Established in 1946 as Simpkin Machin, BLE was founded in the late 1980’s. The company shifted from industrial lagging to producing fixed fire curtains and later expanded into automatic fire and smoke curtains in the 1990’s.
The BLE Smoke and Fire Curtains are designed to operate separately or together based on what an individual building requires. They are put in place to give residents, visitors and workers more time to evacuate the building. Alternatively, a fire curtain ensures complete fire separation between building zones and often protects open stairways for safe escape.
Though safety is the common goal, there are notable differences. Each curtain is made from dissimilar materials and evaluated with specific safety ratings in mind. A smoke curtain is intended solely for smoke exposure, whilst a fire curtain is meant to withstand higher temperatures associated with direct exposure to fire. This is why fire curtains are built to be exceptionally durable and withstand temperatures up to 1,100oC and up to 4hrs.
BLE fire curtains offer top-tier fire resistance and containment properties, easily fitting into any fire safety system. Approved to the highest international standards, the modular fire curtains suit all building layouts. Manufactured under ISO 9001:2015 certification, each curtain undergoes rigorous testing to meet BS, EN, and UL standards, ensuring global design compatibility. The gravity fail-safe deployment has a high technical specification and includes features that integrate with building management systems, offering a cost-effective and flexible solution for smoke and fire control.
BLE provides a world-renowned service, although active curtains are discreet and not immediately noticeable, you can find BLE smoke and fire curtains in hundreds of airports, shopping centres, theatres, businesses, and museums worldwide. Notable mentions of major projects over the years are the NEC building itself, the Grade 1 listed building of the National Museum in Edinburgh, train and metro stations in Warsaw and Delhi, Cape Canaveral and Space X facilities, one-of-a-kind buildings like the U.S. Embassy in London, the stunning Bibliotheca Alexandrina and lastly, the tallest man-made structure ever made known as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Discover how BLE can enhance your fire safety, we will be exhibiting at The Fire Safety Event 2025, Stand 4/F107, and we’d love to see you!
T +44 (0)1142 514703
enquiries@blecurtains.com
www.ble-smokeandfirecurtains.com