With the continuous development of my country's economic construction and the improvement of people's living standards, people have put forward higher requirements for building and decoration materials in terms of aesthetics, comfort and other functions, and the development of my country's science and technology and new building materials industry has also contributed to these The realization of the demand provides sufficient conditions.

With the continuous development of my country's economic construction and the improvement of people's living standards, people have put forward higher requirements for building and decoration materials in terms of aesthetics, comfort and other functions, and the development of my country's science and technology and new building materials industry has also contributed to these The realization of the demand provides sufficient conditions. Nowadays, ordinary building and decoration materials are far from meeting the needs of society. As a new type of environmental protection material, flame retardant materials have been widely used in various fields. With the continuous improvement of the formulation and implementation of relevant regulations and standards for flame retardant materials by relevant national departments, the application of flame retardant materials will be gradually developed.

1. The importance of flame retardant materials in public fire safety

The wide application of new building materials and decoration materials with various varieties and novel colors has brought beauty and convenience to people's lives. However, in these new building materials, decoration materials and various high-end furniture/components, quite a lot of products contain a large amount of flammable or flammable polymer materials, and may also release a large amount of smoke and toxic gases when burning. Potential fire hazard. These building materials, decoration materials and various high-end furniture/components with unclear combustion performance are widely used in buildings, leaving serious hidden dangers for building fire safety.

Larger public entertainment venues refer to dining venues such as dance halls, karaoke halls, night clubs, Internet cafes, entertainment, bathing, fitness, bars and cafes with entertainment functions that can accommodate more than 50 people or have an area of more than 200 square meters. In the past ten years, there have been many fire accidents in public entertainment places in my country, all of which have caused heavy casualties and property losses, and the social impact has been bad. A huge fire broke out, causing 233 deaths and 20 burns; in the evening of December 8, 1994, a huge fire in the Friendship Hall in Karamay City, Xinjiang, caused 325 deaths and 136 burns; in the early morning of March 29, 2000, in the mountains of Jiaozuo City, Henan Province At 9:35 pm on December 25, 2000, a huge fire in Dongdu Commercial Building, Laocheng District, Luoyang City, Henan Province caused 309 deaths; at 23:00 on September 20, 2008 Xu, a huge fire in the Longgang Dance King Club in Shenzhen killed 44 people and injured 88 people; at 23:55 on January 31, 2009, a huge fire in Changle Bar in Fujian killed 17 people and injured more than 20 people.

Looking at the above fires in public entertainment places, they all have the following characteristics:

(1) It burns violently and spreads rapidly. Due to the large building space, large span, and fast air circulation of public entertainment places, and the use of wood, fiberboard and other plastic products and decorations for interior decoration, if the fire is not handled properly, the fire will spread rapidly around, and it is easy to form three-dimensional burning.

(2) It is difficult to evacuate, and it is easy to cause casualties. The mobility and randomness of people in public entertainment places are high, and people are crowded during peak hours. Once a fire occurs, a large amount of smoke and poisonous gas will poison the people who are not evacuated in time. In addition, the crowd is crowded and the order is chaotic. casualties.

(3) The loss is large and the impact is large. Public entertainment places have many services. Most of them have massage, foot fitness, catering, fitness, video and other services and are open to the sky. Some public entertainment places are located in the bustling areas of the city and traffic arteries. If a fire occurs, it will not be controlled in time. The fire can develop into high-rise building fires and large-scale other building fires, which can easily cause major economic losses and adverse effects.

(4) Difficulty saving. A fire occurs in a public entertainment place, and there are many onlookers, which is easy to cause traffic jams and affect the firefighting of firefighters;
Secondly, the fire fighting equipment does not meet the needs of fire fighting.

Expert analysis believes that although the causes of fires with large groups of deaths and injuries in recent years are different, it is not difficult to find that a common cause of heavy casualties and property losses is the use of a large amount of burning smoke in buildings with high concentrations. , Building decoration materials and components with high toxicity or unsatisfactory combustion performance. These materials have not been treated with any flame retardant, not only the flame spreads very fast, but also releases a large amount of smoke and toxic gases when burning. In just a few minutes, it is difficult for a large number of people to escape quickly, and people are suffocated by crowding and pressing on each other. death, and ultimately tragedy. It should be said that the large number of deaths and injuries caused by fires in public entertainment places is closely related to the large-scale use of building materials and decorative materials that do not meet fire safety, health and environmental protection in buildings.

Therefore, it is very important to strengthen the study of fire prevention measures in public entertainment places. The use of flame retardant products that meet the requirements of combustion performance is the key to reducing fire losses and casualties. In order to further improve the fire safety level of public entertainment places, reduce the fire risk of such places, and reduce the occurrence of vicious fire accidents from the source, it is necessary to further strengthen the application and management of flame retardant products.

