The Extract Issue 1 - Digital - Flipbook - Page 4
THE EXTRACT
y Fire resistance classi昀椀cation
(e.g. EI120)
y Bidirectional 昀椀re performance (i↔o)
y Smoke leakage (S1000)
y Operational reliability (C10,000 cycles)
All veri昀椀ed against recognised European
standards including BS EN 12101-8,
BS EN 1366-10 and EN 13501-4.
Fire resistance – What it actually means
Fire resistance is not a vague “昀椀re
rated” label – it is a measured, classi昀椀ed
performance.
Sertus Smoke Control
Damper (SLD) sets new
benchmark for BS 9991:
2024 compliance
Steve Knight
Technical Director, Sertus
Updated certi昀椀cation positions
Sertus smoke control damper
among the few solutions able to
meet the full performance intent
of the latest residential 昀椀re safety
standard.
Sertus has announced updated
certi昀椀cation for its SLD smoke control
damper, aligning the product with the
performance expectations set out in the
newly revised BS 9991:2024 standard.
When the changes to BS 9991:2024
were introduced, Sertus proactively
undertook additional 昀椀re and
performance testing of the existing
SLD product - without making any
design modi昀椀cations. The result: the
SLD successfully met the enhanced
performance requirements demanded by
the updated standard.
This is critical for both new and existing
projects. For customers, consultants and
04
contractors who have already speci昀椀ed
or installed the Sertus SLD, this updated
certi昀椀cation provides reassurance that
those installations remain compliant
with BS 9991:2024. In short, no redesign,
no replacement, no uncertainty - just
veri昀椀ed performance aligned with current
guidance.
What’s changed and why it matters
BS 9991:2024 reinforces and clari昀椀es
the requirements set out in Section
F.5.5, removing ambiguity around how
smoke control dampers should be
tested, classi昀椀ed and speci昀椀ed within a
system.
While the principles have always existed,
the updated standard is more explicit,
closing potential loopholes and reducing
the risk of non-compliant interpretations.
In line with guidance from the Association
for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) and
industry bodies such as ADB (Approved
Document B), 昀椀re resistance is de昀椀ned
using three key criteria:
y E (Integrity): Prevents 昀氀ames and hot
gases passing through
y I (Insulation): Limits temperature rise
on the non-昀椀re side
y (Optional) S (Smoke leakage):
Controls smoke passing through
Meeting all three of these criteria is critical
for any passive 昀椀re safety product –
including smoke control dampers.
BS 9991 reinforces the importance
of maintaining the 昀椀re performance of the
compartmentation into which products are
installed. Dampers must not weaken this
barrier – they must preserve it.
In reality, 昀椀re is an unpredictable, dynamic
event. While modelling plays a role in
system design, relying solely on theoretical
scenarios to justify reduced performance
introduces risk. The updated BS 9991
guidance helps remove this ambiguity,
making expectations around product
classi昀椀cation clearer and more robust.
Put simply:
If a damper does not achieve an
appropriate EI classi昀椀cation, it risks
compromising the 昀椀re-resisting
performance of the compartment
it is installed within.
Dampers are no longer treated as simple
components – they are now expected to
perform to the same standard as the 昀椀reresisting elements they sit within, including
compartment walls and smoke control
ductwork.
The Sertus SLD – Proven against the
toughest criteria
To meet the intent of the standard,
dampers must now demonstrate:
y EI120 昀椀re resistance
The updated certi昀椀cation con昀椀rms that the
Sertus SLD damper achieves:
