FIREFLY™ TBA

Some fabulous photos of our FIREFLY® FB180 BATT Floor System being installed…and in a beautiful location too on the west coast of Ireland called Lisdoonvarana, in County Clare. This idyllic and iconic pub is undergoing a major refurbishment and called O’Donohue’s. Facing towards Galway Bay, it has stunning views across to Galway and the surrounding Arran Islands. The venue is undergoing an extensive refurbishment with the compartment walls/ floors separating living quarters above bar areas, as you can see from the photos.It’s great to see FIREFLY® wall and floor systems being installed in even the most remote locations across Ireland and the UK. And while our FIREFLY® FB180 BATT system has been used in a number of recent hotel refits, this is the first time we’ve been able to capture some images during the installation. And in a location like this, it was simply too good an opportunity to miss!Special mention also to our stockist, Tennants in Dublin and Paul O’Laughlin from contractors POL Contracts. Let’s hope this is one of many new projects across Ireland in 2025! Pictured left to right are Donvan Andrews, Ann Marie McCann and Nicola Kenny from Tennants, with FIREFLY® Technical Sales Manager Daniel Gordon on the right.

Fully certified products from the range of TBA FIREFLY™ have been employed to protect a potentially vulnerable roof-space above a doctor’s surgery in Chingford, Essex, ensuring any outbreak of fire could not spread to other parts of the building. The work on the property owned by Peabody Estate has been carried out by Wickford based T & R Fire Protection on behalf of another industry expert, LMAC Fire Systems, also from Essex. The two companies regularly cooperate on such projects as landlords continue to maintain and improve the fire safety performance of existing buildings.In the case of the Chingford surgery, FIREFLY™ Apollo Lite™ 30:30 was specified along with the manufacturer’s widely utilised Collaroll, High Temperature Adhesive and 12mm stainless steel staples. In addition to protecting the sides of the 2.8 metre high pitched roof-space, creating fire barriers and wrapping multiple beam ends with the Collaroll, T & R also installed one of FIREFLY'S Access Panel FR 120 units. These have been stringently tested against EN 1363-1 2020 and are third party certified by IFC, being shown to achieve an impressive two hours fire resistance from either side of a fire compartment. Intended to be fitted vertically, the heavy-duty construction of the Zintec steel door and unistrut frame ensures the assembly offers a tight and flush fit when closed, and robust performance in use.The Director for T & R Fire Protection, Tom, commented: “We’ve used APOLLO Lite™ and other FIREFLY™ products on many hundreds of projects in the past, FIREFLY™ is our ‘go to’ manufacturer when it comes to fire compartmentation. There are many older properties which have no fire compartmentation in their roof spaces and in the case of the Chingford doctor’s surgery, the landlord – Peabody – asked us to carry out an inspection and come up with a fire strategy. We base our recommendations and design drawings on FIREFLY'S standard details and, once they’ve been approved go in and install the fire barriers. The work involves breaking the loft-space down into a number of compartments with one of the Firefly access panels providing safe passage between them. The installation has gone very well, though there is a lot more of this type of work to be done across the country in many sectors.”The APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 has been developed for use in vertical separation or compartmentation situations, offering 30 minutes integrity and insulation and is straightforward to install for an experienced contractor. It is widely specified to form fire barriers within roof voids and floor voids in many different property types, including multi-storey flats and commercial premises.

A Manchester based passive fire protection specialist has utilised products from the range of FIREFLY – including the versatile Phoenix Smoke & Flame barriers – to achieve the compartmentation of concealed spaces within the new Macclesfield manufacturing facility of a world-leading pharmaceutical giant.Firetech UK Ltd. is a key sub-contractor to DES for the construction of the extensive new laboratories and production plant for AstraZeneca, part of the FTSE 100 company’s continuing investment at its East Cheshire site for the distribution of drugs to markets around the world. Firetech was established more than 25 years ago and makes extensive use of FIREFLY  flexible fire barriers for its work on both commercial and domestic contracts. In the case of the Macclesfield project, Firetech purchased the FIREFLY  products via national distributor, Encon.  The Contracts Manager for Firetech UK on the Macclesfield Project, Josh Dodds comments: “We work nationwide though predominantly in the North-West of the country and have been using FIREFLY  products for the past five years, including here on this very large new plant.  Early on in the contract we installed a large quantity of Titan Lite™ 120:60 fire barriers in the ‘Amenities Area’ of the building and then when we were tasked with installing a series of smoke and flame barriers in the ceiling voids over the laboratories, we proposed the Phoenix product as being the most cost-effective solution. The work consumed approximately 540 square metres of the Phoenix to create a series of vertical barriers valued at some £50K.  Although we were able to employ standard details for the installation of the Phoenix barriers  and the Collaroll which wraps some of the beams and other features, FIREFLY has been involved from the earliest stages, providing general guidance and carrying out inspections.  The project has gone very well.”FIREFLY Phoenix is a lightweight smoke and flame barrier which facilitates compartmentation within buildings to provide up to 120 minutes’ integrity under BS476 Parts 20 & 22.  Certified by IFCC, the flexible and straightforward to install material is suitable for both new-build and retrofit situations.  Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios. The flexible barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of ancillary products.  Used mainly in the construction industry across the UK and Europe, FIREFLY fire barriers help to contain fire, giving building occupants extra time to evacuate and the fire service to enter safely.Images shown are taken during installation and some sections of the installation might be incomplete.

A programme of works carried out at a Nottinghamshire hospital has seen a number of products from the FIREFLY range employed to upgrade the passive fire protection throughout the roof spaces, with the manufacturer providing site specific design details to assist the highly experienced contractor complete the project on time. DC Fire Protection Ltd., based at Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, works right across the country covering multiple sectors of the construction industry, installing active as well as passive fire protection systems.  For its 10 week contract at the Ashfield Health and Wellbeing Centre at Kirby in Ashfield, the specialist installed dozens of rolls of the Titan Lite™ fire barrier as well as the Apollo Horizontal barrier, Collaroll and two of the 1200 x 600mm FR120 Access Panels to link some of the safety zones being created. Built in 2007, Ashfield Health and Wellbeing Centre is conjoined to the existing Ashfield Community Hospital and offers extended health services to the local community, supplementing the current services by providing purpose-built rehabilitation facilities, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and other community health services.  It also offers consulting rooms, treatment rooms and an activities of daily living suite, rehabilitation and gym areas.A Director of DC Fire Protection, Daniel Mabbott, commented: “We have been dealing with FIREFLY for a number of years, including buying large quantities of the Titan Lite™ and Apollo Lite , which we use for commercial contracts as well as other work.  We often propose the use of FIREFLY systems to clients and in this instance, where we were simply given the performance standard the client required, we proposed the use of Titan Lite plus Apollo Horizontal to upgrade the exiting fire walls which no longer comply with current requirements.” “There were a number of plastic PVC-U soil stacks rising through the roof in what was specified as a Controlled Zone, for which FIREFLY provided us with a bespoke detail to protect them where they passed through the barriers, while we installed a couple of their FR120 Access Panels in addition to the fire doors which we fitted in a number of locations throughout the roof.  The project was completed on time and we have now moved onto another contract where we are again using a number of FIREFLY products.”Third party approved, FIREFY Apollo Horizontal 30:30 provides 30 minutes integrity and insulation to exceed the minimum requirements within the Building Regulations relating to fire barriers.  In common with other FIREFY products, Apollo Horizontal is manufactured using specially treated woven glass fibre fabric, being flexible and lightweight making it easy to install. Specifiers and specialist fire contractors wishing to find more information about the full range of products available from FIREFLY can visit www.tbafirefly.comImages shown are taken during installation and some sections of the installation might be incomplete.

FIREFLY ZEUS Lite™ Safeguards Ceiling Spaces Across Wakefield Food WarehouseForming a fresh element to the UK’s critical food supply infrastructure, a new distribution warehouse in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, is near to completion with the specialist suspended ceiling installer making use of ZEUS Lite™ 90:30 from the range of TBA FIREFLY™, to create vertical fire barriers at intervals within the roof-space across the footprint of the building.The 15,300m2 facility at Headways in Stanley, on the outskirts of Wakefield, has been built by GF Tomlinson for the Kitwave Group, a national distribution business with a fleet of over 500 vehicles supplying hotels, restaurants and many other venues across the country. The installation of the ZEUS Lite™ was undertaken by Nottingham Suspended Ceilings, as the sub-contractor well experienced with the performance and user-friendly characteristics of the Firefly range.All the rolls of ZEUS Lite™ 90:30 material and the well proven FIREFLY™ fixings, including stainless steel staples and fire-resistant adhesive, were supplied to Nottingham Suspended Ceilings by the merchant, Minster On-line.The site agent for Nottingham Suspended Ceilings, Mark Prescott, commented: “Our company carries out commercial contracts right across the East Midlands and beyond, where we have made use of Firefly barriers on a large number of past projects. Although you have to be a competent contractor and follow the manufacturer’s guidance precisely, we find the ZEUS Lite™ and other products in the FIREFLY™ range straightforward to install. In the case of the warehouse here, we have now completed the installation of the fire barriers up to roof level in dozens of locations across the building; as well as installing all of the suspended ceilings throughout.”FIREFLY™ ZEUS Lite™ is ideally suited to this type of application, comprising a flexible woven fabric fire barrier that has been specifically developed for the vertical separation and compartmentation of extensive concealed spaces within buildings.By offering 90 minutes integrity and 30 minutes insulation, FIREFLY™ ZEUS Lite™ 90:30 exceeds the minimum requirements regarding fire barriers under the Building Regulations’ Approved Document B (Fire Safety). The specially treated glass fibre fabric is strong and resilient as well as flexible while, crucially, the system’s certification covers the inclusion of service penetrations; which many alternative products do not.

