Burn Room Liners
The history of burn room liners is simple; use a water resistant coating over a calcium silicate board. For Fire Facilities burn rooms, this product is called Westemp® (type I) while other suppliers use different names. The major drawback of calcium silicate boards is that they eventually crack from the heat. Another mark against this product is that it is easily damaged by equipment, causing constant maintenance and added expense for replacement by the owner.
Calcium silicate boards (type P or A) can be produced in higher densities to strengthen the panel. However, the denser the panel the more heat will transfer through to the building. Additional heat could be detrimental to the structural integrity of the tower. See Cold Face Temperature Comparison chart for details.
To overcome the shortcomings of calcium silicate boards used in burn rooms, some suppliers introduced a modified product, which entailed a refractory concrete panel placed in front of a silicate board. Although it seems like a great alternative – it was simply a cosmetic fix (hiding the heat cracks) that only increased the price. Since the concrete panel has little thermal resistance it relies mainly on the calcium silicate boards for heat resistance. Once the boards crack, the heat resistance is gone. The Cold Face Temperature Comparison chart shows the temperatures before cracking occurs.
Burn Room Liners Now
After listening to our customers’ concerns, Fire Facilities developed and manufactured a new burn room liner, the Westec® Insulation System. Before introducing to the fire industry, Westec underwent rigorous testing to ensure it provided realism in live fire training, maintained structural integrity, required no maintenance, and was available at a reasonable price.
Designed as a two-part insulation system, Westec is the only burn room liner to effectively protect burn rooms upto 1850° F*, thus providing the highest level of thermal protection. And, it is supported by the industry’s strongest warranty program – 15 years.
Westec has been installed in over 330 burn room locations worldwide without one warranty issue.
Each of Fire Facilities’ fire training towers contain a live fire burn room, which is lined with the Westec Insulation System. Westec may be retrofitted to any existing steel, concrete, or masonry towers to extend its useful life. In addition, each burn room is equipped with the Scout Temperature Monitoring System.
Westemp Insulating Panels are still available upon request.
*For firefighter safety, Fire Facilities does not recommend training at temperatures in excess of 1200° F.
