Passive/Pro-active FireProtection System

March 2010

By: Felipe Agustin

USGBC-LEEDTM 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 element’s 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

Barriersw/o sprinkler

system

w/ sprinkler

system

Assembly Group A

3 2 1 0 1

A-1 usually with fixed seating

A-2intended for food and/or drink

consumption

A-3intended for worship, recreation or

amusement

A-4 intended for viewing of indoor events

A-5intended for viewing of outdoor

events

Business Group B

3 2 1 0 1Office, professional or service-type

transactions, including storage of records

and accounts.

Educational Group E3 2 1 0 1

Educational purposes

Factory Group F

3 1 0 1F-1 Moderate Hazard 3

F-2 Low Hazard 4 2

Occupancy

Fire Resistance Rating (hour)

Firewall

Fire Barrier

Assemblies

between Fire areas

CorridorSmoke

Barriersw/o sprinkle

system

w/ sprinkler

system

High-Hazard Group H

4 4 not permitted 1 1Involves the manufacturing, processing, generation or

storage of materials that constitute a physical or

health hazard in quantities.

Institutional Group I

3 2 1

I-1Housing more than 16 persons, on a 24-hour

basis. not permitted 1

I-2Medical, surgical, psychiatric, nursing or

custodial care on a 24-hour basis. not permitted 0

I-3Medical, surgical, psychiatric, nursing or

custodial care on a 24-hour basis under

restraint or security.not permitted 1

I-4Structures 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 1Display 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

CorridorSmoke

Barriersw/o sprinkle

system

w/ sprinkler

system

Residential Group R (Sleeping Units)

2 not permitted 0.5 1

R-1Where the occupants are primarily

transient in nature.3

R-2More than two dwelling units where the

occupants are primarily permanent.3

R-3Primarily permanent in nature and not

classified as Group R-1, R-2, R-4.2

R-4As residential care/assisted living

facilities.2

Storage Group S (Storage)

1 0 1S-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 1Buildings 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 550°C

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 ductSmoke extraction cladding ductSmoke 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.