Products from the FIREFLY® range have been successfully employed during a planned upgrade to the roof of the UK’s largest car plant, ensuring the vast production space remains fully in line with current fire regulations.  The work at the Nissan Motor Manufacturing plant in Sunderland, which produces big-selling models like the Qashqai, Leaf and Juke, was carried out by Flux Fire Protection during a seven/nine day maintenance period in May, when changes to the production tracks meant the existing smoke barriers beneath the roof had to be removed and reconfigured.Following a direct approach from Nissan’s engineering department, Apollo Lite 30/30 was selected from the FIREFLY®range in preference to the manufacturer’s Phoenix product and used to create a series of 2.4 metre deep smoke and fire barriers – each 21 metres in length – protecting five roof bays. In the unlikely event of a fire within the highly automated workspace, the Apollo barriers would act to prevent smoke travelling horizontally beneath the roof soffit, thereby assisting in the safe evacuation of the building.  The Contracts Manager for Flux Fire Protection, Jack Cardwell commented: “This is the first time we have worked for Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK, who got in touch following a search which brought up our website. We put forward both the Phoenix and Apollo Lite, but the client chose Apollo because of the additional period of insulation it offers. Then to carry out the work, we used scissor lifts to get up to the self-supporting walkways installed by Nissan’s own scaffolding sub-contractor. We bolted metal angles to the roof purlins, with the barriers fixed using FIREFLY® 50mm Tek Screws. All overlaps were sealed using FIREFLY® High Temperature Adhesive, while butt joints were fixed with stainless steel staples. The barriers were supported on vertical sections every eight metres, which is the maximum span the system can be installed unsupported. At the end of each run, the barriers were tied into the external façade or abutted a steel column.”The work went really quite smoothly given the compressed timeframe: there was good liaison with Nissan’s engineering manager and we are now due to carry out a similar contract during another shutdown in July.”  Based in Checkheaton, West Yorkshire, Flux Fire Protection covers the whole of the country and has established a reputation for carrying out contracts in the education, health and social housing sectors as well as for large commercial and industrial clients like Nissan.In addition to fitting fire barriers and undertaking compartmentation work employing various products from the FIREFLY®range, the company also offers fire-stopping and intumescent coating services. All of its materials for the Nissan contract, including FIREFLY® Collaroll used for wrapping beams and purlins, were supplied through Galaxy Insulation.          Jack reflected: “The company was set up four years ago and has been utilising the FIREFLY® product range virtually from the start – due to the performance and ease of installation and the technical service that is available if required. Also, since the Building Safety Act changed fire requirements for the construction industry, we have been getting a lot of inquiries from those responsible for apartment blocks, schools and other establishments, wanting a survey to ensure they comply with directives from fire offices and other regulatory bodies. So not only is our surveyor constantly undergoing new training courses, we also have suppliers like FIREFLY® delivering courses for our operatives. We now have a dozen installers proficient in fitting Apollo and its sister products.”Chris Boam, the Technical Manager for FIREFLY® explains: “I’ve worked closely with Flux Fire Protection since 2022 and have built a strong relationship with their Operations Director, Lee Andrews, as well as their wider team of Contracts Managers such as Jack. Together, we’ve collaborated on numerous projects across various sectors, ensuring that FIREFLY® installation standards are consistently upheld. Their attention to detail and commitment to compliant installation is evident on every job. We value their approach and look forward to continuing this positive working relationship on future projects”. Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios. The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.

Critical work to ensure the fire performance across one elevation of a cavernous new research building, at a world-famous science campus in Oxfordshire, has been successfully carried out by a specialist installation company using a lightweight barrier system from the range of FIREFLY® and unusually for a solution which is concealed within roof structures or other hidden compartments to all types of building, in this instance the Zeus Lite Vertical is to remain permanently visible, requiring a novel upgrade to its appearance. Harwell Science and Innovations Campus near Didcot in Oxfordshire, originally established in the 1940s as the country’s atomic energy research centre, but nowadays known as the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, offers a mix of manufacturing, flexible laboratory space, R&D facilities and office accommodation to start-ups; as well as major international businesses.  As the designers of the Tech Edge, 1 AJA  Architects chose to specify the Zeus Lite Vertical 90-30 system to protect the steel framed building from the close proximity of another, timber clad office structure.  Following a site visit and design input by FIREFLY®’s Sales Manager, Coventry based KRASI Fire Protection was awarded the contract to carry out the installation on behalf of Feltham Construction Ltd.KRASI’s Contract Manager, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “Due to the orientation and short distance to the existing building, a fire barrier was the only option and FIREFLY® Zeus Lite was specified.  We installed it by shot-firing the normal steel angles against the inner frame of the building, stapling the barrier together and securing the barrier to it while we had to temporarily remove the cross bracing to achieve safe access for employing a cherry picker.  However, while this would normally be left visible, we were required to conceal the staples by securing a strip of FIREFLY® Phoenix over the staples using high-temperature adhesive.  The work went well – involving good cooperation with the client and architects and took us three weeks with four operatives on site.” FIREFLY®’s Product Manager, Chris Boam, stated, “To meet the client’s requirement for fire protection that not only achieved the necessary fire resistance rating but also maintained a visually appealing finish, we worked closely with KRASI to ensure all fixings were concealed. To accomplish this, the typically exposed staples were covered using FIREFLY® Phoenix, secured with high-temperature adhesive, while ensuring full compliance with safety standards.The Zeus Lite was also used to protect the two braces once reinstated, based on a special detail supplied by FIREFLY®. The finished installation, totalling 346 square metres, has the pristine appearance of high-performance architectural textiles often utilised for creating canopies at sports stadia and exhibition grounds. FIREFLY® Zeus Lite Vertical 90:30 is a lightweight, non-rigid fire barrier designed to provide fire compartmentation of larger concealed spaces and voids within buildings, offering 90 minutes integrity and 30 minutes Insulation. It has been specifically designed and tested for vertical applications. Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios. The barriers are easy to install vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.

Conceived to offer comfort and support for patients and their families dealing with the trauma of cancer treatment, Maggie’s Centres are also amongst the most striking of buildings to be found across our NHS estates, with the latest to be completed also showcasing the capacity of the UK construction industry to give form to architects’ most imaginative concepts.Daniel Libeskind’s design for the Maggie’s centre at the Royal Free Hospital in North London eschew conformity in delivering a structure without vertical lines or flat surfaces, posing complex challenges for the contractors, including the fire-stopping specialists of Middlesex Ltd. who have made full use of FIREFLY®s flexible fire barriers to protect the multi-directional form of the walls and soffits. The 12 month build programme has been led by Sir Robert McAlpine, the Management Contractor and long-time supporter of the Maggie’s charity, with Buckinghamshire based Middlesex Ltd. being appointed to install the façade and drywall wall elements to the build.  As regular users of the FIREFLY® range, its fire-stopping division has employed Zeus Lite, Titan Lite and Collaroll across both the internal and external build up, covering the steelwork and other main elements to the structure. The Site Manager for Middlesex, Simon Coldwell, commented: “Because of the shape of the building, whose walls lean and curve in three directions, it would have been impossible to carry out conventional fire-stopping operations using fire boards and fire batts without extensive fire testing: so the FIREFLY® products have proved ideal.  The company’s technical reps have been out to site on a number of occasions – confirming compliance and providing special details for areas such as where the steel beams had to be wrapped at the wall/soffit junction.  These had to allow for the potential expansion of intumescent paint of the steel in a fire, as well as maintaining continuity of protection.” “As well as the fire-stopping internally, all of the exterior to the walls at ground and first floor level are wrapped in FIREFLY®.  The barriers have been installed over the main frame and are then covered by 200mm of insulation, a Tyvek breather membrane and then the timber cassette cladding panels. “ “We have had half a dozen of our Middlesex Fire-Stopping operatives on site for long periods, all of whom have attended the FIREFLY® training courses and who are well experienced in fitting the various systems.  The work has gone very well.”   A spokesperson for Sir Robert McAlpine said: “Each designed by a world-renowned architect, Maggie’s centres are some of the most distinctive buildings in Britain as such they are often incredibly challenging to construct.  It was this complexity that led to our initial involvement with the charity, at the award-winning, Kisho-Kurokawa-designed Maggie’s Centre at Singleton Hospital, Swansea.  Since Swansea, we have been involved in a number of the charity’s projects overseeing the construction management of Maggie’s at half a dozen hospitals.” By offering 90 minutes integrity and 30 minutes insulation, FIREFLY® Zeus Lite 90:30 exceeds the minimum requirements regarding fire barriers under the Building Regulations’ Approved Document B (Fire Safety).  The specially treated glass fibre fabric is strong and resilient as well as flexible while, crucially, the system’s certification covers the inclusion of service penetrations which some products do not. Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products in order to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.FIREFLY® Barriers Conform To Complex Shape Of Latest Maggie’s Cancer Centre - TBA Firefly

Davie Court Care Home, in Sheerness, on Isle of Sheppey, Kent – is the latest in a series of properties to be upgraded using FIREFLY® barrier systems, in partnership with PiLON, one of its accredited installers based in the South-east.The four-month contract at Davie Court, a three-storey property built in the seventies with places for 38 one-bedroom flats, is being carried out by Bracknell based PiLON: an award-winning specialist contractor which has been active in the social house sector since 2004. To date, 10 of PiLON’s operatives have undergone training in the installation of the FIREFLY® systems manufacturer’s purpose-built facility in Rochdale, as it has grown to serve more clients in the sector.The site manager for PiLON, Gabriel Predescu, commented: “As a multi-disciplinary, principal contractor, we specialise in the maintenance and refurbishment of assets owned and managed by social housing providers, establishing a strong reputation as a reliable partner. We operate across London, the South-East and the Midlands and are currently contracted with eight of the G15 Housing Associations. The company covers many specialist disciplines including electrical, kitchen and bathrooms, while also carrying out a lot of fire stopping and other fire upgrades. This includes work for Southern Housing. To carry out this work we have had a lot of our operatives undergo annual training with FIREFLY® and we are an approved installer for their systems. Here, it was the client which specified the use of Zeus and Collaroll along with the company’s adhesives and other materials, while we also had on-site support from FIREFLY® Technical Manager, Andy Greenwood. Progress has been good with the Zeus being very straightforward to cut and install using the adhesive and steel angles. Then, as well as the fire barriers, we are also replacing all of the fire doors and communal doors – more than 20 in total.”Andy Greenwood, Technical Sales Manager for FIREFLY®, added: “In this instance PiLON used the Zeus Lite Vertical to create compartmentation with a number of ‘protected zones’ which requires that every 20 metres you must either insert a cavity closer or form a protected zone to prevent fire spreading. While as an experienced contractor the company was able to work off previously supplied technical drawings – rather than requiring site specific details – we have carried out several site visits to confirm the barriers were installed to specification. As a preferred installer, the company very much found a niche in the market and has expanded its work since switching to using the FIREFLY® range.”Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios. The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products in order to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system. FIREFLY® Zeus Lite Vertical 90:30 is a lightweight non-rigid fire barrier designed to provide fire compartmentation of larger concealed spaces and voids within buildings, offering 90 minutes integrity and 30 minutes Insulation. It has been specifically designed and tested for vertical applications.

