The Purpose of Passive Fire Protection
In commercial and public buildings, it is a legal safety requirement to have fire safety measures in place. This includes things like fire exits, extinguishers, and some buildings also require special equipment and materials made to prevent fire from spreading. It is safety measures like these that save lives, and so we urge you to consider what sort of fire protection is best to make your building safer.
One fire safety measure that we strongly recommend, is Passive Fire Protection. The main purpose of this is to delay or prevent fire from spreading, as well as smoke, to allow time for evacuation and increase the chances of emergency responders arriving in time to get it under control and minimise the extent of the damage. As it is something we recommend and provide to our customers, we thought we’d tell you a little more about it…
What is Passive Fire Protection?
Passive Fire Protection comes in various forms. Ultimately, it is the fire safety measures put in place in a building to stop a fire from spreading and minimise the impact of it. Examples of this include: Fire doors, structural steel protection, fire walls and partitioning, cavity fire barriers, and fire and smoke curtains. All of these things are designed to prevent fire spreading through the whole building in order to give time for people to evacuate safely.
Why you need Passive Fire Protection
The Fire Safety Legislation states that fire safety within the premises is the sole responsibility of the building owner. This means that it is down to them to ensure that all legal requirements are being met, and that the building is as safe and fireproof as it can be. Building owners must carry out a Fire Risk Assessment, whereby they test whether the fire safety measures in place are adequate and meet the requirements.
How Passive Fire Protection could save lives
In the event of a fire, one of the most dangerous things is how fast this can spread throughout a building. Therefore, this is why we urge you to invest in specifically designed fire resistant materials for your building, so that this can prevent, slow down and minimise the spreading of a fire. Passive Fire Protection measures are made solely for this purpose. In the event of a fire, this will prevent both the fire and smoke from spreading so that it is detained to one area or room, in order to allow time for people to get out of the building and for emergency responders to get it under control.
Furthermore, as Passive Fire Protection also stops smoke from spreading, this minimises the risk of smoke inhalation to those inside the building. Without fire safety measures such as these, outcomes can be fatal and have much more severe consequences. Installing Passive Fire Protection increases safety and reduces risk.
For more information or advice or if you would like to speak to us about putting some Passive Fire Protection measures in place, simply get in touch with us via our contact page and we will be more than happy to help.