Fire curtain installation needs coordinated space for the system, its movement and future access. Before fit-out, bring the curtain layout, ceiling design and building services onto one drawing. At FIROBLOCK, we recommend resolving these interfaces while the team can still adjust the surrounding work.
MEP means mechanical, electrical and plumbing services. These services may share a ceiling zone with the curtain headbox and controls. Therefore, checking each package on its own can miss a conflict at the opening.
Set out fire curtain installation on a shared drawing
First, mark the curtain line on the current architectural plan. Add sections through the opening and the relevant ceiling zone. Then compare those views with the latest services drawings.
Identify the opening reference, supporting construction and proposed finish levels. Also show the deployment path: the space the curtain needs as it moves into position. Use the system drawings to define this space.
Assign one person to maintain the combined drawing. Otherwise, separate revisions can leave different trades working from different assumptions.
Coordinate the headbox and ceiling access
The headbox houses the retracted curtain. Its position affects both the ceiling design and access to the system. Therefore, confirm the proposed arrangement before the ceiling contractor closes the area.
Our fire curtain product page explains the role of the headbox and system layout. For each project, use the relevant technical drawings to establish the actual dimensions and access requirements.
Do not assume that a small ceiling hatch will suit every task. Instead, ask the system specialist to confirm the access arrangement. The design team can then coordinate it with ceiling modules and nearby services.
Meanwhile, record who will provide and finish each access opening. This avoids a gap between the curtain package and the ceiling package.
Check side guides and wall finishes
Where the selected system uses side guides, coordinate them with the surrounding wall build-up. Include proposed cladding, joinery, trims and skirting in the review. Even a late finish change may affect the agreed detail.
For example, a thicker wall finish can alter the relationship between a guide and the finished opening. Therefore, compare the final finish schedule with the curtain drawing before work starts.
Leave guide positions, fixings and clearances to the approved system details. Generic dimensions from another curtain system may not apply. Also, refer proposed alterations back to the responsible specialist before proceeding.
Resolve MEP clashes before closing the ceiling
Review ducts, cable routes, lighting and other services around the curtain zone. Check the actual routes in section, rather than relying only on plan views. Then identify conflicts with equipment, access and movement.
Do not move a sprinkler, detector or other life-safety device merely to clear a clash. Instead, ask the responsible designer to review the proposed change. Any revision needs to preserve the relevant system’s design requirements.
We recommend a focused coordination meeting before ceiling closure. Use it to confirm:
- Current curtain and services drawing revisions.
- Agreed headbox and control locations.
- Access arrangements and the responsible trade.
- The curtain’s full deployment path.
- Any clashes that still need a designer’s decision.
- Inspection points before surrounding work closes.
- At design stage, coordinate the curtain with its supporting construction and relevant fire-safety services. During installation, inspect those interfaces before ceilings or finishes conceal them. Check each element against its own approved criteria; if a failure is found, investigate the curtain and affected interfaces before assigning the cause.
Keep the curtain path clear through fit-out
Coordination continues after the main installation. Signs, displays, partitions and furniture can enter the curtain zone later. Therefore, include that zone in the fit-out review and the handover information.
For example, an opening may remain clear during construction but gain a display stand before occupation. Review the final layout against the agreed deployment path. If the layout changes, seek a technical review before accepting it.
Separate the three spaces that need coordination
An installation review should consider equipment space, movement space and access space. These areas may overlap, but they serve different purposes. Therefore, a drawing that shows only the headbox can leave important questions unanswered.
Equipment space covers the selected assembly and its associated items. Movement space covers the curtain’s route into its intended position. Access space lets competent personnel reach the parts that need attention under the system instructions.
For example, a duct may clear the headbox while blocking a proposed access route. A sign may sit outside the equipment outline while entering the deployment path. Review both conditions before accepting the combined layout.
Use the relevant system details to define each space. Do not estimate access or movement limits from a photograph. Once the team agrees the arrangement, show it on the coordination drawing. This gives each trade a shared reference for later decisions.