Following on from the redevelopment of Terminal 2 which was completed in 2021, the latest phases of work at Manchester Airport have seen an approved installer of the FIREFLY® range create thousands of square metres of the manufacturer’s lightweight barriers, specified to provide compartmentation, offering up to 120 minutes of protection. FIREFLY® was brought on board early in the design stages for the £1.3 Billion scheme to upgrade and expand Terminal 1 and refurbish Terminal 3, which will eventually see the Northwest’s premier hub double in capacity. With construction giant MACE leading the project, London based LDD Construction is the specialist contractor installing the FIREFLY® Phoenix, Titan Lite and other products in four separate zones as passenger services continue with minimum disruption.    The Technical Manager for FIREFLY®, Chris Boam, recounts: “From a FIREFLY® perspective, we were involved during the design stage of the Manchester Airport works, providing technical input, drawings and specification support to the design team at Pascall + Watson. LDD Construction, as an approved FIREFLY® installer with trained operatives, were well placed to deliver the compartmentation requirements across multiple areas of the airport.Throughout the installation phase, we worked closely with LDD and their Project Manager, Pavel Yegorov, providing technical support and carrying out site visits to review compliance as the works progressed. Given the scale of the project and the constraints of working within a live airport environment, maintaining alignment with tested and approved fire protection details was a key focus throughout.”   The Project Manager for LDD, Pavel Yegorov, recounts: “We have installed around 50 different products from different suppliers for our fire-stopping work, but FIREFLY® is what the client likes and asks for. We use the products like Phoenix, Athena and Titan Lite for all different purposes in our work, including fire compartmentation along long corridors and at the head of walls.”“For instance, we have used the barriers above the under croft, where one-hour protection was required in the new terminal extension at Manchester Airport.  The sequence of work dictated by the other trades we were following here and the very restricted space, with all the services going through on two sides, made this quite a challenging project: having to deviate from the standard details in a lot of places. The Project Management Team from MACE and the other parties are all very happy with the work we have done.   We are on course to complete both works by the end of the year.”Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range of flexible barriers is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to provide a fully tested and certified system.

Tried and trusted FIREFLY® fire barriers were employed by a long-term member of the manufacturer’s established installer network, to upgrade the roof-space of a two-storey residential building in Sheerness. Belonging to the Southern Housing Group, the four flats on Richmond Street, date from the 1960s. And although traditionally built and in a good state of repair, the design of the roof-space was deemed not to fully comply with current Building Regulations. This prompted the social housing landlord to bring in Bracknell based PiLON – as a specialist contractor, with its operatives having undergone FIREFLY® installer training previously.  Project manager for PiLON, Gabriel Predescu, commented: “As a multi-disciplinary, principal contractor, we specialise in the maintenance and refurbishment of assets owned and managed by social housing providers and in this instance, we were instructed by the client on the back of a routine risk assessment.  Southern makes extensive use of the FIREFLY® range across its stock while we have installed the Zeus and other barrier products on multiple projects in the past. We had half a dozen operatives on site over a five-week period running during November and December last year.  A total of some 95 square metres of the Zeus membrane was installed within the roof voids using the company’s high temperature adhesive and staples, along with Collaroll to provide protected zones, effectively creating compartmentation between the two upper storey, two-bedroom flats.  Although we know we can always call on FIREFLY® to provide site specific details on any of our contracts, this was a relatively straightforward installation, and we were confident in using our experience to carry out the work.”        Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products in order to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.FIREFLY® Zeus Lite Vertical 90:30 is a lightweight non-rigid fire barrier designed to provide fire compartmentation of larger concealed spaces and voids within buildings, offering 90 minutes integrity and 30 minutes Insulation.  It has been specifically designed and tested for vertical applications.

As value for money makes the Home Bargains brand an increasingly popular choice with price conscious shoppers, the national retailer is continuing to increase its coverage by building new stores in locations such as Camborne in Cornwall, with products from the FIREFLY® range repeatedly being included in the specification to help ensure the safety of staff and customers. As with many of its outlets, the existing 9,150sq ft warehouse and sales floor on the Camborne Retail Park is being refurbished by Oakhurst (Southport) Ltd. with WPL Consulting filling the role of project architect.  The Phoenix Vertical, Collaroll and ancillary FIREFLY® products have been used to create a semi-permanent fire barrier that is suspended from the underside of the pitched, metal decked roof.  Installation of the 60- minute rated fire curtain and smoke barrier was carried out by sub-contractor S R Shopfitting over a period of just a couple of days in early July, with the new Home Bargains outlet scheduled for its official opening on August 22nd.  Working from hydraulic platforms, the lightweight Phoenix fire barrier was fixed to sections of steel angle bolted onto the roof members, with all overlaps sealed using FIREFLY® High Temperature Adhesive, while butt joints were fixed using stainless steel staples.  While the Collaroll was used to wrap the high-level steel beams, the manufacturer’s ablative batts – introduced into the range last year to assist with tasks like creating protected zones – fill voids beneath the soffit level.The Site Manager for Oakhurst, Kerry Humphrey’s, commented: “Along with a number of S R Shopfitting’s operatives, I have been on the FIREFLY® training course at its Rochdale premises and consider the systems to be far easier to install than the previous solution, which involved installing quite bulky sections of rock mineral wool which, even for those not directly involved with the work, tended to make you itch quite badly.  The Phoenix and other products, by contrast are light to handle and easy to fix.  It’s a brilliant system.”       “In respect of the Home Bargains stores we’ve been involved on, the fire requirements vary slightly between England and Scotland, where the regulation is for a full fire and smoke barrier and we know FIREFLY® will provide any special details we need for new jobs.  With the barrier now installed by SR Shopfitting, the internal construction will continue so that the Phoenix terminates on top of the ceiling structure.  Everything is going well and we are on schedule to handover the building on the 21st.”Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.

The FB180 Ablative Batts recently introduced to the range of FIREFLY® have been used along with two of the manufacturer’s flexible barrier systems and ancillary products to carry out significant upgrades to a roof-space at the Sir Robert Peel Hospital in Tamworth, bringing the ward block up to current regulatory requirements.The Hospital is a minor injuries and day case surgery unit.  The refurbishment contract concerning the roof-space was awarded to Coventry based Krasi Fire Protection in January of this year and carried out by half a dozen of its operatives, all of whom undergo annual training at FIREFLY®’s Rochdale premises. The area of roof void protected totalled over 400m2 with different periods of protection require depending on the usage of the area below and the positioning of the compartment walls.   The Contracts’ Manager for Krasi Fire Protection, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “Prior to our involvement another contractor had attempted to install a batt wall system which came up to the underside of PIR insulation and wasn’t compliant.  When FIREFLY®’s Technical Manager was called in, he recommended that the client check the TBA’s approved installer list on their website, and KRASI quoted on upgrading the compartmentation – including installing the new FB180 FIREFLY® batts together with Zeus 90:30 and Titan Lite™ 120:60 vertical barriers as 30 and 60 minute upgrades – depending on whether the space below was something like a kitchen or sluice, or a more critical access corridor. Then we put a horizontal protected zone in beneath the soffit which reaches 1.5 metres horizontally each side of the barrier using the FB 180 batt.  This is all covered by the new detail which FIREFLY® brought out earlier this year and the company therefore also provided us with site specific details.   To carry out the work we built walkways on the trusses above the suspended ceiling which allowed the Ward to remain in use throughout our contact which took 12 weeks. The installation was inspected by FIREFLY® and also gained IFC certification. Overall, the project went quite smoothly and the client is satisfied with the outcome.” Underlining the versatility of its recently launched ablative batt, FIREFLY® has added the FB180 Floor System to its range with the potential to be installed between existing joists without disturbing the ceiling below, while also suiting a number of other compartmentation applications and even offering sound reduction benefits.  The FIREFLY® FB180 Ablative Batt 60mm Floor System has been developed for friction fitting between adjacent timber joists but has also been fully tested when laid horizontally across a larger area where a protected zone is required.  This being one of the situations where the product can be used in conjunction with FIREFLY®’s Apollo Lite™ flexible fire barrier and the manufacturer’s ancillary products such as its Acrylic Sealant and FIREFLY® Fixings or Penowrap to create an integrated system.Produced from mineral wool with an ablative coating on both sides to offer 90 minutes integrity as well as a full one hour’s insulation, the FB180 Ablative Batt has been tested in accordance with BS EN 1363-1 2022 and BS EN 1364-2: the latter confirming its ability to upgrade the compartmentation of floor constructions without affecting loadbearing capacity.  Impressively, the 60mm thick Ablative Batt will also provide 27 dB sound reduction and is straightforward to install, either in isolation or combined with other FIREFLY® barriers.  As well as detailed drawings and installation guidance, FIREFLY®’s technical advisory service can supply project specific details and other advice as necessary. Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range of flexible barriers is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, rated for Integrity and Insulation used to compartmentalise building voids or concealed spaces in a wide range of scenarios. The barriers are easy to install vertically or horizontally using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products in order to create a fully tested and certified system.

The first phase of a £5million investment by Network Rail in Scotland’s busiest station, has completed with the opening of Avanti West Coast’s new first-class lounge and ticket office. The first phase of the project involved the historic Caledonian Chambers area of the station which is on the east side of the concourse. Caledonian Chambers is a Category B Listed Building designed by Glaswegian architect, James Miller, and was completed in 1903. It was built for the Caledonian Railway Company.  Modifications and improvements were led by Network Rail and included the upgrading of the fire protection for the historic main structure, which required the creation of bespoke as well as standard encasement details for large steel beams by sector specialist, FIREFLY®. Originally opened in 1879, the first phase of this multi-million-pound property project included the creation of Avanti West Coast’s new ticket office and first-class lounge and a brand-new step-free Network Rail station reception on the concourse level. The wider project will see existing tenants relocate, new retail units created, and office accommodation refurbished.  Such has been the extent of past adaptations that when the project began last November, the design team was unclear as to the nature of the roof deck’s construction, until demolition of a fast-food restaurant revealed the I-beams up to 900mm deep.    Details originally developed by FIREFLY® parent company in Australia have been adapted to the requirements of the Building Standards (Scotland) and the Building Regulations, enabling the easy to cut and shape non-combustible FB180 batts to infill the web to different sized steel beams. The addition of fireproof mastic and additional layers and the special Ablative Coating complete an encasement which is able to offer 60 minutes or longer integrity and insulation.  The installation work within the station, which has remained operational throughout, has been carried out by Glasgow based QualiFire Passive Fire Protection, with SIG being the merchant stockist supplying all the FIREFLY® materials. Active across Scotland and the North of England, QualiFire was set up by Joe Stewart in 2019 as a specialist in passive fire protection solutions for clients in the education, healthcare and local authority as well as other sectors, but has been using FIREFLY® products for the first time on the Glasgow project. Joe commented: “The lounge and surrounding area is currently being fitted out, while our team continues to work elsewhere within the station. The FIREFLY® system was recommended by the project architects – IDP – and the client, as they had previously been unable to find a manufacturer offering a solution which could be guaranteed to protect beams, which could be a 100years old, in this sort of situation. Initially the fire curtains were considered but then it was decided to use FIREFLY® FB180 batts. I have had very good feedback from our installers, regarding the ease of cutting and fitting them, with very little waste generated compared to other similar products. We have used both the FIREFLY® intumescent mastic and the Ablative Coating across the entire surface. Overall, it was very flexible and effective, and we have had lots of positive comments about the work, not just from the client and consultants, but also the merchant, SIG whose manager has taken an interest.  We work on big public contracts like this as far down as London if required and I can see a big potential for the system.”   FIREFLY® Technical Sales Manager for Scotland and Ireland, Daniel Gordon, explained: “There has been enormous focus on improving the fire performance of both private residential and public buildings in the past few years, both here in Scotland and across the rest of the UK – with specifiers urgently wanting to ensure compliance for the projects they are involved with. One result of this we have seen is the widespread use being made of our FB180 batt system as a much more dependable alternative to spraying structural steel beams with intumescent coatings: the thickness and quality of which is far more difficult to ascertain.”  Back at the outset of the project, the scheme project manager at Network Rail, Conor Mclaughlin, reported: “We are excited to be making this multi-million-pound investment to benefit passengers at Glasgow Central. We are changing the layout and occupation of several existing retail units on the station concourse which involves relocating tenants, creating new retail units, making some units larger and refurbishing office accommodation and we hope to create a broader range of retail for passengers and station users, thereby improving the experience at the station.”

