Safeguard Lives and Property with a Fire Safety Strategy
When it comes to protecting lives and property, buildings are designed and constructed with various fire safety installations also known as fire safety measures. Each installation plays a critical role, and together they form the building’s fire safety strategy to prevent, detect, control and extinguish fires.
Different measures and installations have different purposes and applications, so they must be chosen carefully. We broadly divide them into two categories: active and passive. In basic terms, active measures are often the ones you can see that detect and stop fire, and passive measures are woven into the design of the building designed to contain and stop fire spreading.
Understanding the differences between these two approaches and their benefits is essential for effective fire safety management.
Active Fire Protection Measures
Active fire protection measures are systems and devices that require some form of action or motion to work effectively. This is why they are called active. They are designed to detect and control fires while warning occupants and authorities. They can be automatic or require human interaction and are often integrated with each other to be ultimately effective.
Common active fire protection measures include:
- Detection and Warning Systems
- These systems are designed to be an early warning system, detecting the presence of fire and activating an alert. For example, detectors can be automatic smoke, heat or CO2 detectors, and manually activated call points. When a fire is detected, this triggers a warning, which can include alarm bells, escape lighting and evacuation instructions, to alert occupants and emergency services.
- Fire Suppression Systems
- Fire suppression systems are designed to control and extinguish fires. Examples of fire suppression systems are automatic sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, fire blankets, fire hose reels and fire hydrants.
- Smoke Control Systems
- A smoke control system controls the movement of smoke and air in a building. Examples include mechanical smoke exhausts, natural ventilation or smoke and heat vents. They can be automatically activated by one or more fire detection devices including sprinkler waterflow, smoke and heat detectors.
To learn more about active measures, enrol in the Fire Detection & Suppression Systems course.
Passive Fire Protection Measures
Passive fire protection measures are built into the structure of a building. They do not require any actions or interventions to work, and this is why they are called passive. They are designed to contain fires, slow the spread of fire and protect the structural integrity of the building. National Construction Code (NCC) stipulates minimum fire resistance, stability, compartmentation, separation and protection of opening requirements.
To learn more about building codes and classifications enrol in the Building Codes & Classifications course
To learn more about this enrol in the Fire Resistance & Fire Hazard Properties course.
Maintenance
Building occupiers, owners and fire protection professionals must work together to ensure that these systems and measures are properly designed, installed and maintained. Regular inspections and maintenance are crucial to ensure that they remain functional and effective. When installed, they are installed to a Standard and this then provides the benchmark that they must be maintained to.
Legislative requirements vary from state to state but most have mandatory maintenance reporting. Australian Standard AS1851: Routine service of fire protection systems and equipment sets the minimum routine servicing requirements, including testing, inspection, and maintenance, for fire protection systems and equipment.
In NSW, the Annual Fire Safety Statement is a declaration that each fire safety measure in the building has been inspected and assessed. In QLD, the annual Occupier Statement declares that all fire installations at the building are being maintained
Fire safety document requirements are discussed in these courses:
Conclusion
Active and passive fire protection systems are both vital to safeguarding life and property, forming the fire safety strategy for a building. Working independently and in tandem, they can prevent and contain fire, allow for safe evacuation and fire brigade intervention. Neither system is superior to the other as they both cover very different, yet equally important aspects of fire protection.