Innovative Fire Protection for Australia's First EV Car Lift Installation

EV Car Lift Fire Curtains – 101 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW As electric vehicles become increasingly common within commercial developments, new fire engineering challenges are emerging that require innovative passive fire protection solutions. At 101 Castlereagh Street in Sydney, Greene Fire partnered with Jebsen & Jessen Pty Ltd on behalf of Scentre Group to deliver a bespoke fire curtain solution protecting two electric vehicle car lifts within the building. Designed in collaboration with Fire Engineering Professionals, the project required a passive fire protection system capable of achieving an exceptional level of fire resistance while eliminating the need for a dedicated sprinkler system. The result was one of Australia's first installation of its kind, demonstrating how advanced fire curtain technology can provide compliant and cost-effective solutions for modern building designs.

The Fire Engineering Challenge

The project centred around protecting two EV car lift openings while achieving an extremely high Fire Resistance Level (FRL). Conventional fire protection methods would have required the installation of an additional sprinkler system, introducing increased construction costs, additional building services and ongoing maintenance requirements. The fire engineering strategy instead called for a passive fire protection system capable of delivering long-duration fire compartmentation to isolate the lift openings during a fire event. Achieving this level of performance required a specialist solution capable of meeting demanding integrity and insulation requirements while integrating seamlessly with the building's fire safety systems.

The Greene Fire Solution

Greene Fire supplied and installed two bespoke FireMaster Insul8 Fire Curtains, one positioned at the front of each EV car lift. The FireMaster Insul8 systems supplied for the project were individually engineered to suit the exact dimensions and operational requirements of the project, ensuring compliance with the building's fire engineering strategy while maintaining the functionality of the lift system during normal operation. The FireMaster Insul8 from Greene Fire was selected as the most suitable fire curtain system capable of delivering the required level of fire performance. Testing to BS EN 1634-1 and subsequent assessment enabled the system’s performance to be evaluated against the project’s required fire resistance criteria, this system achieved an FRL of -/240/90, providing four hours of fire integrity and ninety minutes of insulation performance, with structural adequacy not applicable to the curtain system. To satisfy the project requirements, Greene Fire also provided a Performance Solution Certificate confirming the fire performance of the installed system, together with the relevant independent fire test documentation for approved by the project's fire engineer. By delivering this level of passive fire protection, the FireMaster Insul8 enabled the project team to achieve the required fire engineering outcome without the installation of a separate sprinkler system, providing a simpler and more economical solution for the client.

Engineering Integration

Each fire curtain was connected to Greene Fire's ERU Group Control Panel and fully integrated with the building's Fire Indicator Panel (FIP) and Building Management System (BMS), ensuring automatic deployment during a fire event. The installation also incorporated warning strobe lights and emergency retract buttons, providing clear occupant warning and safe operational control in accordance with the building's fire safety strategy. Although only two fire curtains were installed, the project presented significant logistical challenges. The specialist curtain assemblies required lifting equipment to safely transport the systems to their installation location and position them within the structure. Careful planning and coordination with the builder ensured installation was completed efficiently while maintaining programme requirements.

Delivering an Australian First

This project represents the first known installation of this type of EV car lift fire curtain solution in Australia and highlights Greene Fire's capability to deliver innovative passive fire protection systems for emerging building technologies. By working closely with Jebsen & Jessen Pty Ltd, Scentre Group and Fire Engineering Professionals, Greene Fire successfully delivered a bespoke solution that achieved a demanding fire performance requirement while reducing project costs through the elimination of additional sprinkler infrastructure. As buildings continue to evolve to accommodate electric vehicle technology and increasingly complex fire engineering requirements, projects such as 101 Castlereagh Street demonstrate the value of performance-based passive fire protection solutions that combine compliance, operational efficiency and architectural flexibility.