FIREFLY products, including our recently introduced 50mm Batt and Titan Horizontal, were used by one of Scotland’s leading fire protection specialists to create a one-hour barrier within an existing floor construction at the University of Strathclyde. The work within the upper level to the 20-year-old Robertson Building was carried out for the university’s Estates and Buildings department by Glasgow based Adaptive Fire Protection under the direction of BMJ Architects, a highly respected practice with wide experience of the education and other sectors.   The Technical Sales Manager for FIREFLY® in Scotland and Ireland, Daniel Gordon, was involved from an early stage in providing project specific guidance on the use of the new floor system, in combination with the manufacturer’s Titan Horizontal barrier system offering 90:60 minutes of integrity and insulation.   Commenting on the circumstances which led to the use of the new FIREFLY®system, the Project Architect for BMJ, Sonia Scott, said: “As part of our involvement on the Robertson Building, we were asked to create a new plant room up at roof level, but needed to make it internal so that maintenance work on the air handling units could be carried out without exposure to the weather. The Fire Engineering Consultant Jensen Hughes – therefore insisted that the floor zone between the usable occupied space below and the new plant facility should offer a one-hour fire resistance.“Although I have used Firefly barriers on other buildings in the past, this is the first time we have specified the new Floor Batts: they were identified as being ideal due to the slenderness of the build-up and the fact that the work had to be carried out from above as there was no possibility of getting access to the science laboratory below.  The specification duly offered the required protection to the roof above with its Sarnafil covering.”   Underlining the versatility of its recently launched ablative batt, FIREFLY® has added a new Floor System to its range with the potential to be installed between existing joists without disturbing the ceiling below, while also suiting a few other compartmentation applications and even offering sound reduction benefits.The FIREFLY® FB180 Ablative Batt 60mm Floor System has been developed for friction fitting between adjacent timber joists but has also been fully tested when laid horizontally across a larger area where a protected zone is required.  This being one of the situations where the product can be used in conjunction with the Apollo Lite flexible fire barrier and the manufacturer’s ancillary products such as its Acrylic Sealant and FIREFLY® Fixings or Penowrap to create an integrated system.  Furthermore, like many of Firefly’s other barrier systems, the new fireproof floor insulation’s integrity can extend to protecting service penetrations, such as soil pipes, when fitted in compliance with the manufacturer’s directions.   Produced from mineral wool with an ablative coating on both sides to offer 90 minutes integrity as well as a full one hour’s insulation, the FB180 Ablative Batt has been tested in accordance with BS EN 1363-1 2022 and BS EN 1364-2: the latter confirming its ability to upgrade the compartmentation of floor constructions without affecting loadbearing capacity.  Impressively, the 60mm thick Ablative Batt will also provide 27 dB sound reduction and is straightforward to install, either in isolation or combined with other FIREFLY® barriers.  As well as detailed drawings and installation guidance, FIREFLY’s technical advisory service can supply project specific details and other advice as necessary.   Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY®ancillary products in order to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.

Fire barrier products, from the range of FIREFLY®, have been specified by one of its accredited national preferred installers to create both compartmentation and an extended protected zone within the roof space to a community health building in one of Lincolnshire’s most famous old market towns. The Boston Health Clinic is located in the medieval port town’s Lincoln Lane and provides the local population with vaccination and screening services for a variety of conditions. The facilities management company acting for the local health trust awarded the improvement contract to Coventry based KRASI Fire Protection Limited, whose team of three fully trained operatives carried out the installation of FB 180 batts and Apollo Lite 30-30 barrier, along with a selection of the manufacturer’s fully compatible ancillary products, over a two-week period in October.  In total, 150 square metres of the fully tested and highly adaptable FIREFLY® systems were fitted within the relatively restricted mono-pitch and dual pitch roof areas over the single storey building.  With the centre staying fully operational throughout, the logistics for the work were simplified by the Apollo Lite being supplied in roll form and fitted to lightweight steel angles, while the ablative batts are Supplied bagged, allowing KRASI’s operatives to easily distribute them by hand. There is also only limited noise The Apollo Lite barrier was securely clamped into position using the FIREFLY® clamping angle system, with all joints completed using stainless-steel staples to ensure a continuous and robust installation. Timbers penetrating the barrier were protected using FIREFLY® Collaroll, and the surrounding timber rafters were coated with FIREFLY® Ablative Coating. The FB180 batts were friction-fitted between the rafters, and a 6mm bead of FIREFLY® FR Intumescent Acrylic was applied between adjoining batts and at all junctions with the timbers to ensure an effective fire-resistant seal and maintain system integrity throughout the protected zone, supporting the fire safety principles set out in Approved Document B.Finally, one of the manufacturer’s FR120 access panels, offering two hours minutes fire protection was also installed, allowing easy access through the flexible barrier.   The Contracts Manager for KRASI, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “This was the latest in a series of projects we have carried out for the client where, as a trusted specialist contractor we were responsible for drawing up the specification to create both compartmentation and a protected zone within the roof space of the health centre, for which we were able to employ a selection of FIREFLY® products.  In fact, across the country, we currently have some 10 contracts in progress, from Portsmouth on the South Coast up to North Wales, with many of them featuring the use of FIREFLY® systems and within our workforce every one of our operatives has been trained up in their correct installation at the FIREFLY® academy: a course that they will attend at the start of every year.”    Technical manager for Firefly, Chris Boam added: “At FIREFLY®, we place huge value on our longstanding relationship with KRASI Fire Protection and their Contracts Manager, Daniel Oldacre. Their team consistently delivers installations to a very high standard, always demonstrating a clear commitment to compliance, correct detailing, and alignment with our tested systems.KRASI are one of our preferred and accredited installers, and their approach to planning, communication and quality of workmanship is always exemplary. Projects like Boston Health Centre show how effective collaboration between manufacturer, installer and client can deliver safe, robust solutions with minimal disruption. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Daniel and the KRASI team as they maintain their excellent reputation across the UK”Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios. The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products in order to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.A rapid and precisely executed two-week retrofit contract has brought the fire compartmentation within the complex roof-spaces to a Nottinghamshire health centre up to current standards under the Building Regulations, with the work being carried out by a Midlands based contractor, highly experienced in the installation of the FIREFLY® systems specified.  The Meadow Heath Health Centre in the south-east area of the city has been undergoing alterations to allow two existing SP practices to merge, both coming under the direction of the Nottingham City Clinical Commissioning Group.  Coventry based KRASI Fire Protection Limited, which works right across the country, was awarded the work based on its long experience and past projects undertaken in the East Midlands area.  Due to the age of the building, which had undergone previous alterations, with the fire regulations also being revised, meaning the fire-stopping measures within the centre’s extensive roof-space no longer offered compliance. Following a careful inspection and consultation with FIREFLY® Technical Manager, Chris Boam, KRASI put forward a design solution, which featured the installation of the manufacturer’s Zeus Vertical and Horizontal fire barriers in combination with the recently introduced FB 180 batts which were required to create a number of ‘protected zones’ in accordance with Approved Document B.      The Contracts Manager for KRASI Fire Protection, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “Some issues with the original installation and subsequent damage meant the compartmentation required significant improvement and we made use of the FB180 Batt system to ensure that any fire cannot break through and cause “burn-over”.  Our four-man team installed some 50m2 of Zeus vertical barrier and a further 100m2 of horizontal protection in alignment with the walls, giving 90 minutes integrity and 30 minutes insulation.  The carefully designed installations, including a variety of project specific details, made use of Zeus Lite 90:30 and other FIREFLY® barrier materials, together with the FB180 batts mechanically fixed to form the protected zone extending to 1500mm either side of the wall.”“The batts are mechanically fixed in place and sealed with the intumescent mastic and the ablative coating which is brush applied.  It was a technically complex job, if not nearly as large as others we have carried out in Nottingham such as the 72 bed Lings Bar Hospital, which ran for some four months.  The work went quite smoothly and the whole job is certified under our FIRAS scheme accreditation.”Also employed on the contract were a number of FIREFLY® FR120 Access Hatches, providing compliant access to the newly upgraded roof-space compartments.The project also highlights the versatility of FIREFLY® FB180 Ablative Batt, which continues to play a key role across a growing number of passive fire protection applications. Initially developed for use in wall constructions and protected zones, the same system has now been successfully adapted for use within floor assemblies, offering extended fire resistance and acoustic performance where compartmentation upgrades are required between levels.Tested in accordance with BS EN 1363-1:2022 and BS EN 1364-2, the FB180 Ablative Batt delivers up to 90 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation, while also providing measurable sound reduction benefits. The system can be friction-fitted between timber joists or installed horizontally in conjunction with other FIREFLY® barriers such as Apollo Lite™, using complementary ancillary products,  including Acrylic Sealant, FIREFLY® Fixings, and Penowrap — to form a fully integrated solution.As with all FIREFLY® systems, detailed installation guidance and project-specific support are available through the company’s Technical Advisory Service, ensuring compliant design and installation across a wide range of compartmentation scenarios.Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range of flexible barriers is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products in order to create a fully tested and certified system.

