FOCUS
Included as standard With the final report on building regulations
and fire safety due soon,Peter Barker argues the importance of passive protection and its critical role in life and property protection
I
NCORPORATING THE correct passive fire protection in the buildings in which we live and work should not just be viewed as a building regulation requirement. It is something that should be considered fundamental to constructing buildings that are capable of safeguarding people’s lives and property. Fire resisting products and systems should be
manufactured in accordance with supporting documentation; as designed, approved and tested; with initial installation and subsequent maintenance carried out and assured by specialist personnel who have the requisite knowledge; and to a high standard of workmanship and quality. Whilst there are companies that can
demonstrate good practice in the fi eld of passive fi re protection, and can manufacture and/or install/maintain products and systems that are compliant and to the standard required by the building regulations, there are still a signifi cant number that do not. Unfortunately, as for any life safety system, it only takes one element or component to fail and the entire system is jeopardised.
18 MAY 2018
www.frmjournal.com In the case of passive fire protection,
failure could for example include structural collapse; rapid or unplanned fire and/or smoke spread within and outside of the building; compromised means of escape; loss of business and property; loss of important or critical public services (eg air and rail transport, hospitals); and ultimately loss of life and injury to people in and around the building. This article examines the importance of considering passive fire protection as a system based approach, with examples of why seemingly small construction details can be critical for the item of passive fi re protection to provide the required level of fi re resistance.
Fire resistance
Fire resisting products and systems are tested against benchmark test standards (typically such as the BS 476 series, European Normative and ISO standards, as appropriate) in order to quantify their ability to resist fi re in terms of containment (eg integrity), thermal transmittance (insulation) and/or load bearing performance1
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