A Guide to Passive Fire Protection
A fire outbreak can be devastating for any business; costing you money in lost stock, loss of business and damage to your reputation. It can also put your employees at great risk, so it’s vital to ensure you have the right fire protection in place. Many people are aware of items such as fire extinguishers or sprinklers, but there are other pieces of equipment which can inhibit the spread of a fire and contain the amount of damage.
These products are known as passive fire protection and they’re an essential aspect to include if you’re looking for full fire protection services for your business. If you’d like to find out more about passive fire protection equipment and how it can help, read on for our brief guide.
Fire doors reduce the spread of fire throughout a building and help to contain smoke and harmful fumes. Many fire doors come with additional features such as automatic closing devices and intumescent seals. Doors are often labelled according to their efficiency, for example an FD30 fire door will keep a fire at bay for 30 minutes.
As the name suggests, smoke barriers are designed to contain the spread of smoke and prevent it from infiltrating the entire building. They can also channel smoke to a predetermined area and they should have a minimum fire resistance rating of one hour.
These products remain passive in normal temperatures, but in the event of a fire, they swell up to fill gaps and block smoke and hot gases from spreading throughout the building. There’s a wide range of intumescent products to choose from, including fire pillows, door seals, silicone sealant, electrical socket inserts and pipe wraps.
These products won’t put out a fire, but they can drastically reduce the levels of fire damage to a building and contain the fire to give employees enough time to exit safely.
If you’re looking for high quality passive fire protection products and services, get in touch with the experts at Thameside Fire Protection. As an LPS 1271 and LPS 1197 certified company, we’ve been approved for the installation, inspection and maintenance of a range of products, including fire doors, shutters and active smoke barriers. We also carry a wide range of intumescent products and colourful emergency signage to ensure your business is protected. For more information about our passive fire protection equipment, give us a call today or visit our website.