Part of an international supply chain and logistics business, a vast warehouse in the Medway area of Kent enclosing almost 380,000 sq. ft. of storage space, has had its fire performance upgraded by a regular FIREFLY® customer utilising the manufacturer’s Phoenix barrier material together with the recently launched 180 ablative batt and ancillary products to create a curtain running around the building perimeter.The work at the Noatum Logistics ePort warehouse on the Isle of Grain was carried out by Essex based T&R Fire Protection over a five-week period earlier this year, with its operatives using a variety of access approaches to attach the lightweight Phoenix barriers to roof purlins and floor beams. FIREFLY High Temperature Adhesive and special staples were used to secure the 150mm overlaps between lengths of the Phoenix material, as well as to secure the curtains to the lengths of steel angle and heavier section Unistruts. The Site Manager for T&R Fire Protection, Tom Port-Smith, commented: “While we regularly put forward FIREFLY® systems for a variety of applications as our ‘go-to’ manufacturer for fire compartmentation. In this case the clients, Noatum/Dexion specified Phoenix based on having successfully installed in previous projects. We get great technical support from FIREFLY® whenever we need special details and the installation at the Medway premises went smoothly with the barriers being attached right around four floors and a walkway across a total distance of 600 metres.” Andy Greenwood, the Technical Sales Manager for FIREFLY®, explained how the relatively short Phoenix fire curtain offers a form of compartmentation in such situations: “A 300mm fire break, around the perimeter of a warehouse, is a standard fire safety measure.”“This means the 300mm wide band of fire-resistant material is used to separate different sections of the building – which typically house large amounts of flammable material – helping to contain a fire and prevent it from spreading. This is crucial for both life safety in allowing time for evacuation, and property protection: limiting damage and loss to the area where the fire starts.”Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY®ancillary products to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.

One of FIREFLY®’s largest contracting partners has successfully completed the erection of a full height flame and smoke barrier as part of the enablement works for an important new extension to London Dockland’s iconic ExCeL London which hosts multiple construction shows and events for other sections every year, including the upcoming Firex event on 2-4 December.Coventry based KRASI Fire Protection Limited – a specialist sub-contractor well experienced in all types of commercial construction projects and upgrades – carried out the installation of the well proven and fully certified FIREFLY® Phoenix 120 fire barrier. Given the sensitivity of the location, with public events in progress throughout much of the contract duration, rigorous precautions had to be taken to avoid disturbance and to contain any construction detritus from reaching other parts of the building: a requirement simplified thanks to the ease of fixing and very low wastage that distinguish the FIREFLY® systems from alternatives on the market. All work was carried out in full compliance with the latest requirements of Approved Document B and other Building Regulations as well as the recently enacted Building Safety Act.The 800 m2 barrier was created using FIREFLY’s Phoenix system, along with Collaroll, the manufacturer’s fire-resistant adhesive and heavy-duty staple guns to secure the specially treated, non-woven material to a framework formed from 50 x 50 mm steel angles. In achieving this, KRASI had up to half a dozen of its highly trained operatives on site at any time, with the installation taking a total of six weeks. The company’s Contract Manager, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “While FIREFLY® are our favourite fire protection products for any barrier work and we always tend to recommend them, in the case of the work at Excel London Phoenix was actually specified by the client, while FIREFLY®technical consultant, Dave Allen providing guidance for the flame break and smoke barrier which rose the full three storey height of where the new extension meets the existing exhibition halls.”“Then as well as our own certification work in line with our IFC accreditation, employing the Bolster system, Dave returned to site several times to carry out inspections. The barrier will offer 120 minutes integrity from either side and could remain in place once the new area is complete. The project went very smoothly, and we have moved on now to other sites including a major one on the Oxford University science campus where we are again using FIREFLY® products. We also engage with training from the company every January: this year having three groups of eight installers undertaking the course in turn. It is a very good working relationship.”  As a specialist sub-contractor well experienced in all types of new-build and upgrade projects, KRASI Fire Protection Limited is active across the South-East, the Midlands and the rest of the country.  Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.

Products from the FIREFLY® range of passive fire protection systems, including Titan Lite 120:60, are continuing to be used by one of the company’s accredited and approved installers at Birmingham International Airport, as work progresses on phase 2 of the major reconstruction affecting the landside facilities used by thousands of passengers every day.  The specification of Titan Lite for this prestige project reflects the barrier system’s proven track record within industrial as well as more sensitive locations such as food processing facilities and data centres.  Primarily intended for use in roof voids and other concealed spaces to create compartmentation, the high-performance material is manufactured from layers of aluminium as well as woven and non-woven glass fibre.  Developed for installation as a three-layer system, Titan Lite 120:60 is the highest performing barrier in the FIREFLY® range, offering two hours integrity and a full one hour’s insulation. Work is being undertaken on behalf of main contractor Vinci by Midlands based KRASI Fire Protection, who in turn have deployed its teams repeatedly over the past 12 months and recently completed the installation of numerous compartmentation barriers within the roof space above the corridor areas adjacent to the World Duty Free Zone.The Project Manager for Krasi Fire Protection, Richard Dark, commented: “Our task throughout has been to install new fire barriers to permit the existing ones to be dismantled, and thereby enable the major alterations and renovation work that is taking place.  The FIREFLY® product range has been used here extensively in the past and the various details employed on the current work have been approved by the client and the airport’s own fire engineer.  The barriers are being formed using the Titan Lite with lengths of Unistrut to secure the top of the barrier due to the distance between purlins.”  The barrier is fixed to Unistrut, which spans between the purlins, with FB180 Batt mechanically secured through the Unistrut using FIREFLY® Pigtail Screws to maintain the compartment line up to the composite roof. Penowrap has been applied around the purlin ends to provide insulation, and Collaroll has been installed to protect service penetrations. Overall, the installation has progressed smoothly, and we are scheduled to return next month.”Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range of flexible barriers is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to create a fully tested and certified system. 

Located in the East of Kent, Thanet Earth is the UK’s leading producer of salad vegetables, where an estimated 400 million tomatoes and 30 million cucumbers are grown every year: with the initial processing and packaging being carried out in a facility where 900m2of the roof structure has had its fire protection upgraded using products from the range of FIREFLY®.The specialist contractor involved, Kent based C A Fire Protection, is a regular user of FIREFLY® and called in the manufacturer’s local Technical Sales Manager for advice when it was invited to tender for the challenging retrofit project.  Following a detailed site inspection and discussions with the client’s FM team, FIREFLY® Zeus Horizontal and FIREFLY® Titan Lite was specified in combination with FIREFLY® Collaroll and FIREFLY® Penowrap to offer continuous 60 minute and 90 minute protection across the soffit, which features numerous down-stands and building services installations. With the ceiling structure to the packaging plant unable to support heavy equipment, C A Fire Protection was forced to repeatedly erect and take down alloy access towers, as their team worked around the cable trays and other obstructions, necessitating a 13-week programme.  In general, the installation method for the FIREFLY® Zeus Horizontal and FIREFLY® Titan Lite saw the experienced operatives assembling frames of the 50 x 50mm metal angle, beneath which the flexible fire barrier was fixed using a 80 x 1mm flat strap, along with FIREFLY‘s High Temperature Adhesive and Stainless Steel Staples.  The FIREFLY® Penowrap and FIREFLY® Collaroll were employed to ensure continuity around roof beams as well as the hangers for the cable trays and other services. The Contracts Manager for C A Fire Protection, Steven Halkett, commented: “We undertake work right across the country, though a lot of it is concentrated in London and Kent where we have offices.  The sectors we cover include commercial, residential, airports, schools, hospitals and other public buildings.”“Our use of FIREFLY® systems has increased a lot over the past couple of years and we sought the company’s advice when we were assessing the work to be done at Thanet Earth, where a lack of insulation in the roof had led to condensation problems and deterioration of the original fire barriers.  We subsequently won the contract to remove all of the old, brittle material and to install the FIREFLY® Zeus Horizontal and other materials.  We were grateful for the  help that we received from FIREFLY’s technical personnel, including the provision of specific details and inspections as the work progressed. Subsequently, the job was completed according to schedule.”     The lightweight and flexible FIREFLY® Penowrap has been developed to compliment other FIREFLY® fire barrier systems and can be used to fully protect structural members as much as 300mm below the main barrier, offering additional protection.  It provides 60 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation when used to wrap around exposed sections of timber or steel during the construction or upgrade of a building.Tested to BS 476 Parts 20 & 22, FIREFLY® Penowrap is manufactured utilising a layer of non-woven silica with aluminium foil on the outward facing surface.  The product, which is non-toxic as well as easy to cut and shape, has additionally received a Pass for Parts 6 & 7 (propagation and surface spread of flame).  The 300mm wide fire wrap is supplied in 10 linear metre long rolls, and is just 12mm thick.  Furthermore, it only weighs 2.02kg/m2 so it is light to handle on site.  FIREFLY® Penowrap is installed using standard fixings and is fully compatible with the angles and high temperature adhesives to be found within the approved FIREFLY® range.

After adding a specialist fire design and contracting arm to its already diverse skill mix, Meldrum Group employed a similarly new product from the range of FIREFLY® during phased refurbishment work within the historic Berwick Barracks, located in the heart of the Scottish Borders: uprating the level of protection within the original pitched roof structures. Brought in by main contractor, Meldrum Facilities to carry out a range of tasks including installing dozens of new fire doors, Meldrum Fire Engineering utilised FIREFLY® Roof Cavity Closer Batt to ensure the continuity of the compartmentation provisions within the extensive roof-spaces to the brick-built barracks.  A prominent landmark in Berwick-upon-Tweed, they date from around 1720 and are the home of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers – attracting many thousands of visitors to its museum every year.  The work there has been carried out under the scrutiny of English Heritage, while Edinburgh based LDN Architects has filled the role of lead consultant on the project.  The first phase has seen the museum moved across the courtyard to the opposite wing which had already been refurbished, with the plan being to return the exhibits to their original location once that building has been upgraded. The Contract Manager for Meldrum Fire Engineering, Ian Cross, commented: “The scope of our work has expanded rapidly over the past 18 months, carrying out contracts for the NHS, the new University of Glasgow campus, the Magdalen Trust and a number of care homes as well as clients in the commercial office sector – so we have a good mix of new-build and refurbishment work. To date we have had half a dozen of our operatives undergo product training at FIREFLY® Rochdale premises, with more due to attend soon. Not only are the FIREFLY® products very straightforward to fit, but we get very good technical guidance from the company, with Daniel Gordon, the Scottish Sales Manager, always coming back to us very quickly when we need details.  Also, he was always willing to visit site to confirm the installation has been carried out correctly.  ‘Right First Time’ is very much part of our ethos.”    “The use of the FIREFLY® solution was initially proposed by Meldrum Facilities’ Project Manager, Shane Murray and agreed with LDN. Then when it came to installing the cavity closers, we were on site for approximately a week, using the FIREFLY® systems to seal either side of the existing brick walls in the roof, as well as coating the timbers to the roof trusses with intumescent paint where they penetrate the walls.  We installed some 80 metres of the Roof Cavity Closer in all, using two mechanical fixings for each batt as well as fireproof sealant.” In addition to completing a very neat installation, Meldrum Fire Engineering also logged all of the products used on the Bolster quality assurance system, before fixing QR codes alongside all of the different details within the roof space so that the products can be referenced for future maintenance and safety checks. The FIREFLY® Roof Cavity Closer is designed to be fitted beneath the roof’s tiling membrane or felt so that in the event of a fire its intumescent graphite strip will expand and seal the void to the underside of the tiles.  As well as being mechanically fixed as occurred at the barracks, the ablative batts can also be friction fitted into voids with the edges ‘buttered’ using the manufacturer’s FR Intumescent Acrylic.  They can further be employed in combination with FIREFLY® membranes or FIREFLY® FB180 ablative batts as part of system solution compliant with Part B of the Building Regulations.

