Active and passive fire protection work together to protect buildings from fire. Active fire protection requires action, like sprinklers or fire alarms, to suppress fires. Passive fire protection aims to contain fires, through components like fire-resistant construction, compartments, and doors. Both types of protection are needed for full fire safety. Other important life safety elements include emergency lighting, signage, evacuation procedures, and fire drills. Adhering to the latest fire codes and standards helps ensure buildings and occupants are adequately protected.
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Introduction
It has become more apparent over the years how important it is to have
adequate fire protection in every building. For most people (Non-technical),
what comes to mind when they think of fire protection are Sprinkler system,
smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. However, these two elements only
cover a small portion of the protection services you should have at all times.
There are in fact two types of fire protection: Active Fire Protection (AFP) and
Passive Fire Protection (PFP). One type of protection must not be chosen over
the other. On the contrary, both AFP and PFP must be used together for full
fire protection. It is important to understand the difference between AFP and
PFP so that you are confident that your building is protected by both types.
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Introduction(PFP)
Passive fire protection is an important component of any fire safety strategy.
It plays a vital, and increasingly significant, role in safeguarding people, as
well as limiting damage to buildings and their contents from fire and smoke.
Passive fire protection works by:
1. Limiting the spread of fire, heat, and smoke by containing it in a single
compartment in its area of origin
2. Protecting escape routes and providing vital escape time for occupants &
Fire Fighters
3. Protecting a building’s critical structural members
4. Protecting a building’s assets
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Elements of PFP
Fire resistant rated construction such as walls, floor/ceiling , roof ,barrier,
partition.
Fire resistance rating of structural members.
Compartment walls and floors.
Penetration seals or fire stopping for pipes , cables and others services.
Opening protective ( fire door, window assembly, fire shutter and curtains
and fire rated glazing) .
Duct and air transfer openings ( combination fire/smoke damper, fire
damper, smoke damper).
Fire-resistant epoxy coatings that can be spray applied.
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Few Definition of Passive Fire protection component:
Fire stop :
Fire stopping is used to seal around openings and between joints in a fire
resistance rated wall or floor assembly . Fire stops are designed to maintain
the fireproofing of a wall or floor assembly allowing it to impede the spread of
fire and smoke.
Stair case pressurization or Building Pressurization:
A pressurization system is intended to prevent smoke leaking through closed
doors into stairs by injecting clean air into the stairwell. In other words
controlling smoke movement is by creating air pressure difference .
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Fire doors :
A fire door is a door with a fire-resistance or fire-protection rating. It is used to
reduce the spread of fire or smoke between compartments, and to give
occupants enough time to enable safe escape from a building .
Fire dampers and smoke damper:
Fire and smoke dampers are used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
ducts to prevent the spread of fire inside the ductwork, closing automatically if
the temperature rises. They can also be linked to fire alarm systems.
Fire walls:
A firewall is a fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire between or
through buildings or structures for a prescribed period of time.
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INTRODUCTION(AFP)
Active Fire Protection consists of the components of fire protection that
require some kind of action to work. This action may be manual, like using a
fire extinguisher, or automatic like the sprinkler system dousing flames. The
action that results from active fire protection is triggered by some sort of alert
or signal. The action itself will help contain, suppress, or extinguish a fire that
has already started. Although fire suppression systems are the most obvious
examples of AFP, fire detection or fire alarm systems are equally as important
and are also considered AFP. After picking up a signal, these systems will
trigger a response such as alerting the fire department, activating sprinklers,
or closing fire doors. Working fire alarm system and fire suppression systems
can greatly increase your chances of suppressing a fire or even extinguishing it
before it causes harm.
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MANUAL FIRE PROTECTION
Fire Blanket :
A fire blanket is a sheet of fire retardant material that is designed to be placed
over a fire to smother it out. small fire blankets are meant for inception stage
fires (Small Fires).