2. Development of flame retardant and fire protection technology in public entertainment places

What is a flame retardant material, general materials such as polyethylene plastic, etc., after adding some flame retardants, re-mixing is flame retardant treatment, we put flame retardant chemicals in the material, and reprocess it to become flame retardant materials , which is characterized by an increase in the ignition temperature of the material and a slowing of the burning speed. A flame retardant material is a protective material, a material that can prevent combustion and is not easy to burn by itself. The products of flame retardant materials can be mainly divided into 7 categories: flame retardant fabrics, flame retardant chemical fibers, flame retardant plastics, flame retardant rubber, fire retardant coatings, flame retardant wood materials and flame retardant paper, and inorganic non-combustible filling materials.

Flame retardant science and technology is a science developed to meet the needs of social safety in production and life, prevent fires, and protect people's lives and properties. It includes the research of flame retardant mechanism, the preparation process of flame retardant, the selection of flame retardant system, the development of flame retardant treatment and its products, the flame retardant treatment technology and the evaluation of flame retardant effect. It is necessary to study and formulate relevant technical standards, norms and management regulations, and carry out application research on flame retardant materials. Now, it is increasingly recognized that flame retardancy of reasonable materials is one of the strategic measures to reduce fires, and that flame retardancy, smoke suppression and detoxification can be achieved at the same time. In 1987, the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) used small-scale and large-scale tests to compare the fire hazard of flame-retardant and non-flame-retardant styles of the following 5 typical plastic products: (1) polystyrene TV enclosures; (2) ) Polyphenylene oxide electronic computer shell; (3) Polyurethane foam plastic soft chair; (4) Cable with polyethylene insulation layer and rubber sheath; (5) Unsaturated polyester fiberglass circuit board. The measurement results of the test are: (1) The time available for evacuation of people and rescue of property after a fire occurs, and the flame-retardant sample is 15 times that of the non-flame-retardant sample; (2) The mass loss rate of the material when it is burned, the flame-retardant test The sample is less than 1/2 of that of the non-flame retardant sample; (3) The heat release rate of the material during combustion, the flame retardant sample is only 1/4 of the non-flame retardant sample; (4) The amount of toxic gas generated by the combustion of the material (Converted to CO meter), the flame retardant sample is only 1/3 of the non-flame retardant sample; (5) The amount of smoke generated when the flame retardant sample and the non-flame retardant sample are burned is almost the same. Tests have also shown that the flame retardant material does not generate extremely toxic or unusual combustion products. In addition, with regard to the amount of smoke generated when the material is burned and the types and contents of various gaseous products, small-scale tests and large-scale tests have obtained similar results in many cases. The test results have indeed proved that as long as the formula and process of preparing the flame retardant material are reasonable, the fire safety of the flame retardant material is higher than that of the non-flame retardant similar materials in many aspects, and the generation of smoke and toxic gases when the former is burned can also be compared. The latter is lower. Statistics show that in 1989 compared with 1980, the number of fire deaths in the United States decreased by 39% and the number of fire injuries decreased by 47% due to the burning of furniture; the two data in California, the United States, decreased by 64% and 72% respectively.

Through the above experiments, it can be concluded that through reasonable fire safety design and the use of flame retardant products, the occurrence of a crash can be completely prevented. This is of great significance to promote the development of fire safety design.

According to the latest fire statistics from the Fire Department of the Ministry of Public Security, from January to October 2008, a total of 13,000 fires occurred in crowded places such as shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals, entertainment venues, and transportation hubs, resulting in 188 deaths and 149 injuries. The direct property loss was 480 million yuan. Among them, 50 people died in fires in public entertainment places, and among the 188 people who died in fires in crowded places, 82% died of suffocation due to inhalation of toxic fumes released by the burning of interior decoration materials. In view of this, public entertainment places are one of the important places where flammable buildings are densely populated and where a large number of people often gather, so the use of flame retardant fire prevention technology is a very important fire safety measure. Experts call for the use of non-combustible and flame-retardant building decoration materials as much as possible. If flammable and combustible materials are used, the materials should be flame-retardant.

On July 1, 2008, the national standard "flame retardant products and components in public places requirements and identification of combustion performance" GB20286-2006 stipulates the definition and classification of flame retardant products and components in public places, combustion performance requirements and identification, etc.

The combustion performance of flame-retardant fabrics such as decorative wall coverings (felt), curtains, curtains, decorative coverings (felt), bedspreads, and furniture coverings used in public places shall meet the requirements of Table 1.