The adaptability of its fire barrier fabrics and other products – like the recently introduced ablative batts – have led to a full specification of FIREFLY® products being installed within the roof-spaces of a major care facility operated by the world-renowned Peabody Trust in the Edgeware district of London: bringing the building up to current regulatory requirements. Wood Court, located in South Road, Colindale, HA8, offers fully supported living across three floors of self-contained apartments, along with communal space for socialising, as well as lift access and car parking.  Despite its modern appearance and levels of physical comfort, considering the Building Safety Act’s renewed emphasis on fire safety, the trust’s management team were keen to ensure the property met all necessary standards, including the creation of adequate ‘protected zones’ along with compartmentation. KBH Building Services and one of its accredited sub-contractors, was duly awarded a design, supply and install contract to fit all necessary new barriers within the unusually restricted, pitched roof areas.  These were specified in conjunction with the FIREFLY® Technical Sales Manager. Ross Grey, Contracts Manager on the project for KBH commented: “We had a number of meetings on site with FIREFLY® Technical Manager, Andy Greenwood – and together we devised a specification which would meet all of the requirements.  It has been an interesting but challenging project due to the compartmentation lines & the different roof materials with very limited working space, which has necessitated employing a variety of FIREFLY® systems.      For instance, we employed the manufacturer’s ablative batts with cavity closer on top to the membrane areas as well as the fire curtain to create protected zones with Zeus Lite & horizontal to form compartmentation.  The ease of installation offered by the FIREFLY® systems has helped with working in such confined spaces, having so far installed some 500 square metres of  Zeus fire barrier and another 180 square metres of the ablative batts. “ FIREFLY® Technical Sales Manager, Andrew Greenwood added: “During my visits and inspections, I can confirm the work carried out was done to a very high standard ensuring competency & compliantly installed products. We expect the work to take up to four months in all, running through to February 2026.”Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically, using a full selection of FIREFLY®ancillary products to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.

A programme of works carried out at a Nottinghamshire hospital has seen a number of products from the FIREFLY® range employed to upgrade the passive fire protection throughout the roof spaces, with the manufacturer providing site specific design details to assist the highly experienced contractor complete the project on time. DC Fire Protection Ltd., based at Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, works right across the country covering multiple sectors of the construction industry, installing active as well as passive fire protection systems.  For its 10 week contract at the Ashfield Health and Wellbeing Centre at Kirby in Ashfield, the specialist installed dozens of rolls of the Titan Lite™ fire barrier as well as the Apollo Horizontal barrier, Collaroll and two of the 1200 x 600mm FR120 Access Panels to link some of the safety zones being created. Built in 2007, Ashfield Health and Wellbeing Centre is conjoined to the existing Ashfield Community Hospital and offers extended health services to the local community, supplementing the current services by providing purpose-built rehabilitation facilities, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and other community health services.  It also offers consulting rooms, treatment rooms and an activities of daily living suite, rehabilitation and gym areas.A Director of DC Fire Protection, Daniel Mabbott, commented: “We have been dealing with FIREFLY® for a number of years, including buying large quantities of the Titan Lite™ and Apollo LiteTM , which we use for commercial contracts as well as other work.  We often propose the use of FIREFLY® systems to clients and in this instance, where we were simply given the performance standard the client required, we proposed the use of Titan Lite™ plus Apollo Horizontal to upgrade the exiting fire walls which no longer comply with current requirements.” “There were a number of plastic PVC-U soil stacks rising through the roof in what was specified as a Controlled Zone, for which FIREFLY® provided us with a bespoke detail to protect them where they passed through the barriers, while we installed a couple of their FR120 Access Panels in addition to the fire doors which we fitted in a number of locations throughout the roof.  The project was completed on time and we have now moved onto another contract where we are again using a number of FIREFLY® products.”Third party approved, FIREFY® Apollo Horizontal 30:30 provides 30 minutes integrity and insulation to exceed the minimum requirements within the Building Regulations relating to fire barriers.  In common with other FIREFY® products, Apollo Horizontal is manufactured using specially treated woven glass fibre fabric, being flexible and lightweight making it easy to install. Specifiers and specialist fire contractors wishing to find more information about the full range of products available from FIREFLY® can visit www.tbafirefly.com

An exhaustive four-month project to replace existing fire compartmentation walls within the labyrinthine roof-spaces to a Nottinghamshire community hospital has been successfully carried out by a Midlands based contractor, highly experienced in the installation of the FIREFLY® systems used. The Lings Bar Hospital in the Beckside area of Nottingham is a 72-bed in-patient unit specialising in rehabilitation, as well as memory and mental health services. The building is split into multiple wards and consulting rooms as well as offices, while interconnecting tiled roofs of differing heights cover the single-storey, brick-built wings. Unfortunately, years of accidental damage and changes to the fire regulations meant that the walls and fire-stopping within different roof areas no longer offered compliance. KRASI Fire Protection Limited covers the entire country from its Coventry premises and was awarded its contract based on its past relationship with the main contractor and the comprehensive nature of the interventions it proposed for replacing the ageing stone wool barriers. In total, the work carried out in the third quarter of last year saw its six-man team install some 650 m2 of vertical barrier and a further 490m2 of horizontal protection atop these new walls. The carefully designed installations, including a variety of project specific details, made use of Zeus Lite 90:30 and Zeus Horizontal 60:30 FIREFLY® barriers, together with FB180 batts mechanically fixed to the soffit: forming a ‘protected zone’ extending to 1500mm either side of the wall.   The Contracts Manager for Krasi Fire Protection, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “Shortcomings with the original installations and repeated damage meant the compartmentation required completely redoing, and we made use of the FB180 Batt system to ensure that any fire cannot break through and cause “burn-over”. The batts are mechanically fixed in placed, sealed with the intumescent mastic and the ablative coating which is brush applied. It was really quite a complex job with different roof areas branching off like a maze and we completed 16 different zones, as well as installing 10 of the FIREFLY® access hatches. The work actually went quite smoothly and the whole job is certified under our FIRAS scheme accreditation.”The FIREFLY® Access Panels FR120 used measure 900 x 600mm and are tested in accordance with EN 1363-1 to offer 120 minutes fire resistance. Their heavy-duty steel construction facilitates straightforward installation and repeated access while preserving the performance integrity across the overall fire system. Also employed on the contract were fire dampers supplied by FIREFLY®, which were installed in compliance with the company’s fully tested details.FIREFLY’s Product Manager, Chris Boam, stated, “As a FIREFLY® Preferred Installer, KRASI continues to strengthen our partnership by collaborating on compliant fire protection solutions. Their expertise and commitment to best practices ensure our systems are installed to the highest standards, delivering reliable compartmentation in critical environments.”Underlining the versatility of its recently launched FB180 Ablative Batt, FIREFLY® has added a new Floor System to its range with the potential to be installed between existing joists without disturbing the ceiling below, while also suiting several other compartmentation applications and even offering sound reduction benefits. The FIREFLY® FB180 Ablative Batt System has been developed for friction fitting between adjacent timber joists but has also been fully tested when laid horizontally across a larger area where a protected zone is required. This being one of the situations where the product can be used in conjunction with FIREFLY® Apollo Lite flexible fire barrier and the manufacturer’s ancillary products, such as its Acrylic Sealant and FIREFLY® fixings or Penowrap to create an integrated system. Furthermore, FIREFLY® barrier systems, the new fireproof floor insulation’s integrity can extend to protecting service penetrations, such as soil pipes, when fitted in compliance with the manufacturer’s directions. Produced from mineral wool with an ablative coating on both sides to offer 90 minutes integrity as well as a full one hour’s insulation, the FB180 Ablative Batt has been tested in accordance with BS EN 1363-1 2022 and BS EN 1364-2: the latter confirming its ability to upgrade the compartmentation of floor constructions without affecting loadbearing capacity. Impressively, the 60mm thick Ablative Batt will also provide 27 dB sound reduction and is straightforward to install, either in isolation or combined with other FIREFLY® barriers. As well as detailed drawings and installation guidance, Firefly’s technical advisory service can supply project specific details and other advice as necessary.  Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range of flexible barriers is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios. The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to create a fully tested and certified system.

A rapid and precisely executed two-week retrofit contract has brought the fire compartmentation within the complex roof-spaces to a Nottinghamshire health centre up to current standards under the Building Regulations, with the work being carried out by a Midlands based contractor, highly experienced in the installation of the FIREFLY® systems specified.  The Meadow Heath Health Centre in the south-east area of the city has been undergoing alterations to allow two existing SP practices to merge, both coming under the direction of the Nottingham City Clinical Commissioning Group.  Coventry based KRASI Fire Protection Limited, which works right across the country, was awarded the work based on its long experience and past projects undertaken in the East Midlands area.  Due to the age of the building, which had undergone previous alterations, with the fire regulations also being revised, meaning the fire-stopping measures within the centre’s extensive roof-space no longer offered compliance. Following a careful inspection and consultation with FIREFLY® Technical Manager, Chris Boam, KRASI put forward a design solution, which featured the installation of the manufacturer’s Zeus Vertical and Horizontal fire barriers in combination with the recently introduced FB 180 batts which were required to create a number of ‘protected zones’ in accordance with Approved Document B.      The Contracts Manager for KRASI Fire Protection, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “Some issues with the original installation and subsequent damage meant the compartmentation required significant improvement and we made use of the FB180 Batt system to ensure that any fire cannot break through and cause “burn-over”.  Our four-man team installed some 50m2 of Zeus vertical barrier and a further 100m2 of horizontal protection in alignment with the walls, giving 90 minutes integrity and 30 minutes insulation.  The carefully designed installations, including a variety of project specific details, made use of Zeus Lite 90:30 and other FIREFLY® barrier materials, together with the FB180 batts mechanically fixed to form the protected zone extending to 1500mm either side of the wall.”“The batts are mechanically fixed in place and sealed with the intumescent mastic and the ablative coating which is brush applied.  It was a technically complex job, if not nearly as large as others we have carried out in Nottingham such as the 72 bed Lings Bar Hospital, which ran for some four months.  The work went quite smoothly and the whole job is certified under our FIRAS scheme accreditation.”Also employed on the contract were a number of FIREFLY® FR120 Access Hatches, providing compliant access to the newly upgraded roof-space compartments.The project also highlights the versatility of FIREFLY® FB180 Ablative Batt, which continues to play a key role across a growing number of passive fire protection applications. Initially developed for use in wall constructions and protected zones, the same system has now been successfully adapted for use within floor assemblies, offering extended fire resistance and acoustic performance where compartmentation upgrades are required between levels.Tested in accordance with BS EN 1363-1:2022 and BS EN 1364-2, the FB180 Ablative Batt delivers up to 90 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation, while also providing measurable sound reduction benefits. The system can be friction-fitted between timber joists or installed horizontally in conjunction with other FIREFLY® barriers such as Apollo Lite™, using complementary ancillary products,  including Acrylic Sealant, FIREFLY® Fixings, and Penowrap — to form a fully integrated solution.As with all FIREFLY® systems, detailed installation guidance and project-specific support are available through the company’s Technical Advisory Service, ensuring compliant design and installation across a wide range of compartmentation scenarios.Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range of flexible barriers is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products in order to create a fully tested and certified system.

