Passive Fire Protection (PFP) is a critical element to any building structure. It plays a preventive role and it represents all the construction methods that allow a structure to resist a fire during a given time (this is fixed by the regulations relating to specific building types).

Passive Fire Protection methods are intended to:

–Stop the progression of fumes

–Avoid the spread of flames

–Contain thermal effects in the disaster area

–Maintain the fire stability of structural elements

These methods are known as “passive” as they work without any human intervention or external energy input. They aim to allow the evacuation of people and the intervention of the emergency services, confining the fire as long as possible in a compartmentalized space.

To provide an answer to all of these objectives, we distinguish two types of fire protection solutions:

–Structural protection solutions – such as intumescent paints

–Firewall solutions for subdivision – such as foams, sealants and other fire stopping solutions.

Passive Fire Protection must be apprehended from the design of a building, both by the main contractor and the project management team involved (this is likely to include, Architect, Engineers, Structural Design Team etc.)