Both active and passive fire protection systems are crucial for the safety of buildings and people. Whether you’re a landlord, designated fire safety personnel, property manager or a commercial business owner, your property should provide passive and active fire protection measures.
What is Active Fire Protection?
Active fire protection is a system which detects, alerts and extinguishes a fire. Usually, an active fire protection system requires action or some trigger to initiate a system, whether it’s a manual or automatic system.
Some of the most common forms of active fire protection are fire alarm systems and fire suppression systems.
Other active fire protections include smoke detectors, sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, fire suppression systems, emergency voice communication systems and emergency escape lighting.
In commercial buildings, high-rise properties and hospitals, active fire protection systems are a legal requirement, but are strongly recommended by approved contractors in all buildings and structures. Active fire protection systems help to save lives and protect property by detecting and extinguishing fires quickly.
What is Passive Fire Protection
A passive fire protection refers to a system that contains a fire and prevents fire from spreading, such as fire compartmentation.
Further examples of passive fire protection are fire walls, fire doors, fire dampers, fire curtains and the utilisation of fire-resistant materials.
Containing and compartmentalising fires are very important in buildings. By preventing fires from spreading to other areas of the structure, passive fire protection systems help to protect people and property from the effects of fire by giving people more time to evacuate and firefighters a better chance of controlling and extinguishing fires.
Unlike active fire protection systems, passive fire protection systems do not require any action to initiate the system and are always in place should a fire scenario occur.
However, passive fire protection can be just as important as active fire protection. Similarly, passive fire protection systems are required by law in certain types of buildings and business properties, and it is highly recommended in all structures.
Using Active & Passive Fire Protection to Save Lives
In fire risk assessment and fire compartmentation surveys from approved contractors, such as Melwood Facilities, it is highly likely that active and passive fire protection systems work in tandem to create a comprehensive fire safety plan. While active systems detect and extinguish fires quickly, passive systems contain and prevent the spread of fires.
When it comes to fire safety, businesses and landlords cannot be overly prepared. Moreover, if an active fire protection system fails, a passive fire protection system can provide some protection if a fire occurs.
If an active fire protection system, such as a suppression system or sprinkler system, were to fail due to power outage or lack of water supply, a passive system’s compartmentation or effective fire doors can give occupants the time they need to escape. Similarly is a passive fire protection system were to fail, whether it’s due to inadequate materials or poor construction, an active fire protection system and prevent fire spread by extinguishing or alerting occupants.