Table 1 Technical requirements for combustion performance of flame retardant fabrics in public places

The combustion performance of plastic and rubber products such as wire conduits, gas pipes, sockets, switches, lamps, and home appliance housings used in public places should meet the requirements of Table 2.

Table 2 Technical requirements for combustion performance of flame retardant plastic and rubber products in public places

The combustion performance of foam plastics used in upholstered furniture such as seats, sofas, and mattresses used in public places shall meet the requirements of Table 3.
Table 3 Technical requirements for combustion performance of flame retardant foam plastics in public places

The combustion performance of furniture/components such as beds, mattresses, wiring cabinets, sofas, coffee tables, tables, and chairs used indoors in public places shall meet the requirements in Table 4.

Table 4 Technical requirements for combustion performance of flame retardant furniture and components in public places

The combustion performance of optical fiber cables, communication wires and cables and power wires and cables used in public places shall comply with the provisions of Table 5.

Table 5 Technical requirements for combustion performance of flame retardant wires and cables in public places

Flame retardant products and components used in public places should be sampled and sent to a nationally recognized and authorized inspection agency for inspection to determine their flame retardant performance grade. The flame retardant performance grade of flame retardant products and components should be marked on the product or product in an appropriate way. on the packaging. The flame retardant performance grade of flame retardant products and components used in public places must be clearly stated.

3. Development Status and Prospects of Flame Retardant Materials Market in Public Entertainment Places

Zhou Zhengmao, secretary general of China Flame Retardant Society and professor of Beijing Institute of Technology, said that although the development of my country's flame retardant industry started relatively late, the technological development has reached the international advanced level. At present, most of my country's flame retardant products are exported, and there is still a lot of room for the development of the domestic market.

The "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Fire Protection" clearly stipulates that my country's fire protection work policy is "prevention first, combined with prevention and fire". Experts Zhou Zhengmao pointed out that the use of flame retardant products is "prevention first", which is an effective means to reduce the occurrence of fires or curb the occurrence of larger fires and truly "prevent problems before they occur". With the development of my country's material industry and the continuous expansion of application fields, flame retardant materials, as a new type of environmental protection material, have been widely used in chemical building materials, electronic appliances, transportation, aerospace, daily furniture, interior decoration, clothing, food, housing, transportation, etc. Various fields have broad market prospects. In addition, coal fields, oil fields, forest fire extinguishing and other fields have also promoted the rapid development of the production of flame retardant materials in my country.

In 1995, my country implemented the "Code for Fire Protection of Interior Decoration Design of Buildings" GB50222-1995, and revised it in 2001. The "Code for Fire Protection of Interior Decoration Design of Buildings" clearly stipulates: "The interior decoration design of buildings should properly handle the contradiction between decoration effect and safety of use, actively use non-combustible materials and flame-retardant materials, and try to avoid using materials that generate a large amount of smoke or toxic gas during combustion. However, due to the relative lag and implementation of standards and regulations, the current application and popularization of flame retardant materials in public entertainment places is far from enough, and the market still has a lot of room for improvement.

In recent years, many fire accidents in public entertainment places have further promoted people's attention to the standards and regulations for the application of flame retardant materials. However, at present, some owners in my country are not familiar with the relevant fire regulations and standards, and even a considerable number of units do not know it at all. Building materials and decoration materials must also undergo graded inspection of fire safety performance and combustion performance; some operators and managers of public entertainment venues want to save costs, and they are lucky to avoid inspection. From the perspective of production enterprises, due to users' lack of understanding of flame retardant materials and market competition, low-priced counterfeit and shoddy products appear; some producers forge fire safety performance and environmental protection inspection reports in business activities and construction projects to deceive Users and supervisory authorities restrict the development of the flame retardant material market.

Professor Zhou Zhengmao also introduced that the United States is one of the countries with relatively sound flame retardant technical regulations in the world. It not only makes relevant regulations on flame retardant in public entertainment places, but also extends to all aspects of daily life. For example, the United States has regulations on children's pajamas and general clothing. The flame retardant properties are specified. Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom have also formulated relevant technical regulations, such as requirements for the flame retardant performance of children's evening wear. The United Kingdom also has regulations on the flame retardant performance of adult evening wear, and stipulates test methods. However, my country is still blank in this regard, and only mandatory national standards have been formulated for flame-retardant clothing worn by people engaged in special industries. In addition, the United States, Japan and Canada have also formulated relevant technical regulations for decorative textiles such as carpets, mattresses, and curtains, and proposed flame retardant performance requirements and test methods.

