Rockwool fired up on safety

RCi's Editor Kathy Manson goes along to stone wool insulation manufacturer Rockwool's live fire demonstration at Wembley Stadium to learn more about the fire performance of insulation products.

As part of what Rockwool calls it's "drive to inform and educate the industry on the real fire performance of different types of insulation materials" the company hosted a live fire demonstration.

Held at Wembley Stadium, London, the presentation featured five chambers with different types of insulation. Fires were started within the chambers to see whether insulation caught on fire.

During the display, which was purely a demonstration and not an accurate representation of how the insulation is used in situ, Rockwool's non-combustible mineral wool based products did not catch fire after more than 30 minutes, but other types of insulation did.

True cost of fire

Managing director of Rockwool, Hans Schreuder, explained: “Every year in the UK, fire costs industry more than £2.5 billion. At Rockwool, we have a strong commitment to helping industry improve the fire safety of the built environment by tackling head-on the lack of understanding about the fire safety of different insulation materials.

"This work has become even more important following the introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which has made meeting fire safety regulations the responsibility of all parties involved in the design and build process, as well as building owners.

"The live fire demonstrations have been developed to challenge misconceptions about [other types of] insulation. Rockwool believes that building owners and developers should insist on the specification of non-combustible materials in ceilings and compartment walls at the critical design phases, otherwise expensive retrofitting of fire-resistant measures may be required."

RCi (Roofing, Cladding and Insulation magazine) February 2008