The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters has developed the nation's first portable smoke-blocking curtain that prevents the spread of smoke containing toxic gases inside buildings during fires in high-rise buildings, including apartments, and will distribute it nationwide.
On the 16th, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced that three members of the Suwon Fire Station's On-site Command Unit 3?Fire Lieutenant Choi Young-jae, Fire Sergeant Kim Jun-hak, and Fire Warrant Officer Lee Yong-man?developed a fire door-attached portable smoke-blocking curtain that firefighters can easily attach to doors during fire suppression to block smoke from spreading outside, based on the same principle as attaching a mosquito net to a door.
The developed equipment consists of a 'ㄷ'-shaped aluminum frame with attached magnets combined with a fabric smoke-blocking screen.
It is installed by magnetically attaching the frame in a 'Π' shape to the upper part and vertical sides of a steel fire door frame, then unfolding the fireproof screen downward. The horizontal frame can be extended left and right to fit the door size precisely, and the vertical frame is foldable for easy storage in a portable bag, making it highly convenient to carry.
Additionally, since it attaches magnetically to the door frame, installation time is very short, allowing a firefighter to install it alone. The smoke-blocking screen is made of flame-retardant material that does not easily catch fire and has sufficient performance to block high-temperature heat and smoke.
Although smoke-blocking curtains produced overseas existed before, their long installation time and complicated use meant they were only used for training purposes, not at actual fire scenes.
Kim Jun-hak, team leader of the Suwon Fire Station On-site Command Unit who participated in the development, said, "We have often witnessed tragic cases where human casualties occurred due to smoke spreading through fire doors at apartment and high-rise building fire scenes. After much consideration and research, we developed an attachable portable fire curtain. We expect the fire curtain to prevent smoke spread at fire scenes and help reduce human casualties."
The Fire and Disaster Headquarters plans to apply for a patent for the smoke-blocking curtain and distribute it to fire stations nationwide.
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