What Did the BLO-Line Win, and Why Does Fire-Safe Display Design Matter?
June 11, 2024
The BLO-Line® fire protection monitor won Product of the Year 2024 in the structural fire protection category of the FeuerTrutz awards, which the FeuerTrutz Network presents ahead of its annual fire protection trade fair in Germany. The BLO-Line is developed by FORTEC Integrated, our sister company in the FORTEC Group, and we supply, integrate, and support it for customers in the US.
Who chooses the FeuerTrutz Product of the Year?
Fire protection specialists. The shortlist and the winners are decided in equal parts by an expert jury and an online vote among FeuerTrutz readers, and 2024 was the 14th year of the award. That is why the team behind the BLO-Line values it. “For us, it is a seal of approval directly from the users,” said David Bittner, Product Manager at FORTEC Integrated. “We are very proud of this award. It is recognition of our outstanding work in the field of fire protection monitors.”
Why does fire-safe display design matter?
Because displays are now part of the buildings where fire rules are strictest. Publicly accessible areas and premises with critical infrastructure often fall under strict fire safety regulations, and anyone installing digital information systems there has to make sure the monitors do not become a fire hazard themselves. In a fire they should add as little smoke and fire load as possible.
BLO-Line monitors answer that with a classification rather than an enclosure. They are certified in fire protection class A1, the class that also applies to brick, steel, and concrete, and are available with optional touch. FORTEC Integrated builds them only with durable displays designed for 24/7 operation. Our article on fire protection class A1 monitors explains how they are built and tested, and what a European fire class means for a US project.
Does an award replace fire test documentation?
No. An award tells a US design team that fire protection professionals rate the product; the specification decision still rests on the test evidence. Every BLO-Line monitor ships with a certificate confirming its fire class, and that classification is European (EN 13501-1), not a US listing. Whether it satisfies a given US installation is for the project’s fire protection engineer and the authority having jurisdiction to decide, and we provide the documentation they need.
What else has the BLO-Line been recognized for?
In 2021 the BLO-Line was nominated for The AVard, which honors projects, products, and people in the AV industry, in the Education category. The nomination was for the combination of the non-combustible BLO-Line A1 monitors with aushang.online, FORTEC Integrated’s content management software for information monitors in public areas and educational institutions.
In 2025 FORTEC Integrated entered the FeuerTrutz awards again, this time with the BLO-Line 4K totem, a free-standing version certified as a complete, fully functional product to fire protection class A1.
How do we take a fire-rated display project from here?
Tell us where the display has to go and what it has to show, and we will take it from there. We recommend the size, controller, and touch option, supply the fire class documentation with every monitor, and stay with the project from first samples to series production. Contact FORTEC US to start.