The performance benefits of FIREFLY® barrier systems and ancillary products, together with the IFC and FIRAS backed experience of its locally based approved installer, secured a contract during the autumn which involved upgrading the fire performance of a 10-year-old warehouse and office building, where aspects of its fire protection no longer met the required standards.KRASI Fire Protection is unusual in that it holds significant stocks of various FIREFLY® materials at its Coventry premises and was therefore able to respond rapidly when the building owner sought a quote for the urgent work. The specialist duly assigned a three-man team to carry out the work using a scissor lift for access: completing the complex task in just two weeks to minimise disruption for the client. The Contracts Manager for Krasi Fire Protection, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “While the height of the building and the number of individual roof purlins and other elements requiring treatment made this a logistically challenging job, we were able to specify standard FIREFLY® details to achieve compliance. Crucially, the manufacturer has undertaken testing of the various products we employed as an integrated system. This included Zeus 60:30 together with Penowrap to protect the ends of all the purlins and then we employed the recently introduced FB180 Batt system which we secured in line with the Zeus curtain and sealed using the FR Intumescent Acrylic sealant. We also used FIREFLY® adhesive and staples to secure the 140 square metres of barrier to steel angles and perimeter steelwork. In addition, there was a requirement to install one of the 600 x 900mm FIREFLY® Access Panels FR120 to provide entry off a mezzanine level, which again offers full compatibility with the rest of the enhanced fire protection.”  “The FIREFLY®Access Panel FR120 used is tested in accordance with WN 1363-1 to offer 120 minutes fire resistance. Their heavy-duty steel construction facilitates straightforward installation and repeated access while preserving the performance integrity across the overall fire system.” Underlining the versatility of its recently launched ablative batt, FIREFLY® has added a new Floor System to its range with the potential to be installed between existing joists without disturbing the ceiling below, while also suiting a number of other compartmentation applications and even offering sound reduction benefits. The FIREFLY® FB180 Ablative Batt 60mm and 50mm Floor System has been developed for friction fitting between adjacent timber joists but has also been fully tested when laid horizontally across a larger area where a protected zone is required. This being one of the situations where the product can be used in conjunction with FIREFLY® Apollo Lite flexible fire barrier and the manufacturer’s ancillary products, such as its Acrylic Sealant and FIREFLY® Fixings or Penowrap to create an integrated system. Furthermore, like many FIREFLY® barrier systems, the new fireproof floor insulation’s integrity can extend to protecting service penetrations, such as soil pipes, when fitted in compliance with the manufacturer’s directions. Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range of flexible barriers is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios. The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products in order to create a fully tested and certified system.

An 18 month long fit-out contract for a Tewkesbury based cladding specialist has seen the company install thousands of square metres of FIREFLY® barriers, to protect the roof space and other voids within a major new food processing plant in the Manchester area. Cold Clad Ltd. was appointed by the main contractor to install all of the internal wall panels, suspended ceilings and the kerbing, as well as carrying out the installation of the vertical fire protection barriers using Titan Lite™ 120:60 and Collaroll, which were secured across light gauge steel subframes to provide two hours integrity and 60 minutes insulation.  Aligning with the nearest roof purlin to secure the frames assembled from 50 x 50mm steel angles, Cold Clad created barriers ranging in height from three metres down to less than one metre. While also accommodating the movement requirement of the large metal structure. Cold Clad’s Contract Manager for the project, Ross Camberley, commented: “The scale of the installation meant we had up to 30 operatives involved on the work for most of the period, many of whom had undergone the training course delivered by FIREFLY®, which I also took in order to be able to understand the complexities of erecting the ‘triple curtain’, and also protect all of the penetrations such as steel beams and building services.  While this was a very challenging project due to the scale of the work – and also my first experience of the FIREFLY® range – we are about to carry out another contract in Holyhead for a different client and will actually be using another of the manufacturer’s approved installers to do the work.”  FIREFLY® Titan Lite™ 120:60 is a lightweight flexible fire barrier designed to provide fire compartmentation of larger concealed spaces and voids within buildings, offering 120 minutes Integrity and 60 minutes insulation.  Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The certified barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.

A significant redevelopment project at a specialist mental health hospital in Nottinghamshire is nearing a successful completion, with two of FIREFLY’s versatile and fully certified systems being employed by one of the manufacturer’s approved contractors installing the lightweight, but high performing fire barriers, to protect the ceiling spaces. The work at the Millbrook Mental Health Unit in the Sutton area of Mansfield is being carried out by Tilbury Douglas on behalf of the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and includes the construction of a new dementia ward as well as the refurbishment of two existing wards.  The new facility will create a low-stimulus environment containing 18 single bedrooms with en-suite shower rooms, while the refurbished building is being upgraded to meet current NHS guidelines, as well as to achieve compliance with the latest requirements of Approved Document B and the Building Safety Act.   Coventry based KRASI Fire Protection Limited – a specialist sub-contractor well experienced in hospital upgrades, including other projects across the East Midlands – was awarded its package under competitive tender and had up to 10 of its highly trained operatives on site during the four-month contract.  The company’s Contract Manager, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “When we were approached to install all of the fire barriers within the building at the Millbrook Hospital, we put forward the APOLLO LiteTM 30:30 and TITAN Lite™120:60 as being appropriate to the periods of protection being sought by the project team, including Tilbury Douglas’s fire consultant.  They were really the only products which would have worked in this situation. We have come to rely on FIREFLY® systems in recent years since we moved away from mineral wool solutions.  They ensure high performance with good technical back-up when required and, crucially, they carry the best testing.”  “In this instance, FIREFLY’s regional manager, Dave Allen attended the site to advise on some special details – provided as sketches backed up by email confirmation with photographs.  The TITAN Lite™120:60 provides 120 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation, while the APOLLO LiteTM 30:30 offers 30 minutes in each respect.  There were no horizontal barriers required on this job.” While Krasi carries out its own IFC certification work, FIREFLY’s technical consultants continued to visit the project at intervals to confirm that all of the work was being carried out in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions: with the special staples and fire rated adhesive being used to attach the barrier materials to sub-frames of steel angles reaching down on top of the individual partition walls creating compliant compartmentation.  Krasi’s completed contract saw a total of 700 square metres of Titan Lite and Apollo Lite barriers installed throughout the refurbished ward building. Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.The lightweight and flexible FIREFLY® Penowrap has been developed to compliment other FIREFLY® fire barrier systems and can be used to fully protect structural members as much as 300mm below the main barrier, offering additional protection.  It provides 60 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation when used to wrap around exposed sections of timber or steel during the construction or upgrade of a building.Tested to BS 476 Parts 20 & 22, FIREFLY® Penowrap is manufactured utilising a layer of non-woven silica with aluminium foil on the outward facing surface.  The product, which is non-toxic as well as easy to cut and shape, has additionally received a Pass for Parts 6 & 7 (propagation and surface spread of flame).  The 300mm wide fire wrap is supplied in 10 linear metre long rolls, and is just 12mm thick.  Furthermore, it only weighs 2.02kg/m2 so it is light to handle on site.  FIREFLY® Penowrap is installed using standard fixings and is fully compatible with the angles and high temperature adhesives to be found within the approved FIREFLY® range.  

High performance but lightweight fire barriers from the range of FIREFLY® have been specified by one of the manufacturer’s Preferred Installers, to upgrade the fire protection within the stair cores to a large office property in the East Midlands continuing a burgeoning business relationship between the two specialists.   The work on the two-storey commercial property, which dates from the 1990s, has been carried out by Coventry based KRASI Fire Protection using the FIREFLY® Zeus Horizontal 60:30 barrier, with FIREFLY’s Technical Manager for the region attending site to offer design guidance, as well as during the contract period.  The improvements were confined to the first-floor ceiling voids above each of the building’s four staircases, but will help ensure escape routes are maintained in the event of any future emergency. The Contract Manager for KRASI Fire Protection Limited, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “We have come to rely on the performance and technical expertise of FIREFLY® over the past couple of years since we switched away from using rigid mineral wool systems, while we also get very good on-site support. In this instance the FIREFLY® Technical Manager, Dave Allen, carried out a survey of the area involved prior to producing a report for the client; assisting us in being awarded the contract.  He also attended site during the installation to confirm everything was in accordance with the requirements, and inspected it on completion for sign off. Basically, the installation was carried out by securing the standard Unistrut channels to the face of the blockwork walls at ceiling level – and also installing hangers into the joists at intervals – so supporting the Zeus Horizontal, while the manufacturer’s high temperature adhesive and fixings were also used to secure all of the overlaps.  FIREFLY® is easy to cut and fix in place and saves us a lot of time compared to traditional systems.  Recently we have had all 10 of our operatives trained up on FIREFLY’s Horizontal systems as part of the annual update on installation of the systems.”   FIREFLY® Zeus Horizontal is a lightweight flexible fire barrier designed to provide fire compartmentation of larger concealed spaces and voids within buildings, offering 60 minutes integrity and 30 minutes insulation.  It has been specifically developed and tested for horizontal installation, including fitting around service penetrations.      Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios.  The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.

