Spray on fireproofing is one method of curtailing the devastation that fire can cause. There are other methods, too.
Fires that become out of control can be devastating but spray on fireproofing and other methods can come to the rescue. Passive fire protection systems are ways to curtail the flame eruption before it occurs. Active systems are ones that react once the burning has ensued. Here are some examples of both:
Passive protection systems:
- Spray on fireproofing: Flame retardants can be sprayed on walls and structural components in order to make the materials become burn resistant. This doesn’t mean that the materials won’t catch fire,
it means that is lessens the potential and slows down the ones that erupt. There are wet and dry varieties of these sprays that are appropriate for a variety of materials and products.
- Resistant glass: Windows and glass doors in public facilities must be flame resistant. Building codes stipulate what types of products must be used in order to protect the inhabitants of the public and private buildings.
- Fire-rated doors and walls: In order to stop the spread, doors and walls are designed to contain outbreaks.
- Cable coating: This stops wires from getting too hot and possibly bursting into flame.
Active systems:
- Sprinkler systems: Automatic sprinklers must be installed in many buildings according to their size and occupancy. Sprinklers are installed in the ceiling and have a sensor which turns them on when smoke show up.
- Alarms: Hard wired alarm devices notify occupants and the fire department when a ignition has started. These alarms are loud to the point of being deafening but they do the trick.
- Fire extinguishers: There are different types of extinguishers that will work for different situations. Each canister is rated with a letter to categorize the types of ignited product to use it on. Water won’t work on every type and can even make the situation worse. Here are the items that should be extinguished with canisters A, B, C, and D:
o A: Cardboard, timber and paper products would be extinguished with type A. Most kinds of plastic would be appropriate, as well.
o B: Grease, oil, gasoline and kerosene combustibles should be doused with type B.
o C: Electrical equipment should never see a drop of water! It’s important to use type C on anything electrical such as outlets, wires, circuit breakers and more.
o D: This is not your average household extinguisher. These are designed to douse chemical and metal flames such as those from sodium, titanium and potassium. A school chemistry lab or a scientific laboratory might have a type D on hand.
In addition to tools and equipment, every household or public building should have an emergency evacuation plan posted and in place. Fire drills to train family members, school children and inhabitants of office buildings are a wise idea. Having an escape route planned and a designated meeting place will keep everyone safer, should disaster strike. Spray on fireproofing, resistant glass and building products are passive protection methods. Sprinklers, alarms, and fire extinguishers will provide a more active method of stopping the burn.
