What is passive fire Stopping?
Put simply passive fire stopping is the method of reinstating the fire-separating elements of a building such as the walls, floors, or doorways where they have been breached by linear construction gaps or penetrating items such as:
- pipes
- combustible pipes
- cables
- ducts
- vents
- escape corridors
- door openings
Tested and certified single manufacturer systems are used to reinstate the elements to stop or slow down the passage of fire, heat, smoke and toxic unseen gasses. This is carried out by offering a stable product to ensure the integrity of the element to achieve its fire performance.
Passive fire protection products insulate against excessive heat transfer to the unaffected side of the fire separating element; this is to protect against furnishings, wall, or floor coverings from self-combusting.
The closing down of voids left by melting or failing services and air sealing to ensure that smoke and deadly unseen toxic gasses cannot escape to feed the fire further or indeed suffocate and poison the occupants is another strength of passive fire protection.
Containing a fire is the single most effective way to ensure people have those vital minutes to escape safely without fear of toxic smoke impeding their view and ability to breathe. Passive fire protection also gives you the means to gain vital time to sensibly put out the fire, stop the fire from breaking through into other areas, and give you the ability to reoccupy your building sooner.
The installation of passive fire-stopping materials is governed by Building Regulations, Approved Document B which specifies standards for fire resistance of walls, floors, doors, and other building elements, and The Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (2005). It is important that fire fire-stoppingrials are certified and include supporting documentation as evidence of satisfactory accredited testing.