New Zealand's Flammability Codes
Governmental building codes all have clauses pertaining to the flame retardant properties of flexible fabrics and materials when used in areas of assembly or egress. Fabric flammability is an important issue, especially for stage drapery and curtains that are used in public spaces such as theatres, cinemas, event venues, halls and sports centres, etc.
When a fabric is designated as 'permanently fire-retardant', the flame retardant treatment lasts for the life of the fabric. In the case of fabrics designed as 'fire retardant' the flame retardant in the fabric will dissipate over time, especially with repeated cleaning.
Although all fabrics will burn, some are naturally more resistant to fire than others. Those that are more flammable can have their fire resistance drastically improved by treatment with fire retardant chemicals such as Inspecta-Shield.
Any flame retardant or resistant item that has had its fire resistant coating removed or has had a flammable coating (including but not limited to airborne dust and flammable paints) applied or adhered to its surface, will have negated its flammability rating and at that point it will no longer comply to its original flame retardant standard.
Over time flammable dust will accumulate on these items and this coating of dust must be removed. During this removal, there is no guarantee of how much flame retardant is also removed from the item. The material must then be retreated again to meet code standard.
Curtain Clean can treat curtains and fabric before they are installed or while they are here for cleaning. We supply a certificate of flame proofing. These certificates are valid for a period of 5 years, at which time the product will need to be cleaned and re-treated.
Call 0800 579 0501 to book your curtains in.
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