Balanced Approach to Fire Protection

• Overview
• Credits

Learn the balance of fire design principles that can improve fire safety in buildings.Structure fires and wildfires result in significant loss of life and property in the United States each year. In addition to the direct losses of fighting fires, such as relocating residents and rebuilding, large fire events can cause substantial indirect losses to communities. There has been an increase in single-family and multifamily structure fire losses partly due to the increased use of combustible construction methods. This presentation investigates the causes of these fires and provides balanced design recommendations using active and passive fire protection strategies.

Authors

Shamim Rashid-Sumar, PE, FSFPE, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association

Agenda

Impact of Natural Disasters

• Structure Fires

- Insurance Risk

- Insurance Cost Study

• Wildfires

- Cost of Wildfires

- Wildfire Risk

Minimum Code Requirements

• Literature Review and Study of Trade-Offs

Balanced Approach to Fire Safety

• NFPA 550

• Recommendations

- General

- Multifamily Structures

- Buildings Under Construction - NFPA 241

- Wildfire Safety - IWUIC and NFPA 1144

• Noncombustible Building Systems and Finishes

- Concrete Frame

- Bearing Wall Systems

- Concrete Floor Systems

- Concrete Finish Systems

Case Studies

• Apartment Building Survives Blast and Fire

• Exterior Walls Provide Fire Separations at Infill Site

• Noncombustible Exterior Finishes Save Home From Devastating Wildfire

• Noncombustible Construction Used for Student Dormitories