Enhancing Hospital Fire Safety with Kent Smoke and Fire Curtains

In healthcare environments, fire safety is not just a requirement—it’s a responsibility. Hospitals face unique challenges, from immobile patients and complex layouts to mission-critical equipment that cannot be easily relocated. In such scenarios, passive fire protection systems like Kent Smoke and Fire Curtains play a vital role in life safety, operational continuity, and code compliance.

In healthcare environments, fire safety is not just a requirement—it’s a responsibility. Hospitals face unique challenges, from immobile patients and complex layouts to mission-critical equipment that cannot be easily relocated. In such scenarios, passive fire protection systems like Kent Smoke and Fire Curtains play a vital role in life safety, operational continuity, and code compliance.

Why Fire and Smoke Curtains Are Essential in Hospitals

Life-Saving Compartmentation
Kent Smoke and Fire curtains automatically deploy in the event of a fire, creating temporary barriers that effectively prevent fire and smoke from spreading across open-plan areas such as corridors, waiting zones, lobbies, and atriums. By compartmentalizing affected areas, these curtains safeguard escape routes, giving patients, staff, and visitors critical time to evacuate safely and for emergency responders to take control of the situation.
Safe Evacuation Routes
Smoke inhalation is the leading cause of death in fires, particularly in healthcare settings where patients may have limited mobility. Kent’s smoke curtains are specifically engineered to direct smoke away from evacuation routes, keeping these paths clear and breathable. This ensures that patients, staff, and visitors can evacuate safely, even in the midst of high-risk fire scenarios, reducing the danger of smoke-related injuries.
Supports Modern Hospital Architecture
As hospitals increasingly adopt open layouts, glass partitions, and expansive public spaces to promote a welcoming environment, Kent’s smoke and fire curtains provide an effective solution for maintaining safety without compromising design. The curtains are designed to be discreet, remaining concealed in the ceiling or walls when not in use. This ensures that the protection they offer is invisible, preserving the architectural intent and aesthetic of the space while still providing vital fire and smoke containment when deployed.

Automatic & Fail-Safe Operation

Curtains are triggered by the building’s alarm system and automatically deploy using a Kent’s smoke and fire curtains are automatically activated by the fire alarm system, ensuring seamless deployment without the need for manual intervention when the alarm is triggered. Even in the event of a power failure, the curtains remain operational due to the gravity fail-safe mechanism, providing reliable protection during emergencies. Additionally, in critical areas such as corridors or patient rooms, optional emergency egress doors can be integrated into the curtain system, ensuring safe and accessible evacuation routes even when the curtains are deployed.

Certified Testing and Compliance – Tailored for Hospital Environments

Kent’s smoke and fire curtains are engineered specifically for critical healthcare settings, where safety, reliability, and compliance are paramount. Each system is rigorously tested to meet the demanding performance requirements of hospitals—ensuring dependable protection during real-world fire emergencies.

Fire Curtains – Tested for Containment and Safety

Fire Resistance: Tested by BS EN 1634-1, Kent fire curtains can withstand fire exposure for up to 240 minutes, providing vital compartmentation in hospital corridors, wards, ICUs, and operating areas.
Fabric Classification: The curtain fabric achieves a Class 0 rating as per BS 476 Part 6 & Part 7, indicating low flame spread and high fire propagation resistance—ideal for sensitive and sterile medical environments.

Smoke Curtains – Designed for Safe Evacuation

Smoke Control: Designed and tested to BS EN 12101-1, Kent smoke curtains manage smoke movement to secure evacuation routes and limit smoke damage within the hospital.
Air Leakage Prevention: Certified to Annex C of BS EN 12101-1, our curtains demonstrate minimal air permeability, maintaining effective smoke compartmentation in critical care zones like ICUs and surgical suites.

Global and Regional Compliance – Trusted Worldwide

Compliant with UL 10D (fire) and UL 1784 (smoke) standards
Certifier-accredited for reliable performance assurance
Approved by Civil Defence Authorities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Hong Kong, Etc.
Meets AS 1530.4:2014, ensuring compatibility with fire safety standards in Australia and the Middle East

Proven Track Record in Global Healthcare Projects:

Kent curtains are already protecting over 35 hospital projects around the world. A few key healthcare installations include:

Royal Oman Police Hospital – Oman
Rashid Hospital – UAE
Dr. Samir Abbas Hospital – Saudi Arabia

Whether you’re designing a new healthcare facility or upgrading an existing one, Kent’s engineered systems offer peace of mind, patient safety, and architectural flexibility.

For Enquiries:

Contact Us,

ABIN VARUGHESE

Assistant Manager – Sales & Marketing

Call/ Whatsapp : +971506604689

Email :marketing@kentsmokeandfirecurtains.com .