What Does Passive Fire Protection Mean?
Passive fire protection is a strategy to control fire outbreaks in a building. Installing passive fire protection can save lives, and businesses and homeowners need to consider installing it.
If you want to learn more about passive fire protection (PFP), continue reading this article.
What Does Passive Fire Protection (PFP) Mean?
Passive fire protection refers to components incorporated into buildings to delay or prevent the spread of fire. PFP materials are often used in the construction of the building or supplementary materials used to segregate portions of a structure and minimise further fire risk. PFP is usually found in fire-resistant doors, walls, and flooring.
Examples Of Passive Fire Protection (PFP)
Fire Doors
Fire doors, also known as fire-rated doors, are a form of opening protection system designed to reduce or entirely halt the spread of smoke and fire.
Normally, fire doors are meant to remain open by using electromagnetic hardware linked to the facility’s fire alarm system. When the electricity goes out or the fire alarm goes off, the magnet releases, forcing the door to close automatically.
Fire doors are often heavier than conventional doors and are made of metal or other fire-rated materials.
Coatings And Firestop Materials
Fireproof coatings such as spray-applied epoxy intumescent and subliming coatings are often utilised to prevent fire propagation. In addition, firestop materials can be used internally, such as cable coating (the application of fire retardants to wires and cables), or externally, such as structural fire protection.
Firewalls
Firewalls serve as a fireproof barricade to prevent the spread of fire across rooms, buildings, or structures while retaining structural integrity and fire resistance.
Purpose Of Passive Fire Protection
To Reduce The Spread Of Fire
PFP prevents fire, smoke, and heat from spreading throughout the structure by confining them where they originate. This allows the building’s occupants to address the situation and evacuate.
To Preserve The Structural Integrity Of Buildings
The building’s basic structure is safeguarded by implementing these fire safety measures, extending its sustainability and longevity.
This also makes a possible fire easier to handle for emergency personnel by restricting the spread of flames to one location and allowing anyone remaining inside the structure to be evacuated.
To Safeguard Escape Routes
Escape routes are left open and accessible by confining the spread of the fire to a single region. This permits anyone within the building to safely exit through the nearest fire door. Similarly, this increases the safety of the firefighters responding to the fire.
What Is The Difference Between Active And Passive Fire Protection?
Active fire protection involves the detection, suppression, and escape of fire. Passive fire protection, on the other hand, refers to limiting the fire and preventing it from spreading further.
You need an active and passive fire protection system to prevent, detect, alarm, restrict, and control a growing fire.
Both systems operate concurrently and in tandem with one another.
Combine Fire Protection Technology With Good Safety Practices
It is one thing to install passive fire protection and quite another to educate your employees about fire safety. However, the most crucial aspect of fire safety training is that it might be the difference between life and death.
Fires are exceedingly harmful, even lethal. Staff fire safety training guarantees that your employees can react swiftly and correctly if a fire does break out. Having your passive fire protection inspected is a requirement for your building warrant of fitness.
With fire safety training combined with passive fire protection, you have a higher chance of reducing the spread of fire.