Fully compatible products from the range of TBA FIREFLY™ have been chosen to compartmentalise roof voids between apartments and communal lobbies of a large apartment building in the London Borough of Lewisham, providing 120 minutes fire integrity protection as part of a wide ranging refurbishment programme carried out earlier this year.The contract on Lewisham Homes’ Commodore Court in Albyn Road has been led by the sector specialist construction company, Mulalley & Co. with London/Sevenoaks based CLM Fireproofing carrying out the installation of the TITAN Lite™ 120:60 barrier system, in combination with Collaroll and the use of ancillary products from the FIREFLY™ range.CLM Fireproofing was founded 30 years ago by Clive Miles and has established a reputation as a leader in the fields of both passive fire protection and fire-stopping; working in a variety of sectors on projects right across the UK. A regular user of the FIREFLY™ range, many of its operatives have attended courses at the company’s premises in Rochdale to become trained FIREFLY™ installers.The Site Agent for CLM, Virginijus Pasvenskas, commented: “There was initially an intention to use a mineral wool flexible fire barrier, but the product was not tested for the scenario installed around the services such as a downpipe and it was upgraded to the use of the FIREFLY™ system by the client/project team. The installation of the TITAN Lite™ and the Collaroll to wrap the trusses and the services went very well and, as well as supplying specific details for the work, FIREFLY's technical team came to site to inspect the works. We completed our contract on schedule back in the summer.”TITAN Lite™ 120:60 has been developed for use in vertical separation or compartmentation situations, offering 120 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation and is able to be sealed around penetrations. It is widely specified to form fire barriers within roof voids and floor voids in many different property types, including tower blocks and other HMOs.The flexible woven material is easy to cut and fix, and is chemically treated to improve its cooling properties and therefore prevent temperatures rising in adjoining areas. The system has been fully tested to BS 476 Parts 20 & 22 and is third party certified by IFC. The six metre long rolls of TITAN Lite™ 120:60 have a minimum thickness of 6mm and are installed using special staples as well as high temperature adhesive.Employed as part of the FIREFLY™ System and also to wrap the services which penetrate barriers such as PHOENIX, ZEUS Lite™ and APOLLO Lite™, Collaroll comes in a roll which unwraps to 10m long x 300mm wide with a sewn in concertinaed skirt. The skirt can be moulded to shape to seal it neatly to the upright barrier, which is usually at 90 degrees to the Collaroll and fixed into place using the FIREFLY™ high temperature adhesive. The R31 Staple Gun and Staples are used to staple the Collaroll to itself tightly around the penetration.

FIREFLY™ APOLLO Lite Specified for Royal Stoke RefurbishmentA leading passive fire protection contractor has been involved in the installation of fully compatible products from the range of TBA FIREFLY™ for the creation of half hour fire barriers within ceiling voids to a major general hospital undergoing extensive refurbishment work in the north of England.Birmingham based Cubic FM is the specialist sub-contractor carrying out all of the passive fire protection work at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in the city’s Newcastle Road. The work is making use of FIREFLY’s well proven APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 barrier system in combination with the equally widely specified Collaroll across areas featuring cable trays, water pipes and other building services. All of the barrier and ancillary products are being supplied by the Birmingham branch of Encon, one of FIREFLY’s main distributors.The Senior Contract Manager for Cubic, Brett Kelly, commented: “This is a family run firm where passive fire protection forms one of our key divisions, serving both private and public sector clients: working in schools, prisons, police stations and MOD properties as well as hospitals. The contract here in Stoke has been particularly challenging because the ceiling void of the Lower Trent Ward contains a variety of services - including gas and water - which could not be isolated due to having to keep adjoining areas of the hospital supplied. Also the presence of steel beams meant the new drywall partitions could not be taken right up to the underside of the slab.”“We were first introduced to the FIREFLY's range some three years ago when it was specified by a client, but we now prefer the systems to the rock mineral wool we used previously. The FIREFLY™ barriers are quicker and easier to install, do not create dust or skin irritation and the company is always ready to provide design guidance or on–site assistance. We currently have half a dozen operatives trained up by FIREFLY™ and another group due to attend the company’s training school soon.FIREFLY™ worked with the architect here after they specified the APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 and have been helping us with installation details, where we are using the special staples and adhesives to secure the barriers, as well as around all the service penetrations – working off scaffolding. Overall the installation is progressing very well.”APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 has been developed for use in vertical separation or compartmentation situations, offering 30 minutes integrity and insulation and is able to be sealed around penetrations. It is widely specified to form fire barriers within roof voids and floor voids in many different property types, including tower blocks and other HMOs.The flexible woven material is easy to cut and fix and is treated with a proprietary coating to improve its cooling properties and therefore prevent temperatures rising in adjoining areas. The system has been fully tested to BS 476 Parts 20 & 22 and is third party certified by IFC. The six metre long rolls of APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 have a minimum thickness of 6mm and are installed using stainless steel staples as well as high temperature adhesive.Employed as part of the FIREFLY™ System and also to wrap the services which penetrate barriers such as PHOENIX, ZEUS Lite™ 90:30 and TITAN Lite™ 120:60, Collaroll comes in a roll 10m long x 300mm wide with a sewn-in concertinaed skirt. The skirt can be moulded to shape to seal it neatly to the upright barrier, which is usually at 90 degrees to the Collaroll and fixed into place using the high temperature adhesive. The R31 Staple Gun and Staples are used to staple the Collaroll to itself tightly around the penetration.

Scotland’s biggest building services contractor has just completed upgrading the fire compartmentation within an existing West Lothian warehouse building which is being converted to serve as high bay storage facility to support the organisation’s existing distribution facility elsewhere in West Lothian and is, for the first time, making use of products from the range of TBA FIREFLY™, including APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 to create new fire barriers together with TBA’s expert advice and installer training.

FIREFLY™ PHOENIX Offers Temporary Fire Protection For Fenchurch Street OfficesThe refurbishment of two complete floors to one of the City’s largest office buildings is making use of the well proven and versatile TBA FIREFLY™ PHOENIX smoke & flame barriers, to create temporary fire barriers while the work is being carried out: protecting people and property across the rest of the five storey structure where business continues as normal.The project at 30 Fenchurch Street, EC3 is being led by Overbury – one of the capital’s most experienced fit-out contractors, while the London office of HLW Architects is leading the design team. T&R Fire Protection meanwhile is the specialist sub-contractor carrying out the installation of the PHOENIX around the atrium, as well as other passive fire protection measures as the scheme evolves.In total T&R has fixed 22 rolls of the lightweight PHOENIX material to create the two hour integrity smoke and flame barriers around the glazed edge of the floor plates at levels Three and Four of 30 Fenchurch Street. The lightweight barrier has been fixed to the bulkhead and at intervals down all of the existing columns, before finally being secured across steel angle sections bolted to the floor slab.IFC Certification duly inspected all 160 metres of the temporary barriers – up to 3,300 mm in height - once installed, on behalf of Overbury and duly issued a certificate of compliance. The permanent works are expected to include creating fire breaks within the ceiling zones at 20 metre intervals, as part of T&R’s overall contract for Fenchurch Street in the region of £250K.The Site Manager for T&R Fire Protection, Tom Port Smith, commented: “We’ve used PHOENIX and other FIREFLY™ products on many hundreds of projects in the past, but in this case it was the insurers for the project who insisted on the installation of the screens to protect the atrium while the sprinkler system was being replaced. The installation though was relatively straightforward and in our work generally, FIREFLY™ is our ‘go to’ manufacturer when it comes to fire compartmentation. We base our recommendations and design drawings on TBA FIREFLY™ standard details and, once they’ve been approved, go in and install the flexible fire barriers.”Tom, like the majority of T&R Fire Protection’s operatives, has attended training sessions at FIREFLY's premises in Rochdale, reinforcing their trade skills and gaining valuable insights into the performance parameters of the different barriers in the range.FIREFLY™ PHOENIX is a lightweight smoke & flame barrier developed to enable compartmentation within buildings to provide up to 120 minutes’ integrity under BS476 Parts 20 & 22. Certified by IFCC, the flexible and straightforward to install material and is suitable for both new-build and retrofit situations.Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY™ range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios. The flexible barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of ancillary products. Used mainly in the construction industry across the UK and Europe, FIREFLY™ Fire Barriers help to contain fire, giving building occupants extra time to evacuate and the fire service to enter safely.

FIREFLY™ Phoenix has been employed at the iconic RAF Manston History Museum, located near Ramsgate in Kent, during the refurbishment of a single storey structure

The decision by the British Museum to move a substantial part of its collection of historical artefacts from storage in London to a new state-of-the-art facility in Reading has led to a major fire-stopping contract for a specialist sub-contractor; featuring the use of the FIREFLY™ TITAN Lite™ 120:60 from the TBA FIREFLY™ range.The development at Cutbush Lane East, in the Shinfield district, has seen main contractor Graham Construction awarded a £30million contract for the erection and fit out of the new facility and while the original specification for the well proven and widely used FIREFLY product came from project architects, John McAslam + Partners, the installation and on site expertise was provided by St. Albans based Loftus Construction Solutions Ltd. in installing the 60 rolls of TITAN Lite™ in line with the manufacturer’s standard details and project specific guidance.The Project Manager for Graham Construction, Andrew Gardner, commented: “The British Museum is closing down its storage facility in central London and moving it here to the new research and storage building in Reading, which we expect to complete early next summer (2022). In terms of the fire barriers these have been designed with both life safety and asset protection prioritised: preventing break out of fire from places like plant rooms, and also the protection of dividing walls from both sides.“This has meant the use of in excess of 30 different details including bespoke ones which has led to TBA/Loftus assisting in further developing the initial specification by JMP to suit the unique site conditions. FIREFLY made several visits to site and offered a lot of useful technical guidance and assisted with alterations being made, while Loftus Construction Solutions Ltd has done very good work on the installation of these complex solutions.”Patrick Loftus, MD of Loftus Construction Solutions Ltd, added: “As an ASFP accredited contractor in conjunction with our FIRAS and LPCB Accreditation’s for Passive Fire Protection System we are familiar with the FIREFLY range and have, in fact been using another product from the range (PHOENIX) for three years in work at Whitechapel Station as part of the overall Crossrail Scheme. Again this has enabled us to be meet our Clients’ needs for multiple unique details on another complex project. TBA complements our on-site activities with their excellent technical support which ensures we can deliver on all aspects of projects to our Clients requirements.Combined with all the site reports, our operatives have undergone training from FIREFLY, including training delivered on-site. The work here in Reading is progressing very well in terms of all the compatibility of connection details and all stakeholders involved are pleased with the results and suitability of the products and installation work carried out.”As a flexible, woven material TITAN Lite™ is easy to cut and fix and is chemically treated to improve its cooling properties, meaning it will prevent temperatures rising in adjoining areas when used to create compartmentation. It is installed as a three-layer, staggered system to achieve 120 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation. The system has been fully tested to BS 476 Parts 20 & 22 and is third party certified by IFCC.

The fire protection of critical movement joints within the main floor slabs of the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham has consumed some 1,000 linear metres of FIREFLY™ TITAN Lite™ 120/60, as a well proven and widely specified passive fire protection product.