Fire Protection Report: Residential and Garage Buildings Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive case study of active and passive fire protection measures in Class 1a and Class 10a buildings, specifically focusing on a residential house and a private garage. The report details active systems such as fire alarm systems, fire control systems, smoke detectors, and portable fire extinguishers, explaining their functions and applications within a residential setting. It further explores passive fire protection methods, including board systems, intumescent paint, and timber board encasements, highlighting their role in maintaining building integrity during a fire. For the Class 10a building (private garage), the report outlines active measures like portable fire extinguishers and fire doors, and passive measures such as concrete encasement, spray-on protection, and concrete filling for steel sections. The analysis references Australian building codes and standards, offering insights into the practical implementation of fire safety measures in different building types. The report includes figures illustrating various fire protection components and references several publications related to fire safety engineering.

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Passive and active fire protection
INTRODUCTION
The following report is a case study of the passive and active fire protections for a class 1a and a
class 10a building. Class 1a buildings typically include detached houses or attached dwellings
that are separated by a fire-resisting wall while class10a buildings include non-habitable
buildings typically as a private garage, shed or a carport (Board).
The class 1a building to be studied will be a typical residential house while the class 10a
building to be studied will be a typical private garage. An active fire protection measure function
to detect, communicate and control the spread of some and fire while passive fire protection
measures are integrated within the building structure to maintain the integrity of the building
envelope and structure (Lennon).
CLASS 1A BUILDING: RESIDENTIAL HOUSE
The NCC/BCA specifies the fire safety appliances that may be used in a class 1a building in
P3.7.1. The following measures listed below are the active fire controls used in a typical
residential house (Board).

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ACTIVE FIRE PROTECTION
Fire Break Glass Alarm (BGA):
This type of alarm allows the occupants to trigger the fire alarm which will trigger the fire
brigade. It has a red button that contacts the fire brigade which then responds to the incident
immediately. The button is usually enclosed by a Perspex or a glass material that can easily be
broken by a locked fist or elbow (Herrmann, Krammer and Sturm).
Fig 1. Fire Break Glass alarm
Fire Control system:
Some residential buildings are fitted by a fire control system with automatically activated
sprinkler heads. This sprinkler heads are triggered when the air temperature reaches a certain
point, after which the sprinklers discharge a fine mist of water to contain the fire (Rasbash,
Ramachandran and Kandola,). In computer rooms or storerooms containing flammable liquids,
the system usually gives a warning to the users before the sprinklers discharge the water.

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Fig 2. Fire Control system
Smoke and thermal fire detectors
Typical residential buildings are fitted with detectors that sense heat, smoke or both. The most
common detectors used are some detectors since they offer early warnings in case of a fire. The
smoke detectors can be connected with the fire doors to isolate the fires.
Fig 3. Smoke detector

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Portable fire extinguishers
Portable fire extinguishers are used to contain small fires. A typical residential household will
have fire extinguishers in the kitchen and the storeroom since they are more susceptible to fires.
The most common fire extinguisher used in a residential home contains wet chemicals or fire
blankets (Herrmann, Krammer and Sturm).
Fig 4. Fire extinguisher
PASSIVE FIRE CONTROLS
Board systems
The materials used for board systems are usually either gypsum plaster or calcium silicate.
Calcium silicate boards are made up of inert materials that are designed intact during the entire
fire incident. On the other hand, gypsum boards have good insulation properties; its resistance to
fire is aided by the presence of moisture within its particles which evaporates at high
temperatures (Lennon). The use of these board systems offers the users of the residential house

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some time delay to deal with the fire. In addition, they are easy to install and improve the
aesthetic of the house (Herrmann, Krammer and Sturm).
Fig 5. Board systems
Intumescent paint
This is a special paint that when exposed to high temperatures, it swells into a clear char thus
protecting the steel members underneath. It is easy to apply, takes a short period to install and the
steelwork is not affected by the paint. The cons of using this method is that it is more expensive
as compared to board systems (Rasbash, Ramachandran and Kandola,).

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Fig 6. Intumescent paint
Timber boards encasements
High fire rated timber boards are fixed by thermosetting adhesive to encase structural members,
the timber is well seasoned and firmly fixed. In case of a fire the thermal boards are burnt up thus
protecting the structural members of the residential building (Board).
Fig 7. Timber board encasements

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CLASS 10A BUILDING: PRIVATE GARAGE
The NCC/BCA specifies the fire safety appliances that may be used in a class 10a building in
P3.7.1. The following measures listed below are the fire controls used in a typical private garage
(Board)
ACTIVE FIRE CONTROLS:
Portable fire extinguishers
Portable fire extinguishers are used to contain small fires. A typical private garage will have fire
extinguishers installed in the walls since they are more susceptible to fires. The most common
fire extinguisher used in a garage contains wet chemicals or fire blankets.
Fire doors
These are types of doors that are installed to minimise the spread of fire through a building
structure. The doors are activated by controls when a certain temperature is reached. The design
of the fore doors is such that persons may leave the area without the use of keys at all times
(Rasbash, Ramachandran and Kandola,).

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Fig 8. Fire doors
PASSIVE FIRE CONTROLS:
Concrete encasement
Concrete is poured in the formwork of steel members. Reinforcement is added to contain the
concrete in case of a fire and also to maintain the required thickness. However, the con of using
this method is that its construction is more expensive due to the amount of reinforcement and
bulky structural members required (Rasbash, Ramachandran and Kandola,).

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Fig 9. Concrete encasements
Spray on protection
This is a cheap form of fire protection for steel members. The materials used include cement
based cellulose or glass fibres that hold all the materials together. This method of protection is
used for beams, bolts and steel brackets since that can be easily damaged. The cons of using this
method is that the workmanship may not be aesthetically pleasing since the application is wet
and messy
Concrete filling
This a method that is used for hollow steel sections to improve their fire rating. No external
protection is required for these members, and the overall load bearing capacity of the members is
increased. The infill concrete may be plain concrete or reinforced concrete.

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Fig 10. Concrete filling

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References
Board, Australian Building Codes. Fire Safety Engineering Guidelines. Melbourne: Australian
Building Codes Board, 2001.
Herrmann, Eva Maria, Martin Krammer, Jörg Sturm, Susanne Wartzeck. Enclose | Build: Walls,
Facade, Roof. One. Birkhäuser, 1 Jul 2015.
Lennon, Tom. Structural Fire Engineering. New York: ICE Publishing, 2011.
Rasbash, D. Ramachandran, B. Kandola, J. Watts, M. Law. Evaluation of Fire Safety. London:
John Wiley & Sons, 2004.