If you’re a building owner, fire protection should be one of your top priorities. But it’s not always easy to find the right balance between ensuring safety and making efficient use of space.
Passive fire protection is a popular solution that can help you manage space while still providing the safety your tenants need. This blog post will discuss what passive fire protection is and how it can benefit your building. Stay safe!
What Is Passive Fire Protection?
Passive fire protection is a term used to describe fire safety measures built into a structure, as opposed to active fire protection, which is concerned with the use of fire suppression systems such as sprinklers.
Passive fire protection aims to contain fires and stop them from spreading, giving people more time to evacuate the building. Unlike an active system, passive protection does not require any action from people to work and is often built into the structure of a building.
A typical example of a passive fire protection system is a fire door. They are made of materials that can resist fire and stop the spread of flames. When closed, they help prevent smoke and heat from moving through a building. This can give people time to evacuate and firefighters time to extinguish the fire.
Passive fire protection is an important part of keeping people safe in the event of a fire.
How To Manage Space With Passive Fire Protection
Passive fire protection is an integral part of any commercial or industrial building. By definition, passive fire protection does not require any action on the part of the occupants to maintain its fire-resistant integrity.
This can be achieved in several ways, but one of the most important is managing the space within the building itself. This is called compartmentation.
To slow the spread of fire, it is necessary to create barriers between different areas of a building.
Creating fire compartments and dividing the space into smaller, more manageable areas makes it easier to control the spread of fire. In addition, this also makes it easier to evacuate the building in the event of a fire.
By planning and considering how to best use the space within a building, it is possible to create a safer environment for all.
Choosing The Right Type Of Passive Fire Protection
By incorporating passive fire protection systems into a building, it is possible to create a safe space in the event of a fire.
There are different types of passive fire protection, and each has its own features that work best in different situations.
Here are some of the passive fire protection systems you can consider installing:
1. Fire doors
Fire doors are an essential part of any fire safety plan. They are designed to slow the spread of smoke and heat, giving people more time to evacuate a building in the event of a fire.
Fire doors are usually made of metal, glass, or solid wood, and they are equipped with special timber hinges and hardware that allow them to be closed quickly in an emergency.
Glass fire doors are ideal for open-plan offices, shopping centers, or other structures that require maximum visibility. On the other hand, steel doors are popular in petrol stations and communication buildings where security is crucial.
Most fire doors are equipped with an automatic closing device, which activates in the event of a fire. This ensures that the door is properly shut even if no one is around to close it. Fire doors play a vital role in protecting property and saving lives, and they should be included in any comprehensive fire safety plan.
2. Fire windows
Fire windows work like fire doors, preventing the spread of fire. Most fire windows are made of glass, which is a poor heat conductor. These windows are typically framed inside a fire-resistant steel material to ensure that the glass material won’t shatter in case of high temperatures.
Australian Fire Control offers an extensive range of fire window types, such as steel-framed fire rated windows, bulletproof types, and energy-efficient options.
They customise fire-rated windows to meet the specific fire resistance ratings required for your building.
3. Fire curtains
Like fire doors, fire curtains are designed to act as a barrier to smoke and flames, preventing them from spreading through a building in the event of a fire. They are usually suspended from the ceiling and can be deployed automatically during a fire.
Once activated, they create a seal around the perimeter of a room, protecting occupants from smoke and heat.
Fire curtain walls are made of fire-resistant materials, such as fibreglass fabric. To augment its ability to prevent the spread of fire, the fibreglass is typically woven with other fire-resistant materials, including steel or metal.
4. Smoke curtains
Another passive system that helps manage space in the case of a fire is a smoke curtain. Unlike fire curtains, smoke curtains are designed to limit the spread of smoke and heat through a building.
They are made to route the movement of smoke to designated extraction points within the building structure, helping the occupants avoid harmful smoke inhalation.
Smoke curtains are made from fire-resistant materials such as fibreglass fabric and are typically coupled with other passive fire protection, such as fire curtains and doors.
Final Thoughts
Managing space is an important part of passive fire protection. By understanding how to manage space, you can create a safe area for people and equipment in the event of a fire.
Contact Australian Fire Control today to learn more about our products and services. We can help you create a safe environment for your employees and customers.
