safety curtain (or fire curtain in America) is a fire prevention measure used in large prosperum theater. This is usually a thick fiberglass or iron curtain that lies just behind the proscenium arch. Asbestos-based materials were originally used to make curtains, before the dangers of asbestos were widely publicized. Safety curtains are sometimes referred to as iron in British cinema, regardless of the actual construction material.
The occupational safety and health regulations state that safety curtains should be able to withstand fires and thus prevent (or at least block) fires from starting on the stage from spreading to the auditorium and across the theater, reducing injury to audiences and staff members.
The curtains are very heavy and therefore require a separate operating mechanism. In an emergency, stage managers can usually pull the lever backstage which will cause the curtain to fall rapidly into position. Alternatively, heat-sensitive components may be incorporated into the ropes to automatically close the curtain in case of fire. Finally, it can be released electronically by the fire control system of the building if there is an operating alarm box. It can also be flown in and out, because regulations in some jurisdictions state that it should be shown to the audience, to prove effective operation, for a certain time during each performance. This usually happens during rest.
In smaller theaters, safety curtains are usually unnecessary. In particular, most building codes of the United States only require a curtain of fire in theaters with a stage height of more than 50 feet (15 m). House heavy and fire resistant tabs can provide several levels of fire separators.
In the UK, it is a requirement that the safety curtain should be fully down in the proscenium opening within 30 seconds after being released. In the 1794 Theater Royal, Drury Lane became the first theater to feature iron curtains. Several other serious fires, especially at the Royal Theater, Exeter in 1887, led to the introduction of safety curtains on a wider scale.
The Fire of the Iroquois Theater 1903 in Chicago resulted in over 600 people killed when the theater safety curtain was stuck in the middle of the road, along with other structural deficiencies in the building.
Video Safety curtain
Related stages fire safety devices
Safety blinds can be combined with other security devices, such as:
- The smoke bag - is a steel conduit located on both sides of the proscenium arch that the safety curtain moves inside to create a physical barrier between the auditorium and the stage. Safety blinds are not meant to make air seals but prevent material from falling from the stage house to the audience.
- Fire doors - heavy, fire resistant doors designed to close doors automatically onto the stage during a fire. These doors are usually on a slightly pitched track, and are rigged in a way that causes it to close automatically when heated to a certain temperature.
- Smoke door or stage lantern - vents on stage which, when opened in case of fire, will pull smoke out of the auditorium and rise out of the theater roof, allowing evacuation which is safer than the audience. Holes often stick to compressed springs, so when activated, they will remain open.
- Drencher or flood system - a large reservoir of water stored on a stage which, when released in case of fire, will flood the stage in an attempt to extinguish the fire of this type of system can be problematic, because the interaction of water with an electrical circuit on stage can cause a fire.
- Water Curtain - a system similar to a flood system, except having water wetting the stage itself, running water from the sprinkler head or another nozzle directly in front of the proscenium to prevent sparks from flying off the stage or extinguish any burning material (such as a set) that may fall into the proscenium.
In case of fire, the use of smoke doors and fire curtains means that the stage area is functioning effectively as a chimney. The hot air rises and leaves through the smoke door, and this makes the building into negative pressure, which in turn draws fresh air in through the open door. Officers waiting to leave will have fresh air until the exit is closed. The open door will be drawn tightly closed by this draft once they are no longer opened by the refugees. Once the door is closed, the fire loses its oxygen source. If the door is then opened again, backdraft may occur.
Maps Safety curtain
References
External links
- Berufsgenossenschaft Rules: BGV-C1 Accident Regulation, for Staging and Production Facilities for the Entertainment Industry adopted on 1. April 1998 (PDF, 266 KB)
- Safety Curtain: Type and Model
- Fire Security at the Theater
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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