Doha, Qatar - 17 September, 2013: International Gulf Trading Company (IGTC)-Chubb Fire Qatar - the country's leading supplier of fire safety equipment and security solutions - has announced the signing of a deal with Hamad Medical City Hospital to provide a comprehensive fire curtain safety system at Qatar's leading health facility.

IGTC-Chubb Fire Qatar - working with Korean engineering giants Hyundai - has been handed a scope of works which requires the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a set of nine fire curtains by UK based company Coopersfire, at Hamad Medical City Hospital.

A fire curtain is a device which is mounted directly above a door or other larger opening which automatically deploys a fire-retardant barrier from the overhead mounting. Typically, fire curtains are made from a thin fire-rated fabric, stitched and hemmed (were required) using Kevlar and stainless steel thread.

The 'barrel' which supports the curtain from above, is manufactured from milled steel tube, the size of which is dependent on the overall size of the unit and calculated to conform to International Standards. The barrel is mounted on high-speed bearings for speed of deployment, and is complete with an enclosed tubular motor. 
 
In the event of fire and if alarms are triggered, the fire curtain deploys automatically - and will do so even if there is a power failure or if the barrel's motor becomes damaged. This is known as 'gravity fail safe':  powered or unpowered, the safety curtain will close.  The safety curtain can also be operated manually if need be. There is also the facility to link audio or visual warning devices (siren or flashing light, etc.) and an emergency override alarm button can be used, this allows the shutter to be opened even if the alarm signal is still present. If the alarm signal is still active, and the override button is released, the shutter will re-commence its close cycle.

The benefits of such a system are obvious - to stop fire spreading, especially in facilities (such as hospitals) where the movement of some occupants may be severely limited - but that an element of human control is retained as required.

IGTC-Chubb Fire Qatar's General Manager, Rami Batrawi, commented, "While hospitals are generally, and by necessity, very safe places, the installation of the security curtains with which IGTC-Chubb Fire Qatar has been tasked will make one hospital in particular, Hamad Medical City Hospital, even safer.

"It's imperative that fire doesn't spread within any building but this is especially pertinent in a hospital for a host of reasons that are obvious.

"We're excited to secure this contract. It's good business for us but, more than this, it demonstrates that IGTC-Chubb Fire Qatar is the 'go to' organisation as far as fire safety expertise and fire retardation and extinguishing equipment installation is concerned. That is to say, to be chosen to work with an organisation as prestigious as the Hamad Medical Corporation is an honour for us and good for this company's reputation.

"The promotion of health in Qatar is hugely important and becoming increasingly more so. That IGTC-Chubb Fire is playing its part in increasing safety at this country's medical facilities is something we're really proud to be associated with."

© Press Release 2013