Privacy Curtain Requirements

What kind of requirements are there for privacy and cubicle curtains?

According to 2000 NFPA 101® Life Safety Code®, there are two key considerations in evaluating privacy curtains or cubicle curtains in new and existing health care occupancies and in new and existing ambulatory health care occupancies. Curtains must be flame resistant and have a label affixed indicating it was tested in accordance with NFPA 701, Standard Methods of Fire Tests for lame Propagation of Textiles and Films. The purpose of these test methods is to assess the propagation of flame beyond the area exposed to the ignition source. 


In addition to the provisions noted above which deal with ignition resistance, additional requirements with respect to the location of cubicle curtains relative to sprinkler placement are also considered. The most common applications include hanging the cubicle curtains 18 inches below the sprinkler deflector or using a ½-inch diagonal mesh. The use of mesh can affect the discharge pattern of the sprinkler. An open weave top panel mesh can be used when it has a minimum vertical distance of 18 inches below the sprinkler deflector with mesh openings having a minimum percent opening of 70 percent or larger. Newly introduced cubicle curtains in sprinklered areas must be installed in accordance with NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems. (Also see Life Safety Code Sections 19.3.5.5, 19.7.5.1, and 10.3.1 requirements and Annex A.19.3.5.5 for further explanatory material.)