fire-resistant, the curtains are positioned high in the ceiling and generally not exposed to direct flames.

In a warehouse fire, ceiling jets – the natural air flow patterns that develop – rapidly spread smoke throughout the space, exacerbating the blaze. A draft curtain is vital for interrupting these ceiling jets, slowing and redirecting the smoke’s movement to allow for safer evacuation and fire suppression.

Draft curtains create a physical barrier that slows smoke movement and channels the ceiling jet toward a vent. This containment prevents smoke from freely spreading among the rafters, instead directing it out through roof vents.

While standard roof vents work effectively with draft curtains, installing powered exhaust fans can further enhance the safety system by actively pulling smoke up and out of the warehouse.

Advantages of Draft Curtains in Warehouses

Draft curtains offer several key advantages: they effectively control smoke, easily integrate with existing systems, and have the potential to minimize property damage and injuries.

Though draft curtains alone create a physical barrier against smoke, they work most effectively when used in conjunction with other smoke control measures. Pairing a draft curtain with exhaust fans, for instance, delivers better performance than either method on its own.

Highly versatile draft curtains can be easily installed in existing warehouses. These semi-permanent additions can be quickly removed and reinstalled during renovations when access to underlying girders or beams is required.

In warehouses with sprinkler systems, draft curtains can be an effective safety measure. By redirecting ceiling air currents through roof vents and slowing smoke spread, draft curtains can delay sprinkler activation.

While sprinkler water does suppress smoke and flames, it can also inadvertently damage costly equipment.

Additionally, the water can create slippery conditions on warehouse concrete floors, posing a hazard to evacuating workers. Prolonging the time between an evacuation alarm and sprinkler deployment can help mitigate the risk of slip-and-fall injuries.

A delayed sprinkler activation allows staff sufficient time to safely move sensitive equipment without the risk of slips or falls from excessive water exposure.

While warehouses lacking a sprinkler system are uncommon, those that do utilize draft curtains as the primary means of smoke and fire safety can benefit greatly from this safeguard.

Choosing The Right Draft Curtain

To ensure maximum protection in your warehouse, opt for high-quality, reliable, and code-compliant draft curtains. When selecting curtains, choose a reputable manufacturer that meets NFPA 92 standards for smoke control systems, such as Door Systems, who offer a range of smoke and fire curtains suited for diverse industrial environments, including their Draft Curtain specifically designed for manufacturing and storage spaces like warehouses.

To accommodate the variable nature of warehouse designs, Door Systems offers custom-width draft curtains with multiple drop lengths, allowing them to be installed semi-permanently or temporarily to suit different ceiling heights. The curtains are constructed from a specialized, dual-layered glass fiber fabric that is non-combustible and fire-resistant, effectively preventing smoke passage and withstanding heat and direct flame for an extended duration.

A Horizontal UL 10B rated fire curtain with a 120-minute rating!

The DSI-HHS10B Hose Stream Rated Horizontal Fire Curtain is a breakthrough fire shutter product for architects who want to compartmentalize large floor openings while reducing or eliminating mechanical smoke evacuation systems. It is a cutting edge solution that effectively prevents smoke and fire from spreading through the ceiling and atrium voids, stairwells, and skylights.

Compliant with:

• UL 10B: With Hose Stream – 120 minutes
• ASTM E84: Class A Surface Building Characteristics of Building Materials
• UL 864: Control Units for Fire Protective Signaling Systems
• Lightweight Fire Rated Fiberglass Fabric

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Door Systems, Inc. team members joined forces with HomeAid Orange County and sponsored this year’s food drive.

Thanks in partnership with other sponsors and the local community this year we helped collect over 11,000 pounds of food and assemble almost 500 meal boxes for families experiencing homelessness in Orange County.

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