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The Association for Specialist Fire Protection

Cities in the sky - challenging their safety


Passive Fire Protection Getting It Right
Wilf Butcher
CEO
Association for Specialist Fire Protection

Pioneering fire protection through innovation and professionalism

The ASFP - A brief background history

When
Originally known as the
Association of Structural Fire
Protection Contractors and
Manufacturers (ASFPCM), the
association was formed in
1975

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The ASFP - A brief background history

Why
In recognition of a need to
bring together passive fire
protection (PFP)
manufacturers, contractors
and testing/certification
bodies to encourage, develop
and give guidance on essential
standards in PFP.

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The ASFP - A brief background history


In 1996 the Association changed its name to the Association
for Specialist Fire Protection

To better reflect the diversity


of the work then being
undertaken in the fields of fire
stopping, fire resisting ducting,
fire dampers, fire resisting
partitions and other elements
used for compartmentation

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The ASFP - A brief background history


In 1996 the Association changed its name to the Association
for Specialist Fire Protection

The Association is responsible


for and/or has had a significant
input into the vast majority of
guidance and standards that
exist today across the whole
spectrum of the PFP sector.

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Who is the Association made up of?


Today the ASFP is further broadening its membership and remit to reflect
and respond to the significant changes and challenges that are taking place
at many levels within the PFP sector

Manufacturers
Contractors
Testing and
certification bodies
and
many other
associate members

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Who is the Association made up of?


Today the ASFP is further broadening its membership and remit to reflect
and respond to the significant changes and challenges that are taking place
at many levels within the PFP sector

ASFP now offers Affiliate membership


to those professionals that have a
need to keep abreast of all matters
pertinent to passive fire protection
technology, regulation, standards and
industry guidance

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ASFPs support services


What are they designed to achieve?

Industry guidance

The ASFPs website


offers comprehensive
technical support to
the professional at a
number of levels

www.asfp.org.uk
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ASFPs support services


What are they designed to achieve?

Industry guidance
Indicative or Ad-hoc Testing
Understanding the term
Competent Person
Awareness Guidance for the
Responsible Person
Using Polyurethane Foams

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ASFPs support services


What are they designed to achieve?

RED BOOK

Fire stopping & penetration


seals for the construction
industry

YELLOW BOOK

Fire protection for


structural steel in
buildings

PURPLE BOOK

Fire resisting
non load-bearing partitions

4th Edition

3rd Edition

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection

GREY BOOK

BLUE BOOK

Fire resisting ductwork

Fire & smoke resisting


dampers

2nd Edition

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection

ORANGE BOOK

Fire retardant coatings for


The construction industry

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection

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ASFPs support services


What are they designed to achieve?

The ASFP Red Book is referenced in the Building Regulations. It acts as a


non commercial guidance document to the specifier covering all aspects of
fire stopping and penetration seals for the construction industry

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ASFPs support services


What are they designed to achieve?

The ASFP Red Book is referenced in the Building Regulations. It acts as a


non commercial guidance document to the specifier covering all aspects of
fire stopping and penetration seals for the construction industry

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ASFPs support services


What are they designed to achieve?

Pioneering fire protection through innovation and professionalism

ASFPs support services


What are they designed to achieve?

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ASFPs support services


What are they designed to achieve?

As well as offering guidance on many of the issues you will face in the
specification of structural fire protection
q Approved Documents
q CDM Regulations
q Building Regulations such as Regulation 38 (formally 16B)
q Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
q 3rd Party Certification
q The Construction Products Regulation
q Misrepresentation of inappropriate test data

Either via downloadable information or by contact directly with the ASFP


Technical Officer, Niall Rowan
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The Reality of Fire


2000 years ago life was simple

King Herod (74BC-4AD) introduced a law


which stated that:
Should a man construct a building which
falls down and kills another then this man
should be slain .

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The Reality of Fire


Life is a little more complicated today!

Approved Documents

Building Regulations such as 7 & 38 (formally 16B)

CDM Regulations

BS 9999

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

The Construction Products Regulation

Etc, etc.....................

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The Reality of Fire


So just how important are passive fire protection measures in todays
building design!

Other than fire fighters few of


us have had to face the reality
of fire and smoke spread!

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The Reality of Fire


So just how important are passive fire protection measures in todays
building design!

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The Reality of Fire


The answer of course is quite clear, its essential!

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The Reality of Fire

Fire damaged buildings can


always be rebuilt

Their priceless content however


will be lost forever
Statistically 40% of businesses will be out of business
within 12-18 months following a major fire
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Fire in Tall Buildings


Are they a special case?

