Lack of passive fire protection is a growing problem in New Zealand. Simply put, passive fire safety is about limiting the ability of fire and smoke to spread through a building. And it’s an issue in both commercial and residential high-rise buildings.
Construction can affect the passive fire compliance of a building. Smoke dampeners in ventilation systems, sprinkler systems, fire doors, smoke vents and pressurisation in stair wells and lifts can all affect how well a building is able to manage passive fire risk. The most important factor is how well service penetrations through floors and fire ceilings have been fire stopped, especially in apartments.
In New Zealand, the Building Act provides for minimum passive fire compliance levels through sections C3-C6. Unfortunately, insurers are seeing issues showing that in a growing number of cases these are not being met. It seems to be a case of what can’t be seen isn’t to be concerned about. But that’s a dangerous approach to take.
It’s not just an issue in new buildings, either. Refits can be a big cause of passive fire non-compliance. We know, for instance, that cutting holes in the concrete support structure to install electrical cabling can provide pathways of cables between floors that fire can traverse.
Another growing fire risk issue is inflammable cladding, particularly cladding made of aluminium composite panels (ACPs). Some ACPs pose a high fire risk. If one panel of ACP cladding catches fire, it can drive the fire up the building, quickly setting alight the floors above where the fire started. In one case overseas, an entire high-rise apartment building caught fire because a smouldering cigarette on a balcony had set alight a single ACP.
Not all ACPs are inflammable. If your client thinks their building may contain ACPs, they can take a sample and have them tested. If they turn out to be highly inflammable, they should be replaced as soon as possible. It’s cheaper than repairing a building after a major fire, and it’s safer for its occupants too.
In Australia, the ICA has worked with insurers to develop a protocol for testing and detecting the flammability of ACPs so insurers can more accurately assess and price risk. The Residual Hazard Identification Protocol allows insurers to understand the passive fire risk of a building before they provide cover for it and, if the risk posed is too high, suggest remedial actions that can be taken to improve the building’s risk profile.
