Passive fire protection is an integral component of fire safety for any building, as it works to contain fires and slow their spread.
Unlike active fire systems such as smoke alarms, sprinklers and extinguishers, passive fire protection is achieved by constructing walls, floors, doors and all of the fittings involved with them, using fire-resistant material.
Passive fire systems can save lives, especially in high-rise buildings, unit blocks, and confined spaces, but every aspect of these measures must be maintained. If not, you could be exposing building occupants to deadly fire hazards and leaving the property liable for fines due to noncompliance.
As passive fire protection is inert and often not visible, it can go unnoticed and, therefore, is easily forgotten if you don’t have the right fire protection company to maintain it. Here at Betta Fire Protection, we’re experts in passive fire protection and have been servicing passive fire systems around Sydney for over 40 years. Our accredited CFSP’s can install, maintain, repair and test your fire doors, fire seals, fire collars and fire pillows to ensure they work when you need them most.
Perhaps one of the most common passive fire protection systems is fire safety doors. Keeping fire safety doors in working order is vital to the safety of building occupants as it provides time for people to evacuate while containing fire and smoke.
But, fire safety doors will only provide the required fire resistance level if they are installed and maintained to the correct standard, which is where a fire protection professional is required.
Regular maintenance of fire safety doors, smoke seals, and intumescent fire seals ensure the fire resistance level (FRL) of the doors is maintained and prevents smoke and flames from escaping through the door in the event of a fire.
Here at Betta Fire Protection, we install and maintain fire safety doors and fire seals in accordance with AS1905 and AS1851. We also can inspect and test doors and seals to ensure compliance and endorse the AFSS for your building.
Part of a Strata? We have a dedicated fire door guide to help you stay on top of compliance.
When people think of passive fire protection, they often just think of fire-proof doors and walls. While they wouldn’t be wrong, they’re also missing a whole host of other passive fire equipment, which is much smaller but just as important. One of which is fire collars.
Fire collars are installed in floors, walls and ceilings and are designed to maintain the integrity of fire-resistant elements and insulation through which plastic pipes, , cables or fibre optic services pass.
These fire-resistant fittings help maintain the FRL of the surrounding walls, ceilings and doors. They work to prevent fire from escaping by expanding when heated rapidly. The strong compressive force exerted by the expanded material forms a fire-resistant seal and an insulated barrier.
There are many different types of fire collars. It will depend on the application as to which one is used—for example, plastic pipes, general building services, electrical cables, etc.
Call Betta Fire Protection today to have one of our accredited CFSP’s check your building’s fire collars to ensure they are correct and compliant.
Sometimes, there will inevitably be gaps or spaces where fire collars and fire seals won’t work but still need to be sealed off from fire. This is where fire pillows come in handy.
Fire pillows are manufactured from treated cloth filled with a high density, non-combustible fire seal material and are designed to form a solid fire barrier of insulating material around openings susceptible to fire.
Fire pillows are essentially fire-proof sandbags and are a great option to use in areas where it would otherwise be difficult to apply other passive fire products. They’re also more economical for some applications as they are cheaper, easier to install and still achieve the required fire resistance level.
Betta Fire Protection can install and maintain your passive fire measures according to your requirements and in line with AS 1851.
As an Australian owned and operated business, we offer a range of passive fire services and passive fire equipment across Sydney and greater NSW. For AS1530 compliant passive fire protection and passive fire equipment, get in contact with the Betta Fire Protection team and ask us about our competitive, tailored fire protection packages for your property.