Polat Tower Fire, Istanbul July 2012


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Fire in Tall Buildings


Are they a special case?

Torre
Windsor
Madrid 2005
Built in
1970s
No slab edge
firestops

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Fire in Tall Buildings


Are they a special case?

Fire started 21st


floor
Spread to all 30
above ground
floors
Burning droplets

Basement floors were not affected, proving that the deficiency was
in the slab edge fire protection, not fire stopping around services
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Fire in Tall Buildings


Are they a special case?

The answer starts


with the
specification

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Fire in Tall Buildings

In reality ALL buildings are a special case?


Which is why 3rd Party Certification is important

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Fire in Tall Buildings

In reality ALL buildings are a special case?

For the last decade all ASFP


Contractors are required to
gain 3rd Party Certification
from a UKAS accredited
Certification Body as a
mandatory requirement of
entry to and membership of
the ASFP

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Fire in Tall Buildings

In reality ALL buildings are a special case?


Why is 3rd Party Certification Important?
Product Certification Requires
o Independent type testing of independently selected product
o Definition of an approved field of application
o Manufacture under an independently inspected and audited factory
production control system
o ISO 9001 Quality Management System
o Independent audit testing on independently selected product
o Permanent labelling
o Installation and maintenance instructions
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Fire in Tall Buildings

In reality ALL buildings are a special case?


Why is 3rd Party Certification Important?
Product Certification Affords
o Proper validation of the product or system
o Products are used correctly and hence provide required safety
o Assurance of on-going consistent quality
o Labelled to provide identification and traceability
o Confidence for the Specifier, Client, Regulator and Enforcer
o Mitigates the liability of architect, contractor etc.
o End user gets what he pays for
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Fire in Tall Buildings

In reality ALL buildings are a special case?


Why is 3rd Party Certification Important?
Installer Certification
A means of independently
verifying the competency and
quality of workmanship of
companies installing fire
protection products and systems

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Fire in Tall Buildings

In reality ALL buildings are a special case?


Why is 3rd Party Certification Important?
Installer Certification Affords
o Initial and annual inspection of office based activities
o Quality systems, traceability
o Competence assessment of workforce
o High proportion of direct employed labour
o Adequate supervision
o Random inspection of works
o Issue of Certificate of Conformity per job
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Fire in Tall Buildings

In reality ALL buildings are a special case?


Why is 3rd Party Certification Important?
If you wish to avoid this!

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Fire in Tall Buildings

In reality ALL buildings are a special case?


Why is 3rd Party Certification Important?
When the installed materials are expected to do this!

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The Three Essential Stages


In the Life of a Building

Building Design

Construction

Building Maintenance

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Stage Three

In the Life of a Building


The competency of any follow-on trade is essential
Gynaecologic Surgeon

Plastic Surgeon

Heart Surgeon

Veterinary Surgeon

Question: Who do you want to carry out your


triple heart bypass?
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Stage Three

In the Life of a Building

At the turn of last decade the ASFP completed a detailed three-year


Partners in Innovation project, partly funded by the then Office of the
Deputy Prime Minister and the Department of Trade & Industry, where
independent research on fire safety provisions in a wide variety of
nominated types of buildings was collected.

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Stage Three

In the Life of a Building

A high percentage of compartment walls were either defective, through


poorly installed fire stopping of penetrating service systems, or invalidated by
incompetent maintenance

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Stage Three

In the Life of a Building

Or worse either no fire


protection measures at all

Or a totally inappropriate and


ineffective solution

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Stage Three

In the Life of a Building

If you wish to gain more


information regarding appropriate
fire risk assessment then refer to
a new ASFP Guidance Document
called:
ASFP Guide to Inspecting Passive
Fire Protection for the Fire Risk
Assessor

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To Sum Up
What conclusions can we draw from this short presentation?
Where possible specify appropriate 3rd
party Certificated products

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To Sum Up
What conclusions can we draw from this short presentation?
Appoint 3rd Party Certificated
installers

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To Sum Up
What conclusions can we draw from this short presentation?
Ensure that any follow-on trades are
competent to repair any breaches
they need to make to the
compartmentation to ensure that
appropriate fire performance is
maintained.

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To Sum Up
What conclusions can we draw from this short presentation?
Theres nothing wrong with thinking
outside of the box.

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To Sum Up
What conclusions can we draw from this short presentation?
Theres nothing wrong with thinking
outside of the box.
Provided you understand the
consequences of getting it wrong!

Questions
www.asfp.org.uk
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