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The Key Differences Between Passive and Active Fire Protection

What You Need to Know About Active and Passive Fire Protection Systems in Auckland

In this day and age, in order to have a comprehensive fire protection system in Whangarei, it is necessary for buildings to have both active and passive fire protection systems installed. 

On the other hand, not all buildings are built to handle both of these types of safety systems.

Active fire protection works to put out fires once they have already become fully developed, whereas passive fire protection works to prevent fires from ever becoming fully developed. Fire extinguishers, fire alarms, door release mechanisms, gaseous suppressions, sprinklers, and other types of fire protection all fall under the category of active fire protection.

Whangarei buildings need active and passive fire prevention for a full system. Not many buildings have both systems, though. Knowing the difference can help you secure your assets away from fire, as these suppression systems are essential components of a comprehensive safety strategy. If you’re worried about losing your business or property over a fire incident, knowing the difference between the two is critical.

Just to quickly sum up what both fire protection systems do:

An active fire protection system fights full-blown fires, while a passive fire protection system prevents fires from occuring.

Active fire protection and passive fire protection are two different ways to keep a building safe from fire, but both are just as important to the building’s safety as a whole.

What is Active Fire Protection?

Active fire protection is a group of fire protection systems that need some kind of action or movement to start working in case of a fire. This can be done manually, like with an old-fashioned fire extinguisher, or automatically, with a fire detection system. Active fire protection starts with an alert or signal that tells people what to do. The action itself will help keep a fire from spreading, and can stop the fire in its tracks.

When the sensors of an active fire protection system pick-up a signal, they go into a call-to-action mode by either alerting the fire department, or turning on a key feature such as an aerosol fire suppression system, and it can even close fire doors where the fire is located. Here there is a higher chance of putting out a fire before it spreads and does further damage.

What is Passive Fire Protection?

Passive fire protection can be defined as:

A group of fixed physical barriers that are used to control fire and smoke in a building. Without passive fire protection, the structural fire protection and fire safety plan for a building would not be complete. As a collection of stationary physical barriers, it can keep the fire contained where it started and stop it from spreading further. 

People have more time to get out of a building that is on fire- that is, if the walls, floors, and doors are made to resist fire. Passive fire protection are there to protect people’s lives and cause as little damage as possible to buildings and their contents. In order for the system to work, it must follow all building performance codes and safety standards.

Benefits of Fire Protection Systems in Whangarei:

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One can sleep well at night knowing their investments are safeguarded by fully-operational, dependable fire safety systems. Have a complete fire safety plan, consult with us here at Fireco and learn more about active and passive fire defense and how vital these functions are for building safety. 

Call us today at Fireco 0800 101 232 or email us at info@fireco.co.nz if you have any questions about both active fire protection and passive fire protection in Whangarei. 

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