Confirm the survey information and drawing basis
Before coordinating finishes, establish which dimensions the team has confirmed on site. Also identify any dimensions that still come from design drawings. This distinction matters when an existing opening differs from the initial plan.
Record the opening reference, survey date and relevant drawing revision. Then note visible constraints that affect the curtain zone. The system specialist should identify any additional information needed for the proposed arrangement.
For instance, a survey may reveal a nearby beam that the fit-out drawing does not show. The team needs to resolve that condition before treating the ceiling zone as available. Otherwise, a later discovery can force several trades to revisit their work.
Keep survey updates within the project’s drawing process. A marked-up photograph can help explain a condition, but it should not become the only record. Transfer agreed changes to the current coordination documents so the installation team can find them.
Treat structural support as a separate design question
The surrounding construction needs its own review. Do not assume that an architectural finish provides a suitable fixing surface. Instead, identify the supporting construction and ask the responsible specialists to confirm the proposed connection.
For example, a drawing may show the finished face of a wall without showing the construction behind it. That view cannot answer every question about support. A section or supporting detail may be necessary before the curtain arrangement can progress.
Clarify who designs, supplies and installs any required support work. Then connect those duties to the installation sequence. A missing support item can delay the curtain package even when the curtain itself has arrived.
We recommend recording support questions in the coordination action list. Include the drawing reference and the person who must resolve the issue. However, leave loads, fixing types and structural acceptance to the applicable system information and responsible engineer. This guide does not provide a fixing design.
Coordinate controls with access and cable routes
The physical layout also needs to account for control equipment and its connections. Ask the curtain and electrical specialists to agree the proposed locations. Then review how competent personnel will reach them after fit-out.
For example, a control location may look accessible on an empty wall. Later joinery can make it difficult to reach. Therefore, check the final furniture and finish layout as well as the early services drawing.
Agree cable-route responsibilities and the information each trade needs. Keep the relevant interfaces visible on the coordinated documents. However, do not infer electrical requirements or wiring methods from a general layout diagram.
Where the team changes a route or equipment location, refer the revision to the responsible specialists. They can assess its effect on the selected arrangement. Then update the drawing references before site work proceeds. This avoids leaving the curtain team and electrical team with different versions of the same interface.
Agree the installation sequence with surrounding trades
A workable detail still needs a workable sequence. Before site installation, discuss when support work, curtain work and surrounding finishes will take place. Then identify the points that need inspection before another trade covers them.
For instance, the ceiling contractor may need a confirmed access detail before ordering materials. Meanwhile, the curtain installer may need completed support work before starting. Put those dependencies into the agreed programme so each trade can prepare.
Do not treat a delivery date as confirmation that the opening is ready. Review access, work areas and preceding activities separately. If a prerequisite remains incomplete, record the effect on the installation plan.
We recommend a brief readiness check for each relevant area. Confirm the current drawings, available access and status of outstanding actions. This makes the programme more useful than a single building-wide statement that all openings are ready. Different floors may reach that point at different times.
Use a clear process for site questions
Site teams often discover details that need clarification. Give them a clear route for raising those questions before they improvise a solution. A short written query should identify the opening, drawing reference and actual condition.
For example, a proposed trim may meet the guide differently from the approved detail. Include a marked-up view or photograph to show the issue. Then ask the responsible designer or specialist to review the proposed change.
Keep the response with the relevant drawing or site instruction. Otherwise, one team may act on an answer that another team never receives. Also identify whether the decision affects similar openings elsewhere in the building.
When the team agrees a repeated detail, update the shared information rather than relying on memory. However, do not assume that visually similar openings use identical systems or supports. Check the scope of the decision before applying it to another location.
Check access as a real task
An access opening needs to serve the task that the system instructions describe. Therefore, review the proposed access route with the appropriate specialist. A hatch on a drawing does not establish that someone can reach the relevant part.
For instance, a service route may cross the space directly behind a proposed panel. The panel may open, yet the route may prevent useful access. Check the surrounding conditions together before ceiling closure.