Fire Extinguishers:
Portable fire extinguishers shall be installed as a first line of defence to cope
with small fires. As a first line of defence during the initial stages of Fire,
availability of portable fire extinguishers is mandatory for all occupancies for
the use of occupants to extinguish the fire before the fire grows out of control.
Stand pipe system:
A standpipe as an “arrangement of piping, valves, hose connections, and
associated equipment installed in a building or structure, with the hose
connections located in such a manner that water can be discharged in streams
or spray patterns through attached hose and nozzles, for the purpose of
extinguishing a fire, thereby protecting a building or structure and its contents
in addition to protecting the occupants.
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AUTOMATIC FIRE PROTECTION:(AFP)
Automatic control means are any form of suppression that requires no human
intervention these can include a fire sprinkler system, a gaseous clean agent
or Automatic foam suppression system.
Sprinkler system:
Fire sprinkler systems are installed in all types of buildings, commercial and
residential. They are usually located at ceiling level and are connected to a
reliable water source. A typical sprinkler system operates when heat at the site
of a fire causes a fusible link or glass component in the sprinkler head to
activate, thereby releasing the water from the sprinkler head. This means that
only the sprinkler head at the fire location operates – not all the sprinklers on a
floor or in a building. Sprinkler systems help to reduce the growth of a fire,
thereby increasing life safety and limiting structural damage.
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Gaseous clean agent:
Gaseous clean agents are installed in places where water or dry chemical
extinguishing agents will do more harm than good. They are mostly installed in
server or computer rooms where water or fine dust particles will cause vast
amounts of damage. The system works by flooding an area with an inert or a
mix of inert gasses to break the fire tetrahedron.
Foam suppression system:
Foam fire suppression are used to create a barrier in order to reduce/eliminate
the ''fueling'' of fire and therefore deprive the fire from one of its necessary
elements (oxygen). They are mostly installed in fuel storage or other flammable
liquid storage.
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Active Fire Protection and Passive Fire Protection perform fundamentally
different tasks that are equally as important. Active Fire protection takes
action in order to put out a fire. Passive Fire Protection will help prevent a fire
from spreading or resist the initial ignition. They work together by alerting
people inside the building of a fire and safely containing the fire so that people
& fire-fighter may evacuate and/or try to suppress the fire.
Other important Parameters of Life safety are,
• Emergency lighting system
• Exit signage
• Evacuation layout.
• No of exit staircase requirement.
• Exit door width requirement
• Travel distance requirement .
• Dead end corridor requirement.
• Evacuation lift.
• Fire drill.
• First -Aid Kit. Etc…
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Emergency lighting system(Escape lighting):
That part of the emergency lighting which is provided to ensure that the
escape route is illuminated at all material times, for example, at all times
when persons are on the premises, or at times the main lighting is not
available, either for the whole building or for the means of egress.
Travel distance .
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Exit signage:
An exit sign is a device in a public facility denoting the location of the
closest emergency exit in case of fire or other emergency. Most relevant codes
(fire, building , health, or safety) require exit signs to be permanently lit.
Fire drill.
The purpose of fire drills in buildings is to ensure that everyone knows how to
exit safely as quickly as possible if a fire, smoke, carbon monoxide or other
emergency occurs and to familiarize building occupants with the sound of
the fire alarm.
Exit.
That unobstructed component of means of egress which is between the exit
access and the exit discharge or public way. Exit components include exterior
exit doors at the level of exit discharge, interior exit stairways, exit
passageways, exterior exit stairways and exterior exit ramps
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CODES AND STANDARDS:
NATIONAL BUIDLING CODE OF INDIA.(NBCI)
INDIAN STANDARD.(IS)
NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION(NFPA)
NOTE:
IT IS ALWAYS ADVISABLE TO BE UPTDATED ABOUT LATEST VERSION OF ALL
CODES AND STANDARDS . ALSO IMPORTANT TO BE UPDATED ABOUT
NEW FIRE SYSTEM PRODUCTS AND DEVELOPMENT.