Beat the heat and Stop the spread with Amplimesh® Fire Attenuation Screens

Fire attenuation screens are designed to resist radiant heat to minimise the risk of fire spreading between buildings. If you’ve never heard that word before, it means reducing the force, effect, or value of something. Essentially, a fire attenuation screen slows down fires, giving people inside the chance to leave safely, reducing the intensity of the fire, and making it easier for firefighters to save the building.

Amplimesh® Fire Attenuation screens, for example, are rated for 121 minutes of fire exposure, significantly lowering the threat of fire, just like how our security screens and doors significantly lower the risk of break-ins. We’ve serviced more than two million Australian homes over the last 50 years, ensuring security and safety for years to come.

Learn more about how fire attenuation screens can prevent the spread of fire to nearby properties with Amplimesh®.

Pushing The Fire-Risk Boundaries

As property values throughout Australia skyrocket, Amplimesh® have noticed a worrying trend, with developers over-optimising the size of buildings placed on a single allotment. Although they still meet Australian Building Standards, these developments are being constructed closer together, sometimes right up against the boundary lines. 

This trend towards squeezing together supersized structures has created challenges for planning organisations and certifications trying to maintain the safety and stability of Australia’s building stock and the well-being of occupants, primarily for fire safety.

Buildings constructed close to boundary lines present a difficult challenge to builders and developers: how to stop the spread of fire if the unthinkable happens and a building catches alight?

The National Construction Code (NCC) sets guidelines for protecting buildings from the risk of fire from adjoining properties. The NCC requires openings in external walls are protected from fire when the walls are adjacent to property boundaries. Openings less than 3m from a property boundary or within 6m of another building in the same allotment must be protected. 

One method of protection is the use of fire attenuation screens.

What Are Fire Attenuation Screens?

Fire attenuation screens are specifically designed to withstand radiant heat to reduce the risk of fire spreading between buildings, maximising the likelihood that occupants can safely flee the building in case of a fire. These screens can also lower the severity of the fire effect while the fire is being extinguished.

Simply put, a fire attenuation screen reduces heat entering a building through an entrance, making internal components less likely to ignite.

Fire attenuation screens are tested per AS1530.4:2014 (Appendix B7) to determine their effectiveness and can be applied to window openings as a permanent solution to satisfy the requirements of the NCC. When incorporated as part of a fire protection solution, Fire Engineers must specify products that will fulfil the site’s requirements for Fire Attenuation.

How Amplimesh® Reduces The Risk of Fire

Amplimesh® OneFrame and Supascreen® with our high tensile 316 marine grade stainless steel mesh have been tested per AS1530.4:2014 to determine their fire attenuation rating. The Supascreen® product was subjected to an irradiance heat of 40kW/m2 for 121 minutes. Probes were used to measure the radiant heat which passed through the screen. This outcome is reported as the screen’s attenuation rating, the percentage of heat blocked by the screen.

Test Results

Approved to: AS1530.4 – 2014, Appendix B7

Radiant Heat Flux: 40kW/m2

Duration: 121 Minutes

Result: Attenuation of OneFrame & SupaScreen® when exposed to a nominal

40kW/m2 was 41% (radiant heat transmitted). Meaning a reduction of 59%.

Test Report: FSZ 2155 & FCO – 3145 Rev A

To enable Fire Engineers to access the relevant information to demonstrate the suitability of Amplimesh® Fire Attenuation screens for individual site applications. Amplimesh® fire

attenuation screens are also fitted with a certification label, including the testing information and the installation date.

Professional Installation is a Must

Amplimesh® systems have been tested with two different fixing options – direct to structure and using aluminium angles – for peace of mind and consistent performance, enabling design and installation freedom. Correct installation is critical to screens performing per the stated testing outcomes. 

Licenced Amplimesh Dealers can provide the following resources:

• Typical Installation Detail.
• Test report summary.

Get a quote or locate your nearest Amplimesh Dealer to find fire attenuation screens in Sydney, and all other capital cities, including Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra and Darwin.

Emergency Exits 

If you have children or want to put screens throughout your home, we recommend installing a Fire Exit or Escape Screen to give you and your family numerous potential exits in an emergency. Thanks to the quick-release function that removes the security screen from the window, emergency exits in case of a fire are quick and easy. This functionality also makes cleaning and maintenance a breeze.

Bushfire Protection

Ensure your home is properly protected during a bushfire. Look for materials in screens that have been tested to survive high temperatures and have an opening smaller than 2mm, such as Amplimesh® SupaScreen®.

Screening operable glazed windows are mandatory for compliance with the building code in bushfire zones. Amplimesh® SupaScreen® security screens have been tested and found to meet Bushfire Attack Level criteria up to and including BAL-FZ. IntrudaGuard® and PrivacyGuard® can be employed in environments up to and including BAL-29.

Amplimesh® Safety and Security Commitment

At Amplimesh®, we are committed to ensuring people feel safe inside whatever building they occupy. Our range of screening products is manufactured and installed across Australia by a licenced network of dealers across various commercial and residential buildings. We’re here to improve home security, occupant safety, well-being and comfort with our range of security screens.

The Amplimesh® Team are also backed by Capral Aluminium – Australia’s largest supplier of Extruded Aluminum, Sheet and Plate products, meaning you receive some of the highest quality aluminium in the country. For assistance in specifying Amplimesh® Fire Attenuation screens on your next commercial project, contact the Capral Specification team.

For more compliance information on our fire attenuation screens, download our Compliance Certificate and product brochure.