OH Department Warns of Fire Dangers from Plastic Curtains
By Alan Ashworth
Source Akron Beacon Journal
Editor's note: Find Firehouse.com's complete coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.
Coventry Township Fire Department Lt. Brian Cyphert wasn't sure what would happen when he set fire to a shower curtain Thursday.
But he knew it wouldn't be good.
Cyphert was burning the curtain to demonstrate the dangers of using the plastic material to separate customers.
A post on the subject appeared earlier last week on the firefighters union's Facebook page. It warned businesses about using shower curtains to separate customers.
Cyphert wanted to put the post — and the curtains — to the test.
Stories nationwide on social media have shown restaurants and other businesses using the clear curtains to help with social distancing.
It's an inventive idea, Cyphert said, but shower curtains don't meet state fire regulations. And his experiment at the township's fire department shows they can be dangerous.
"What they're thinking about right now is they're trying to keep patrons and employees safe from COVID-19," Cyphert said.
But in doing so, businesses need to comply with the state fire code.
In a video posted on the firefighters' Facebook page, drops of flaming plastic drip into a pan and remain burning.
"You could definitely tell how the fire liquefies the plastic and drips," Cyphert said on Friday. "We want to stay away from those for sure and use a safer alternative."
Smoke from the burning plastic is toxic, he said.
Cyphert said the department wants to be helpful to businesses reopening after coronavirus shutdowns.
"We want any business trying to open up to use the fire department as a resource to make sure that whatever they use to meet social distancing [requirements] meets the fire code," he said.
Cyphert said businesses should feel free to contact the department at 330-644-3228 if they have questions.
In a followup post after the experiment, the firefighters wrote that any barriers used should have a nonflammable rating. Businesses should also consider using Plexiglas, which is difficult to burn.
Barriers, too, should not block aisles or exits.
To view the test, go to the firefighters' Facebook page at https://bit.ly/2Tz2BUm . The video, Cyphert said, demonstrates the "why" of the department's concerns.
"If we are going to tell people they can't do something, we want them to know why," Cyphert said.
Alan Ashworth can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.
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