The LWF Blog

Facilities Management | Construction, renovation and fire safety design

March 5, 2014 12:31 pm

When working upon a design project for a new build or renovating an existing building for a block of flats, for instance, it is essential to consider the fire precautions that will be contained within. In doing so, it is helpful to understand that an effective fire safety design is comprised of two parts – active and passive fire precautions.

Types of fire safety installation

Active fire safety installations are those parts of your fire prevention strategy that come into play only when a fire has already started. This would include a fire alarm system and smoke detectors, but also suppression systems, such as sprinkler systems or automatic smoke control through ventilation would fall into this category.  They are triggered by the presence of smoke or fire.

Passive fire safety installations do not alert you to, or react to the presence of fire in an area. They are the type of fire precaution that is a part of the core of the building and will help to control the fire through limiting spread, for instance. Typical passive fire safety installations would be fire doors and fire walls. Effective compartmentation of flats within a block through the use of fire resistant materials can help to protect escape routes and avoid the spread of fire to other residences.

Choosing fire safety installations

The design of the new building or the plan for renovation of an existing building will help to guide the requirements of a fire plan for the project.  It is possible for a cost-effective fire design to be created which could assist in maximising usable space within a build by using fire engineering techniques.

An example of a way in which fire engineering can assist in deciding what fire safety installations to use, to maximise life-safety is when renovating an existing building, it can be impractical  – either in a physical way or a cost-effective way – to install full compartmentation between proposed flats. In cases such as this, additional active fire safety installations can often be used to compensate and protect the evacuation route for the building occupants. These active installations could comprise a full early warning system with sprinklers for fire suppression and automatic smoke ventilation within communal areas.

The fire engineer chosen by you should understand fully the required codes and the potential impact upon your design. He or she can work with your design team to ensure that the fire safety design complements and brings your building plan to life, rather than restricting or changing it in a negative manner.

If you would be interested in knowing more about active and passive fire protection installations, or how fire engineering can be an essential part of your building project, please contact Peter Gyere on 0208 668 8663.

Lawrence Webster Forrest is a fire engineering and fire risk management consultancy established in 1986, with experience in the development of fire engineered technology and the application of fire safety standards including fire engineered techniques.