[SML] Foam Fire Retardant

[e-mail frank.wood95]

I agree with you.

Some years ago, I was lighting a show which involved a lot of carvwd
polystyrene, simulating gothic windows. I was concerned, and carried
out a test. I propped a sheet of the material against a wall in our
car park, and set a 1KW VNSP Par about a foot from it, at full. After
three hours, the area where the beam had fallen was a bit thinner than
the rest of the sheet, but not much. I concluded that it was safe.

Many years ago, there were justified scare stories about this material
in house fires. It was then in common use as ceiling tiles, secured
with a few dabs of adhesive. If a substantial fire occurred beneath
it, it contributed to the spread of the fire, and released poisonous
fumes. Note the phrase 'substantial fire', and 'the few dabs of
adhesive'. Investigations showed that, if securely bonded to a
substrate, the fire hazard was negligible.

What, if any, training do your AHJs receive? A quotation comes to
mind: "Proud man, dressed in a little brief authority - - -" From what
I have read in the list, many AHJs fill the definition admirably.

On 10 March 2015 at 20:46, Dougherty, Jim via Stagecraft
<stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:
> I hope any AHJ that permits only one sheet of rigid polystyrene insulation
> in a building never watches them under construction (presumably, if
> encapsulating foam in flame retardant materials for scenic purposes isn¹t
> sufficient then encapsulating it for general construction might also be in
> question).  Okay, so that was somewhat trollish but that material is
> everywhere in modern construction and doesn¹t spontaneously combust.  All
> bets are off if it does catch fire - lots of nasty chemicals are released
> as are many many BTU - but that¹s true for the couch the actors are
> sitting on as well.
>
> The paint that reacts to heat is called intumescent paint, if you¹re
> looking for it - whether it¹s still at Home Despot or not I don¹t know.
>
> - Jim Dougherty
> ATD, Middlebury College Theatre Dept.
>
>
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-- 
Frank Wood