Many people will fall into a misunderstanding when it comes to decoration: they only focus on the decoration effect and worry about the budget, but ignore the most important fire safety.
Whether it is renovating a new home or decorating a store, many seemingly ordinary, versatile and good-looking decoration materials have fatal fire hazards hidden behind them.
Once something goes wrong, regretting will not help.
On June 17, the National Fire and Rescue Bureau held an official press conference.
At the meeting, investigation reports on many major fire accidents this year were made public, allowing the public to have a clearer understanding of these accidents.
Based on real cases compiled by the fire department, it can be clearly found that flammable decorative materials are a key factor in promoting the rapid spread of fire and aggravating disaster losses.
Many fires were just small sparks and sporadic flames at first, and they were fully capable of being extinguished immediately. However, due to the large amount of flammable decoration materials piled and paved on site, the small fires instantly evolved into large fires, ultimately causing irreparable losses.
Just like the Henan Lingbao Foot Spa Fire and Shanxi Taiyuan Barbeque Restaurant fire that attracted widespread attention, the initial fire was very small and not enough to cause casualties.
The core reason that really caused the disaster to completely get out of control and lead to tragedy was the large area of flammable decoration materials used in the store, which caused the originally small fire to spread quickly and become more intense.
In response to such high-frequency decoration fire hazards, the fire department has highlighted three types of decoration materials that are highly used and extremely dangerous.
Whether you are an ordinary homeowner preparing for home decoration, or a friend who plans to open a business or renovate a store, you must read it carefully and avoid these deadly safety minefields in advance!
1. Foam insulation filling materials: high-risk fire-supporting materials
Among all flammable decoration materials, foam insulation filling materials have the highest risk factor and are also the core culprits of the above two fire accidents. They have always been the focus of high-risk building materials under strict investigation by the fire department.
You must be familiar with polyurethane foam.
It is a common and practical material used in ceiling filling in commercial places, in soft wall decoration, and in indoor sound insulation and noise reduction projects.
Because of its high cost performance and simple and convenient construction, its market usage rate remains high.
However, the fire resistance of this material is really worrying.
Just a cigarette butt and a few electrical sparks can ignite it in an instant, and the burning speed is so fast that people are caught off guard.
The most deadly thing is that it releases highly toxic cyanide gas during combustion. In a closed indoor space, it can poison and suffocate people in just tens of seconds, leaving no sufficient time to escape.
There are also polystyrene foam boards commonly used in exterior wall insulation projects, also known as benzene boards in the industry, which are typical flammable building materials.
Once it encounters an open flame, it will not only burn violently, but also melt and drip at high temperatures. Wherever the glue drops with open flames fall, they will be ignited.
The fire spreads vertically upward along the wall, forming a terrible three-dimensional burning, which will greatly increase the difficulty of fire fighting.
Instructions for lightning protection during decoration: In commercial places with densely populated and closed spaces such as foot massage parlors, KTVs, restaurants, and supermarkets, polyurethane soft bags and ordinary foam filling materials must not be laid in large areas.
When ordinary households are doing wall and ceiling insulation construction, they should not choose low-quality foam boards to save a small amount of money. They should give priority to grade A non-combustible rock wool and cement foam boards to avoid fire risks from the source.
2. Wall soft decoration materials: invisible fire conveyor belt
In order to improve the texture of the space and the appearance of the decoration, many families and shops will choose to lay wall coverings, make wall soft packages, and install plastic wall panels.
These soft furnishings are exquisite and beautiful, and can quickly improve the decoration level, but they are also the areas most easily overlooked by everyone in terms of fire hazards.
If ordinary fabric soft bags are not professionally flame-retardant, the same is true for non-woven wallpaper and low-quality plastic wall panels, which are all flammable materials.
Their fire resistance is poor and it is difficult to provide effective fire protection, thus posing hidden fire hazards.
Once an open fire occurs indoors, the fire will not be limited to the ignition point, but will spread rapidly along the entire wall.
At the same time, burning such materials produces large amounts of toxic smoke.
Not only will it obscure vision and prevent people from escaping, its toxic fumes will also quickly invade the human body, greatly shortening precious escape time.
Key points for lightning protection during decoration: When decorating a large area of home with wall coverings or making soft wall coverings, don’t just focus on style and price. Be sure to check product qualifications and choose qualified products with formal flame retardant test reports.
When decorating walls in commercial places such as shops and hotels, fire and flame retardant regulations must be strictly followed.
It is strictly prohibited to use ordinary fabrics and cheap plastic wall panels in large areas to ensure the fire safety of the site and create a safe business environment.
3. Flooring and decoration accessories: hidden dangers that are easily overlooked
When decorating, most people will focus on checking the safety of core main materials such as ceilings and walls, but often ignore floor materials and various construction accessories.
As everyone knows, these small and inconspicuous building materials are the main triggers of many hidden fires.
Ordinary chemical fiber carpets and children’s foam floor mats commonly used in homes and shops have extremely poor fire resistance. They will ignite when exposed to open flames and may even smolder.
The open flame on the surface seems to have been extinguished, but the material is still smoldering inside. It can easily re-ignite after a period of time, causing a larger fire.
In addition, ordinary foam glue, which is necessary for decoration construction, is extremely flammable. If it is exposed inside the ceiling or around the wire pipes for a long time, it will be directly ignited if it encounters electrical sparks, line overload and heat, etc.
This kind of fire is hidden in a hidden corner and is difficult to detect in the early stage. Once it breaks out, it will become a large-scale fire.
Key points for lightning protection in decoration: Try not to cover shops and hotels with chemical fiber carpets without any flame retardant qualifications.
After using foam glue for home decoration, sealing must be done to completely seal the colloid inside the board to avoid long-term exposure to electrical appliances and pipelines, and to eliminate potential safety hazards.
A common pit avoidance method for ordinary people during decoration, simple and easy to operate
For ordinary owners, professional fire protection regulations are obscure and difficult to understand, and there is no need to memorize them by rote.
By mastering three simple and practical methods, you can avoid most fire hazards in decoration and easily identify inferior flammable building materials.
First, strictly check product testing qualifications
When purchasing decoration and building materials, give priority to the official signs of Class A non-combustible and Class B1 flame-retardant, and take the initiative to ask for formal test reports from merchants.
Especially for store decoration, fire inspections are strict, and flame-retardant building materials must be purchased according to specifications. Do not try to buy three-no products at low prices, which may end up being a small gain.
Second, simple open flame self-test and verification
If you are not sure about the fire resistance of building materials, don’t believe the merchant’s word-of-mouth propaganda, you can simply test it at home.
Cut a small piece of material sample and burn it with a lighter. If it can self-extinguish when removed from the fire, only carbonizes without spreading, and does not drip with hot melt glue, it is a qualified flame-retardant material.
If the material continues to burn and drips hot melt, give up the purchase.
Third, adhere to the core principles of material selection
In home spaces, densely populated public areas and business premises, try to reduce the use of large areas of foam, fabric and other flammable decorations.
When choosing decoration materials, we give priority to safe non-combustible and flame-retardant materials such as latex paint, ceramic tiles, and fire-resistant gypsum boards, which can not only ensure the appearance of the decoration, but also maintain the bottom line of safety.
Decoration has never been about pursuing appearance and competing for low prices. Fire safety is the bottom line that cannot be compromised.
Whether you are decorating your own home or opening a store for business, choosing flame-retardant building materials in compliance with regulations is not only to protect the life safety of yourself and your family, but also a basic requirement to fulfill your responsibilities and avoid business risks.
