Ignis Fire Testing has unveiled its new fire-testing workshop and laboratory in Blackheath, Cape Town.

Owner Dirk Streicher says the new building, at 1 200 m2, and with an 18-m-high roof, is more than double the size of the previous 500 m2 facility.

The facility now offers a range of fire-safety tests, adhering to South African and international standards, including ISO codes.

The company’s capabilities include fire-resistance tests, a set of reaction-to-fire classification tests, cone calorimetry confirmation testing, room corner and gas suppression tests, façade tests, and supplementary and auxiliary fire equipment (such as sprinklers) tests.

The facility is equipped to assess various products, such as lithium-ion batteries and solar panels, and can adapt to special requirements beyond standard procedures.

“Our biggest clients are manufacturers and suppliers of fire-related installations and items,” says Streicher. “And the facility has the capacity to expand as demand grows.”

Ignis’ work includes, for example, testing fire-doors to determine the time it takes for a fire to destroy them; the burn time and behaviour of insulation material when it faces a fire; as well as the fire-resistance, if any, of tent material, for example.

Ignis is the largest known privately owned fire testing facility in Africa, says Streicher, with all of the company’s equipment, software and control systems created in-house.

Streicher, a civil engineer by training, says fire-testing is a neglected field in South Africa.

“We saw a gap in the market for local fire-testing.

“Where do you go if you have to test products or materials to adhere to fire safety standards?

“There are few local options. Even internationally, the testing demand is bigger than the supply, leading to major backlogs.

“It is also very expensive for South Africans to test their products abroad.”

Test Lab Capacity Must Double
Streicher is conscious that a new generation of fire-safety engineers must be created, which is why Ignis has a collaboration agreement with Stellenbosch University’s Fire Engineering Research Group (FireSUN), led by Prof Richard Walls.

The company works closely with students and staff, granting them access to their testing facilities for research purposes, supporting postgraduate degrees and co-authoring research papers.

“Fire Testing will be fundamental to promote sustainability and, hence, there will be a growing emphasis on this field in the coming years,” says Walls.

“Major new challenges will arise in terms of green energy, growing populations, poverty, taller buildings, bigger warehouses, ageing infrastructure and ageing populations.

“Test lab capacity in South Africa must at least double in the next ten years.”

“With the Stellenbosch University now producing students in Fire Engineering, it would not surprise me if we see the Cape become the centre of excellence in this field,” says Walls.

“We have a base here to serve the African continent.”