Coat of paint keeps out fire

Monday 16th June 2008, 2:29PM BST.

THE inventor of a fire-protection system that protects property and lives has given a demonstration of it to representatives of the construction industry.

Environgraf MD Derek Ward (pictured) was the guest speaker at a Norman Piette best practice seminar, where he gave a presentation of his protective coating system.

It can be painted or sprayed on to surfaces and when heat is applied, the coating expands to create an insulating layer, protecting underlying materials that might otherwise enable a fire to spread.

Mr Ward placed a piece of treated material on the palm of his hand and then held a lighted blowtorch to the other side to prove the system worked. ‘It can be used to protect almost any material, structure or fittings, inside or outside a building,’ he said.
‘It can hold off a fire burning at 300C for more than an hour.’