Fire retardant treatments for thatch
 
Fire Retardant Spray
Kyran o’ Grady was one of the first Thatcher’s in Ireland to start fireproofing his thatched roofs. Originally the reed was treated with a solution called Frt80 in which the reed was dipped and then dried before used on the roof.
Today there is a new and improved product called Magma Firestop that is over ten years old now. Originally developed in the Netherlands. As a certified operator Kyran is trained in the application of this spray, He will be able to supply you with a certificate of application detailing the size and volume of solutions used. TO furnish to your insures
He uses Magma Firestop SG2 for the exterior and Magma Firestop IMW435 for internal protection. The outdoor spray is sprayed directly onto the surface of the roof. Not only does it provide fire retardant capabilities, but also it is also water repellent. This impregnation product cannot be washed out and is a special protection against leaching. The indoor spray is used on the internal surface of the thatch and the supporting timbers.

Magma FirestopSG2 has been tested not only to NEN 6063 in the Netherlands, DIN 4102/7 in Germany but also BS 476 Part 3 (1958) in the United Kingdom and achieved EXTS:'BA' rating (Test Report TE 85766).
While the protection may last for up to 10 years, we recommend inspecting the roof every 5 years to assess the degree of protection with a view to respraying if necessary. The internal spray does not require any assessment or retreatment provided the thatch is maintained in good order.
Magma Firestop is non-toxic, biodegradable, odorless, non-shrinking, and does not affect other materials in any way. It is fast penetrating and drying (maximum 3 hours) and has minimal environmental impact. It is produced to ISO 9002 standards.

Barrier Foil
Barrier Foil acts as both a fire resistant barrier and a thermally reflective insulator. An added advantage is that, once it is fixed to the roofing laths, the foil provides a weatherproof covering to the roof during the thatching operation, thus avoiding the necessity of using tarpaulins, etc.
Barrier Foil contains no flammable materials. It is a heavy gauge aluminum foil specially selected for its combination of strength and fire resistance. The foil is applied in exactly the same manner as traditional roofing felt. Like felt, the foil has minimum of 50mm overlap between horizontal joints so that there is no avenue for rain or fire to penetrate.

Kyran O’ Grady uses Barrier Foil 341 which has been tested in accordance with specification BS476: Part7: 1971, Surface Spread of Flame. In this test, conducted by the UK's largest safety laboratory, The Loss Prevention Council, Barrier Foil 341 achieved a classification of Class 1, the highest possible.
The foil combined with a gypsum fire slab on top of the rafters gives the Ultimate protection.
This system has a few advantages.
The foil on its own can be very rattley on a windy night.
In the unlikely event of a fire, the firemen are much less likely to puncture the foil with the gypsum behind it and thus containing the water damage of their hoses, which can often do more harm than the fire.
If the rafters are left exposed you have a ready made finish without any further expense.  A combination of the foil and fire slab in conjunction with Magma fire stop, will achieve an AA rating. Basically the roof can burn for an hour without affecting the building.