Also clarify how the finish contractor will identify and retain the access points. Concealed panels need a clear record so future teams can find them. Include that information in the final drawing set.
We recommend reviewing access again after nearby services and finishes take shape. Use the agreed inspection process to record the result and any unresolved issue. However, do not substitute a generic access size for the actual system requirement. The relevant detail must guide the final arrangement.
Protect the agreed arrangement during later work
After installation, other trades may continue working around the curtain zone. Make the relevant constraints visible in site briefings and current drawings. Then identify whom contractors should contact before changing the surrounding detail.
For example, a joinery team may propose a new enclosure around a previously agreed control location. A ceiling team may alter a trim to improve the finish. Both changes need review where they affect equipment, movement or access.
Avoid relying on a general instruction to “keep clear”. Instead, identify the actual zone and relevant drawing reference. Clear information helps the next trade recognise when a proposed change crosses a package boundary.
If temporary protection forms part of the site plan, agree it with the relevant specialists. It should not become an improvised attachment to the system. Record the responsibility for removing temporary items before the next inspection or operational check, in line with the agreed site procedure.
Carry the coordination decisions into handover
The final drawing should reflect the arrangement that the team actually accepted. Therefore, capture relevant revisions before the project closes. Include the curtain location, access points and references to the applicable system information.
For example, a ceiling-access panel may move during fit-out after the original drawing issue. If the final record still shows the first location, facility staff may search in the wrong place. Update that change while the site team can confirm it.
Also record any constraints that future fit-out teams need to know. Keep them specific to the curtain zone and the approved arrangement. The aim is practical information that helps later reviewers recognise a proposed conflict.
We recommend giving the client a clear route for raising future layout changes. This connects installation coordination with later building management. It also preserves the decisions that several trades worked through before the finishes concealed the system.
Use a location-based coordination tracker
A shared tracker can help the team manage openings that sit at different stages of fit-out. Give each curtain reference a row and link it to the current drawing. Then record the status of support, services, finishes and access decisions.
For example, one floor may have a confirmed ceiling detail while another still has a duct clash. A single statement that “coordination is complete” would hide that difference. Therefore, make readiness specific to each location.
Keep the tracker concise enough for the site team to maintain. It should identify the open issue, responsible person and decision needed. Detailed technical information belongs in the referenced drawing or approved response.
We recommend reviewing the tracker when the surrounding packages change. A revised finish schedule or services route may reopen an earlier decision. Link that change to the affected opening rather than treating it as a general project note.
Finally, distinguish a design decision from completed site work. Approval of a detail does not show that the contractor has built it. Use separate status fields where necessary. This helps the project coordinator identify whether the next action needs a designer’s response, a contractor’s work or an inspection of the completed arrangement.
Bring the interfaces together with FIROBLOCK
We provide automatic fire curtains and technical support for project coordination. Share the relevant opening and ceiling drawings so the discussion starts with the actual site arrangement.
Planning the ceiling package? Contact our FIROBLOCK team with your plans, sections and services layouts to discuss the curtain interfaces.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can coordination start before final site measurements? Yes. Early drawings can identify space and interface risks. However, label preliminary dimensions clearly and agree when the team will confirm them before manufacture or installation.
- Who should own the combined coordination drawing? The project team should name the responsible coordinator. This may be the main contractor or design coordinator. The key point is clear ownership of revisions and decisions.
- What should happen when the ceiling level changes? Notify the curtain specialist and affected designers before proceeding. Ask them to review the revised relationship between the opening, system and access points. Then update the shared drawing. Before work resumes, circulate revised details to every trade that they affect.
- Can another trade alter curtain metalwork on site? Refer the proposal to the system specialist first. Do not treat drilling, cutting or attaching finishes as a routine adjustment. The review should establish whether the change suits the approved arrangement.
- How should a tenant fit-out team receive the curtain information? Include the curtain zone and access points in the fit-out constraints. Also provide a named route for reviewing proposed changes. This helps later teams raise conflicts before work begins.