The heavy casualties caused by fires in public entertainment places have aroused great attention from the government and extensive attention from the society. Drawing on the advanced experience of foreign countries, in order to further prevent accidents and promote the development of the flame retardant material market, my country has started to implement national standards on July 1, 2008. "Flammability Requirements and Labeling of Flame Retardant Products and Components in Public Places" GB20286-2006, which was formulated by the Ministry of Public Security in order to effectively control the casualties and property losses caused by fires in public places. The definition and classification of products and components, requirements for combustion performance and identification, etc., specify the construction products, floor coverings, wires and cables, sockets, switches, lamps, household appliances shells and other plastic products used in public places, as well as seats, sofas, beds and other plastic products. The combustion performance of the thermal insulation layer and foam plastic used in the pad has put forward the corresponding flame retardant standard grade requirements. It is required that "public places must use the combustion performance that meets the requirementsFlame retardant products, and apply flame retardant product identification. "

In addition, my country's new Fire Protection Law, which has been implemented since May 1, 2009, has also made mandatory regulations on decoration materials for public entertainment places. Article 26 of the new Fire Protection Law stipulates that the fire performance of building components, building materials and interior decoration and decoration materials must meet national standards; if there are no national standards, they must meet industry standards. The interior decoration and decoration of crowded places shall use non-combustible and flame-retardant materials in accordance with the requirements of fire protection technical standards. In the event of a fire, materials with non-combustible properties that can last for more than 5 minutes are "non-combustible materials"; materials with non-combustible properties that can last for more than 20 minutes are "non-combustible materials". According to relevant technical standards, the ceilings, walls, floors and decorative fabrics of entertainment venues should be made of non-combustible materials, or various products that have undergone flame retardant treatment. The highest, and fire-resistant products such as gypsum board and cement particleboard are also widely used in ceiling and wall decoration, with good fire resistance.

The development of the flame retardant material market is closely related to policies and regulations. Timely and feasible regulations with strict requirements will greatly promote the development of the flame retardant material market. With the implementation of the "Requirements and Labeling of Flame Retardant Products and Components in Public Places" and the new "Fire Protection Law", the market for flame retardant materials in public places has broad prospects for development.

4. Requirements and countermeasures for the application and development of flame retardant materials in public entertainment places

The application and development of flame retardant materials in public entertainment places not only rely on the promotion of laws and regulations, but also require the joint efforts of corporate self-discipline, media publicity, and consumer support. In this regard, I have the following suggestions:

(1) Local fire departments should improve their sense of responsibility in promoting the management of flame retardant products in public places, clarify their responsibilities, take effective measures, and earnestly implement the work. It can be combined with the special rectification of fire protection products, together with the industrial and commercial and technical supervision departments, to strengthen the management of the decoration and decoration material market, and strictly prevent counterfeit, fake and inferior fireproof and flame retardant materials from being used in interior decoration projects.

(2) Carry out publicity on the application of flame retardant products in public places, use various media and various forms to widely publicize to the society, and create an atmosphere for the participation of the whole society.

(3) The fire department should increase the supervision of flame retardant products in public places. In the fire acceptance and safety inspection, it is best to take the application of flame retardant products and the setting of logos as mandatory inspection contents, strictly control, and prevent from the source. Control fire hazards.

For public entertainment places such as singing, dancing, show, and entertainment, how to ensure fire safety while enjoying comfort is a serious problem facing my country's fire protection work. With the further improvement of laws and regulations, my country's flame retardant industry is facing good development opportunities. Actively promoting the application of flame retardant materials and flame retardant technologies in public places is the focus of the domestic flame retardant industry.

Zhou Zhengmao is a professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, with a postgraduate degree. He went to the University of Tokyo, Japan for further studies from 1987 to 1989. From 1997 to 1998, he was a senior visiting scholar at Akzo-Nobel Corporation in the United States. Evaluation expert, member of the expert group of China Fire Protection Association, evaluation expert of Sinopec Association, executive director of China Plastics Association Modification Committee, executive director of China Fire and Flame Retardant Building Materials Committee and other social and academic positions.

Expert comments: "Flame-retardant materials" should be understood as "flame-retardant materials". In the early stage of a fire, they may self-extinguish away from the fire, or increase the temperature of the ignition point, or slow down the speed of flame propagation, etc. to reduce the probability of fire. It really has a positive effect of "preventing problems before they happen". If all aspects of our society conscientiously implement the national fire safety regulations and the mandatory regulations of the fire department, then many tragic fire cases will not happen, or at least the extent of losses and how many lives can be saved. Let us cherish our own life and property, maintain a harmonious society and a warm family, and insist on using "flame retardant materials".