How Flame Retardants can INCREASE ESCAPE TIME IN FIRES

• Flame retardants reduce the risk of ignition and fire spread of many plastic and textile 

materials which results in more available escape time for occupants.

• Time to flashover can increase from 5 minutes to 15 minutes which can make the

difference between escape and fatalities.

• Bear in mind that the escape time includes the time to discover the fire, alert other

people, take the decision to call the fire brigade, take own actions to extinguish or

take the decision to evacuate the building.