Although structural steel offers the advantage of being non-combustible, both strength and stiffness decrease with increases in temperature. The yield strength of structural steel maintains at least 85 percent of its normal value up to temperatures of approximately 427 °C (800 °F), and continues to diminish as temperatures increase.
Both active and passive fire protection methods are crucial for protecting your property and lives. Active and passive fire protection systems play different roles but ultimately work together to prevent and contain fires, as well as assist the emergency services when necessary.
Difference between Active and Passive Fire Protection System
Active fire protection is about detecting, stopping the heat source and escaping fire. Whereas Passive fire protection means containing the fire, delaying and preventing it from spreading further. It generally consists of a coating of fire resistant insulating media applied to a steel surface.
Passive fire protection is only effective for short duration exposure (1-2 hours), hence Active fire protection such as fire alarms, sprinklers, fire extinguishers, standpipe systems and smoke extraction are also important and can help to protect property and lives.
When deciding on an effective and practical plan for the containment and fighting of fires, site factors should be considered:
- fire hazard posed by substance
- toxicity of substances and the smoke produced
- inventory size
- frequency of hazardous operations
- distance to other hazardous installations
- available access to fight fire
- fire fighting capability of onsite emergency response team
- response time of nearest fire brigade
- resources available to fire brigade
Nova Buildings Vietnam’s fire fighting team emerged in the top 5 among 127 companies competing in the annual Fire Fighting Competition by the Dong Nai Fire Fighting Police; A reflection of our commitment in HSE and fire safety in pre-engineered steel buildings.
Fire Fighting Design and Maintenance
The design of active fire fighting systems should conform to specified standards such as BS 5306 Code of practice for extinguishing installation and equipment, where required delivery rates and durations for various types of application are specified.
Correct installation and maintenance of fire safety systems should be performed regularly by certified experts to ensure reliability. Procedures should be in place for regular maintenance and testing of systems. Records of these activities should be kept by site operators.
For passive fire protection systems, the operator should have supplier or manufacturer information demonstrating that the fire protective system employed meets defined performance criteria based on standard tests that replicate the fire conditions likely to be encountered. Typically the criteria will be that a protected surface will not reach a certain temperature in a defined time period during a standard test, such as that detailed in BS 476 ‘Fire tests on building materials and structures’.
The performance of passive fire protection systems can deteriorate over time due to weathering and corrosion. Plant operational and maintenance activities may damage or remove the fire protection. Additionally the protected surface itself can corrode beneath the fire protection. Procedures should be in place to ensure that both the passive fire protective system and the protected surface are regularly inspected and repaired as appropriate.
Other resources:
AISC Design Guide 19: Fire Resistance of Structural Steel Framing
https://www.aisc.org/Design-Guide-19-Fire-Resistance-of-Structural-Steel-Framing
