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Author Topic: Curtains do you use them? Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 02-10-2010 06:25 AM                     quote: Scott Norwood Pretty much every house with a stage will have a fire curtain. It's essentially standard issue, and (almost?) always required by code. What do they make the new ones out of? I've only seen older asbestos fire curtains. Usually steel plates here, and very heavy. I did once see an illustration in an old book of an asbestos cloth roller type, but I've never actually seen one. there were two and three piece ones with overlapping sections for places wthout the height to fly a one-piece one. I did see one of those long ago.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-10-2010 09:15 PM                        We have "fire curtains" -- frames that are a bit larger that than the prosceniums opening in two of proscenium theatres. They basically are foot thick metal frames over which asbestos had been hung. The frames rode in a metal trough so that when the asbestos covered frame was lowered in its trough, it created a fire proof barrier between the fire (presumably on stage) and the audience. Ours weren't anything fancy like in the old days, with artistic paintings on, ours were just painted the exact same color as the proscenium. Where as the fancy painted ones were intended to be seen by the audience when they came in, ours are never in sight when an audience comes into the theatre. In fact, even when the theatres are dark, they are only flown to the deck when the last of the crew locks up at night. When the city decided to conform it's buildings to meet asbestos abatement rules, they stripped all the asbestos material from the frames and replaced it with some new fire resistant stuff. I have no idea what it is. The thing weighs a tone and is lifted and lowered hydrolically. It also has a trigger safety rope line with a knife hanging right next to it so you can presumably cut the rope and that releases the weights and the thing falls like a ton of bricks to the stage. Theoretically, it is SUPPOSE to stop 8 feet from the stage so that it doesn't kill anyone who might be in the way, and then hydrolic fluid is SUPPOSE to let it come in the rest of the way gently. Although gently or not, if someone were unconscious laying there under it, it would surely crush them. A fire inspector came in one day and made us cut the rope. The thing fell straight to the floor....no hydrolic break stopping it. Evidently the oil had leaked out. It hit the deck with incredible force, dust and bits of flooring flying out from under it, the metal guides pulling cement out of the bricks. Concrete dust bellowed like a cloud all over the stage. We keep the oil resoviour full now as part of regular maintenance. Even so, I wouldn't stand anywhere near that thing when someone is about to cut the safety rope.  |  IP: Logged Amir Zohourian Film Handler Posts: 4 From: Concord, Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2009 posted 02-11-2010 01:44 PM                        The asbestos curtains were replaced mostly by Zetex which is the same fabric as high heat gloves are made out of. The regular version support up to 1000F, there is the steel core stuff that is much heavier. Usually its mounted on a pipe batten in a fly stage, although i have seen it on rollers as wide as 50-60' wide. Grand Olde Oprey should have one of the biggest ones. I doubt anybody spends the money to paint murals on fire curtains any more, the original intent was to distract the patrons in case of fire on stage. Hall out of the UK makes the best of the lift systems you mention here, and they do have the hydraulic plunger. You should replace the knife with a fusible link that melts at high temperature. By the way, yes Hall is of the Harkness Hall fame although the screen company is separated from the stage company these days. This is my first post!! Yipee Amir  |  IP: Logged F. Hudson Miller Film Handler Posts: 48 From: Los Angeles, CA, USA Registered: Jun 2009 posted 06-10-2010 08:16 PM                  In UK legit houses the fire curtain has been required, by code, to be dropped at intermission. This proved to the audience that it was in fact in working order. A fire in a theater has always been a very dangerous thing. Before electrification of theatrical lighting fires were more common than today.  |  IP: Logged

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