Crown Trade Timonox Flame Retardant Coatings – Buying Valuable Time To Evacuate Buildings If Fire Breaks Out

Flame retardant coatings buy valuable additional time to evacuate blocks of flats and other public sector environments if fire breaks out.

Here, Debbie Orr, Brand Manager at Crown Trade - manufacturers of Timonox flame retardant coatings - gives an insight into the vital role the paints play in fire protection.

Evacuating people from a burning building as quickly and efficiently as possible is a serious consideration and anything that can be done to slow down the spread of flames will in effect buy time for the building occupants.

Under current fire regulations, which were brought in across the UK in 2006, owners of all buildings other than single occupancy private dwellings have a duty of care to achieve and maintain conditions in buildings that reduce the risk of injury, risk to life and damage to property.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (England and Wales) – often called the RRFSO - and the Fire (Scotland) Act require the identification of a responsible person – such as an owner, property manager or an employee – who has a duty to ensure that a fire risk assessment of the building as a whole is undertaken.

The Government has made available a series of advisory guides relating to this and the other different sectors covered, providing details of what to look for and how to carry out such a risk assessment.

Each of these guides refers to the potential hazards of flame spread over painted walls and ceilings and the need to achieve a Class 0 fire rating in circulation areas and escape routes.

Paints – even water based emulsions – contain resins or binders which may be flammable.  Although a single coat of emulsion on a bare plasterboard surface is unlikely to form a hazard, over many years a build up of multiple layers of conventional paint over any surface can become a significant fire risk, particularly in corridors, stairwells and other areas forming part of a fire escape route.

In the UK, wall and ceiling lining materials are classified from Class 0 to Class 4 according to their level of resistance to flame spread & heat release, with Class 0 being the best performing material and Class 4 the worst.

A Class 0 performance is generally specified where it is necessary to restrict the use of products which ignite easily and which have a high rate of heat release and could therefore reduce the time to flashover

It is not possible to test the performance of paint in isolation – a system able to provide a Class 0 rating on plasterboard may give a Class 3 rating when applied to wood – so our fire performance claims cover the paint and substrate in combination. 

Studies have shown that the surface of plasterboard, Class 0 when painted for the first time, can be downgraded to Class 2 or worse as subsequent layers of conventional paint are applied

This is a serious concern for organisations which have a duty of care to minimise fire risk and guard against potential loss of life, injury and property damage.

Crown Trade Timonox is designed to improve fire performance rating. It is capable of improving a rating from Class 4 to Class 0 and while it is unlikely  to prevent a fire from starting, as paint is not normally the first thing to be ignited, may provide valuable additional time for a building to be safely evacuated.

The system works by limiting the oxygen around the flames through the release of non-combustible gases, and by using a formulation which provides a barrier to the flammable paint layers beneath.

Depending on the nature of the project, property owners or managers wishing to specify the application of flame retardant coatings can contact Crown Trade and we will make an assessment of the age and condition of the existing painted surfaces.

Our specialists may want to take a sample of the existing paint covering away for analysis, as this will show what coating system needs to be applied to offer the optimum protection.