Passive/Pro-active Fire

Protection System
March 2010
By: Felipe Agustin
USGBC-LEED
TM
AP
Manual or Automatic fire detection; and
Fire Suppression i.e. fire sprinklers,
hydrants, hose reels, FACP..etc
Use of fire rated structural elements i.e.
beams, walls, columns
Compartmentation minimize the spread of
fire. Throughout the building or adjacent
spaces;
Maintaining integrity of compartments fire
seal all gaps or openings
Protection of structural elements
deformation & collapse
Heat insulated solutions eliminate
possible self ignition of combustible
materials by transfer of heat
comprises fire resistant partitions, ceilings,
ducts and structural steel
Delays the spreading of fire and allows time
for safe escape of building occupants
gives fire fighters the time to rescue
occupants
an all encompassing fire safety concept
which embraces the passive measures in
fire containment design and in addition
augment the active measures.
It is a proactive approach taken at the
building design stage, aimed at addressing
a comprehensive solution to the fire
problem
The efficiency of PFP systems is measured by its stability, integrity, and insulation
where combining all these properties will extend the building elements capability
to prevent the fire from spreading and failure of structural elements;
Fire Ratings consist of three numbers, for example 60/60/60. This numbers are in
minutes and refer to:
Stability
The protected load bearing element fulfills its function during the entire
fire resistance period
Integrity
The system does not allow spread of fire or hot gasses during the entire
fire resistance period
Insulation
The temperature increase of the unexposed side of the system remains
under set limits during the entire fire resistance period
Local Code:
Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9514 Fire Code of
the Philippines 2008, as follows but not limited to::
Division 2 Section 9.0.2.1 item E Fire and Life Assessment Report (FALAR 1);
Division 6 Section 10.2.6.1 Construction and Compartmentation items C.1
and C.2.
National Building Code of the Philippines;
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101 Fire and Life Safety Code;
International Building Code (IBC) 2006.
International Code:
Problems
Services run through
plenum above ceiling (high
fire load)
Solutions
Fire rated ceilings, whether
suspended ceiling or
ceiling membrane system.
Problems
o Temperature rise due to fire will
distort the metal sheet ducts,
making them unable to extract
smoke
Solutions
o Put tested cladding system to the
metal sheet ducts
o Can also use tested self
supporting ducts
Problems
o Electrically operated systems
should be well protected so that
they are functional during fire. i.e.
sprinkler pumps, fire lift, etc.
Solutions
o Put tested cladding system to the
critical cables
o Doing so will provide inexpensive
solution compared to alternatives
using fire rated cable
Problems
o A great number of services will
inevitably penetrate compartment
floors and walls, thus affecting
the integrity of the compartment
Solutions
o Tested systems to international
standards has been specially
designed to cater various types of
penetrations such as
telecommunication cables,
electrical cables, uPVC pipes, etc.
Occupancy
Fire Resistance Rating (hour)
Firewall
Fire Barrier
Assemblies
between Fire areas
Corridors (Separation Walls)
Smoke
Barriers w/o sprinkler
system
w/ sprinkler
system
Assembly Group A
3 2 1 0 1
A-1 usually with fixed seating
A-2
intended for food and/or drink
consumption
A-3
intended for worship, recreation or
amusement
A-4 intended for viewing of indoor events
A-5
intended for viewing of outdoor
events
Business Group B
3 2 1 0 1
Office, professional or service-type
transactions, including storage of records
and accounts.
Educational Group E
3 2 1 0 1
Educational purposes
Factory Group F
3 1 0 1 F-1 Moderate Hazard 3
F-2 Low Hazard 4 2
Occupancy
Fire Resistance Rating (hour)
Firewall
Fire Barrier
Assemblies
between Fire areas
Corridor
Smoke
Barriers
w/o sprinkle
system
w/ sprinkler
system
High-Hazard Group H
4 4 not permitted 1 1
Involves the manufacturing, processing, generation or
storage of materials that constitute a physical or
health hazard in quantities.
Institutional Group I
3 2 1
I-1
Housing more than 16 persons, on a 24-hour
basis.
not permitted 1
I-2
Medical, surgical, psychiatric, nursing or
custodial care on a 24-hour basis. not permitted 0
I-3
Medical, surgical, psychiatric, nursing or
custodial care on a 24-hour basis under
restraint or security.
not permitted 1
I-4
Structures occupied by persons of any age
who receive custodial care for less than 24
hours.
not permitted 0
Mercantile Group M
3 2 1 0 1
Display and sale of merchandise, and involves stocks
of goods, wares or merchandise incidental to such
purposes and accessible to the public.
Occupancy
Fire Resistance Rating
Firewall
Fire Barrier
Assemblies
between Fire areas
Corridor
Smoke
Barriers
w/o sprinkle
system
w/ sprinkler
system
Residential Group R (Sleeping Units)
2 not permitted 0.5 1
R-1
Where the occupants are primarily
transient in nature.
3
R-2
More than two dwelling units where the
occupants are primarily permanent.
3
R-3
Primarily permanent in nature and not
classified as Group R-1, R-2, R-4.
2
R-4
As residential care/assisted living
facilities.
2
Storage Group S (Storage)
1 0 1
S-1 That are not classified as Group S-2. 3 3
S-2 Noncombustible materials 2 2
Utility and Miscellaneous Group U
3 1 1 0 1
Buildings and structures of an accessory
character and miscellaneous structures not
classified in any specific occupancy.
Fire Rated Walls & Ceilings
Typical boards such as:
Chipboard - A type of paperboard generally made from reclaimed paper stock
Gypsum plasterboard - common method of constructing interior walls and ceilings using
panels made of gypsum plaster pressed between two thick sheets of paper, then kiln dried.
Fiber cement board - is a composite material made of sand. cement and cellulose fibers.
Calcium Silicate board is a kind of inorganic and non-combustible material with stable
physical and chemical performance.
Problems
Steel loses its load bearing capacity at
temperatures in excess of 550C
during a fire.
Risk of structure to collapse is greatly
increased.
Steel Protection
Materials such as:
Board and Casing system - Uses materials such as calcium silicate, vermiculite, fire
resistant plaster board, ceramic wool to provide fire
protection to steel.
Intumescent coatings - Will swell or expand in size when exposed to high
temperature.
Cementitious products - Gypsum based type and Portland cement type. This is
commonly sprayed in the steel section to be protected with a
low pressure spray techniques.
Fire Rated Glass
Fire resistance rating of the glass should follow the fire rating of the area it is located.
A minimum of 2 hours fire rating
for glass located in stairs
Glass doors, windows and partitions
should have a fire resistance rating
equivalent to the rating of the area it
is located.
Mechanical and Electrical Services
Using Board and casing system to protect:
Electrically operated systems such as sprinkler pumps, fire lift, etc.
Smoke extraction
Kitchen ventilation
Pressurization
Fresh air supply
Smoke extraction duct Smoke extraction cladding duct Smoke extraction cladding duct
Penetration Seals
Using systems to seal areas such as:
Pipe Chase Openings
Movement / seismic joints
PVC Pipe Penetration
Poor workmanship
Sealant for movement / seismic joints
Floor Penetration Wall Penetration
Maintenance of the pro-active fire protection
No operating cost.
An Ocular inspection is done in order to check the stability and
integrity of the area being protected. This can be done once or twice
a year.
Maintenance or repairs is done only if there would be a damage in
the system.