You are Here: Blog Home | Upgrading Safety with Style: Installing a One-Hour Fire Shutter
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Call us on: 01603 410304
or: 0800 0180304
Every now and then we get a job that comes together really neatly, and this recent installation was one of them. The client needed a fire-resisting shutter across a long serving counter - just under 9000mm wide - and after talking through the options with them, we supplied and fitted a Flameshield 240 - a power-operated fire shutter with a one-hour fire rating. Once everything was in and tested, it sat so neatly in the space that it looked like it had always been there.
The shutter is finished in RAL 9005 Jet Black, which works well with the barrel casing running along the front of the kitchen. When it’s open, you barely notice it; when it’s closed, it forms a clean, solid barrier. You can get a sense of it from the photos - the shutter spans the full length of the counter, with the motor tucked away behind a tidy black casing.
The area behind the shutter is a food-service section, so it’s full of equipment, packaging and everything else that comes with a working kitchen. If a fire started in that space, the opening between the kitchen and corridor would allow heat to pass through quickly, which is exactly why a shutter is so important in this type of setting.
A fire shutter provides a barrier that slows the spread of fire through the opening. It’s not something anyone hopes to see deployed, but when it’s needed, it has a crucial job to do.
A lot of people assume fire shutters only belong in industrial environments, but they’re used all over the place:
If there’s an open aperture between two areas that need to be separated in the event of a fire, a shutter is usually the simplest and most effective solution.
The Flameshield 240 we fitted is a really solid bit of kit. It’s been tested to BS EN 16034-1, which is the standard for fire-resisting shutters and doors, and it also meets BS EN 12604 and BS EN 12605 for the mechanical side of things. In short, it’s been put through all the checks you’d expect for a shutter that’s there to protect people and property.
A few things that stand out with this model are:
The safety brake is worth mentioning again. It’s one of those features you hope never gets used, but if a component ever did give way inside the barrel, it stops the curtain from free-falling. It’s a simple bit of engineering, but an important one.
Fire shutters don’t get noticed much until they’re needed, but their role is vital. A well-specified shutter:
And in normal day-to-day use, they sit quietly out of the way, require very little maintenance, and don’t interfere with the space around them.
For this job, the Flameshield 240 ticked every box:
It blends into the room when open and does its job when closed - exactly what you want from a fire shutter.
It’s always satisfying when a project ends with a result that looks good and performs exactly as it should. Fire protection isn’t an area where shortcuts make sense, and giving the client a shutter that offers the right level of safety while fitting the space perfectly is something we take real pride in.
If your building has a serving hatch, kitchen area, workshop opening or any space that needs proper fire separation, shutters like the Flameshield 240 are well worth considering. We’re always happy to talk through the options and help you choose the right setup for your building.
