IF you ask people in the street to explain the term ‘passive fire protection’ in all probability they will not be able to give you a confident answer. But does this matter?

The protection of a building and its occupants from the effects of smoke and fire are wide ranging.

They start with the conceptual design of the building, move on to appropriate defence mechanisms, i.e. fire and smoke detection and alarm, fire extinguishing systems to quash the fire, structural fire protection, reaction to fire systems and compartmentation to contain the spread of fire. Add to this emergency lighting, signage, a well planned and rehearsed
evacuation procedure, as well as the fire and rescue services to extinguish the fire and it is easy to appreciate that the whole procedure is a complex and interdependent process.

It is all too often overlooked or disregarded, that the level of success in the control and containment of a fire goes way beyond whether the structure of the building is still standing after a fire. Frankly, the fact that the building may not have collapsed after the fire is extinguished is meaningless to the occupier or employee of a business, if the aftermath of the
fire results in there being no business to progress. Either the cost of reinstating the building into a condition of occupancy, or the timescale to enable this to happen, is not viable.

Building regulations in the form of Approved Document B are only concerned with safety of life, both of the occupant and the fire fighter; they are not concerned with protecting the viability of the building, or its effects on the local economy or environment. This is a responsibility borne by the insurance company.

For the majority of building types, be they steel, concrete or wooden framed, fire containment is critical to the fire performance of the building’s design and yet is probably the least understood. More often than not built-in fire protection, as its name would imply, is either hidden from view (for example above a suspended ceiling) or simply appears to be part of the fabric of the building.

If one asks a lay person to describe the purpose of a fire extinguisher, fire alarm or sprinkler system, there is a reasonable chance that the answer will display an understanding of their function. In the case of fire stopping, or containment, this is less likely to be the case. After all, from most people’s perspective, a hole in the wall is just a maintenance issue and not a potential smoke or fire hazard.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why, when a building fire is reported through the press or as a news item on television or radio, it is very common to hear statements along the lines of ‘The fire spread quickly through the building’ or ‘The fire spread quickly into the roof structure’. Next time you hear or read such statements, ask yourself the question, does this mean the compartmentation measures were inadequate, or none existent?’

In today’s very tough economic climate there is a temptation to minimise essential fire protection measures and this is of major concern. It may be argued that the likelihood of a fire remains low, but it must be appreciated that the true worth of any fire protection system can only be determined after a fire. If such measures fall short of requirement in the practical, as opposed to the theoretical sense, then there is no way to rectify the matter.

To put this in context, it is understood that statistically over 80 per cent of businesses that suffer a major fire are out of business within 12 to 18 months of the event, contributing to an annual cost of fire within the UK which now exceeds £7bn a year.

Built-in passive fire protection may be an enigma to some, seen as an unnecessary requirement by a few, or simply assumed to be there by the many. Whatever your view may be, if you are responsible for the design, construction, supervision or ownership of a building, you need to be aware of and ensure that its built-in fire protection measures are fit for purpose and installed and maintained by third party certificated professionals.

Put simply passive fire protection is an essential element of the fire protection measures that form the fabric of any building; acting as the all important back bone to a buildings overall fire protection strategy.

The danger comes when it is ignored.

Wilf Butcher is the CEO of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection.