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Passive fire protection is the name for the fire safety measures and features that are integrated into the constructional fabric of a building. It’s different to active fire protection, which covers things like smoke detectors, fire alarms and sprinkler systems.
While active fire protection can help put a fire out, passive fire protection is especially important to ensure that the risk of fire breaking out and spreading is minimised, protecting the people and property within a building.
Passive fire protection systems are used wherever services such as pipes, ducts or cables penetrate a fire-rated barrier – in other words, in floors, walls and ceilings.
In these situations, the system needs to be sealed in a way that maintains the fire resistance level or rating of the floor, wall or ceiling.Passive fire protection products and systems are used to close off gaps in walls and floors, around cables, pipes and ducts, and in control joints. When installed correctly, passive fire protection ensures the fire-resistance integrity and insulation of the building are protected.
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PROTEK carries out the necessary risk assessments and sets to work on conditioning your building through installing fire-resistant exteriors, interior construction and passive fire stopping systems. A construction company with a difference - fire safety is at the centre of all our projects, so you can PROTEK lives and buildings.
Passive fire protection is a vital component of any building because it offers protection by:
Mike Beckett
MARK HAPER HILL PARTNERSHIP GROUP
Modern building structures are larger, and internal service networks more complex than ever before, making fire protection even more critical. In order to keep your personnel safe and safeguard essential services, it’s vital to prevent and control fires.
It can be tempting as a building manager to think you can work it out yourself, but fire risk assessment is a professional field. The PROTEK fire risk assessment service is designed to provide you with a fire risk assessment report that’s compliant with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
That means your report will cover the current safety rating, what fire safety measures you have in place, what significant findings there are, and when these issues should be addressed.
Whether you have an old building that needs an upgrade or a new building that needs to meet the fire safety regulations, our fire risk assessment service will help you ensure you’re providing a safe and secure environment.
We are proud to use Bolster Systems software to record and complete all risk assessment surveys.
Fire curtains - or barrier systems - are a critical element of fire protection as they can inhibit the spread of flames, heat and smoke through concealed spaces in buildings. They can also deliver other benefits for your building, such as sound reduction.
PROTEK skillfully install fire curtains, which are normally applied as a hanging curtain, secured to the head of the soffit. If the fire barrier is required to form a continuation within a void of a fire-resistant wall or partition, the barrier must also be fixed to the wall or partition head to maintain integrity. All fire barriers should satisfy the requirements of the Building Regulations 1991 (2000 edition) Approved Document B for cavity barriers inclusive of all fire protection. At PROTEK, all our fire curtains comply with these regulations.
Intumescent paint help passively increase a building’s resistance to fire, by swelling into a protective layer of carbonaceous char when it is subjected to heat. This layer of char can be 50 times the thickness of the initial coating, and is formed as the paint reaches temperatures of 200 degrees celsius or higher. This can slow down heat transfer and protect structural integrity during a fire.
PROTEK works with both water- and solvent-based intumescent paints, which can provide up to 120 minutes of fire protection. They are applied by airless spray, roller or brush as a thin film, and are available in a range of different colours, meaning they can meet your aesthetic needs as well as delivering fire protection.
The required DFT (dry film thickness) of the paint is calculated using the HP/A (heating perimeter over area) as per BS 476 Part 21 and will vary depending on the size of steel and the exposure of the member requiring protection. A top-seal can be used for extra protection.
Where fire protection is not required, industrial coatings can be also be applied in a range of different colours to steelwork or metal decking.
Approved Document B (2000 edition) of the Building Regulations outlines the need for large buildings to be divided into compartments. It also specifies the level of fire performance the compartment walls and floors need in order to protect a building from fire.
Where mechanical and electrical services are present, these necessarily breach compartment walls and floors, which can lead to the failure of integrity and insulation in these gaps. This is where firestopping comes to the fore. When correctly installed, a certified firestopping system will contain a fire at its source, and limit the risk of destruction caused by the spread of fire and release of toxic gases.
At PROTEK we can install certified firestopping systems, many of which are tested to provide up to 4 hours’ integrity. We also have load-bearing products available within this range.
Cavity barriers work to improve a building’s safety by preventing the spread of fire within concealed voids.
By specifying and installing the TCB Cavity Barrier or PWCB Cavity Barrier, essential protection is increased whilst also minimising air leakage and heat loss between the external cavity and the separating party wall.
Fire doors and frames form part of the legally-required compartmentation system, slowing the spread of fire and reducing the passage of smoke.
PROTEK competently installs fire doors to the highest of standards in compliance with UK law. Correct installation is as important as the doors and frames themselves, as an incorrect installation not only invalidates your fire safety certificate, but also puts lives at unnecessary risk.
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