FOCUS
Play for time Fire stopping is essential to maintain the integrity
of fire compartments, according to Keith Wells, who shows how this maximises time available for evacuation and emergency response
P
ASSIVE FIRE protection systems are designed to prevent the spread of fire and smoke, subdivide buildings
into manageable areas of risk and provide adequate means of escape. The person who is responsible for fire
safety in a building has a duty of care towards occupants, as well as any members of the emergency services, for example firefighters, who may be required to enter the premises to tackle the fire. Ensuring the integrity of the passive fire protection systems and so slowing the spread of flames, smoke and hot gases will ensure that the emergency services are able to carry out their role in as much safety as is expected.
Fire compartments
One important element of creating an effective passive fire protection system is ensuring that buildings are designed with fire rated compartments. These compartments protect means of escape
44 SEPTEMBER 2018
www.frmjournal.com
routes – such as corridors and stairwells – from the building. Occupants rely on the integrity of such fi re
compartments to ensure that they can evacuate safely, especially in larger buildings. In multi storey residential buildings, each fl at is generally treated as its own ‘cell’, which means that prevention of fi re spread from one cell to another will have been designed in from the outset. Over the years, as buildings are renovated
or altered, fire compartments can be compromised. Simple changes, such as drilling a hole through a wall for services (new heating, ventilation and air conditioning [HVAC], IT services etc) can result in a breach. Even a drill hole the diameter of a pencil that has not been adequately fi re stopped can allow the rapid spread of smoke in just minutes and lead to potentially devastating consequences in the event of a fi re.
Risk assessment
In order to ensure the safe means of escape of building occupants, it is a requirement that
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