What are Fire Partitions?

Fire partitions are most commonly seen in multi-story buildings and act as vertical or horizontal barriers between floors and rooms.

Within this blog, we will discuss how fire partitions help to prevent the spread of fire, the different types of fire partitions, and how they are a crucial element within any effective passive fire protection system.

How do Fire Partitions Compartmentalise Fire?

Fire partitions need to fulfil one or more of the following criteria to prevent the spread of fire:

• Integrity – ability to prevent hot gases and flames from penetrating.
• Insulation – ability to prevent the rise of temperature on the cold side of the partition. Typically, the temperature on the cold side can not rise to more than 140 degrees Celsius.
• Load bearing function – the ability of a structure to support weight or activities without collapsing is referred to as structural integrity. This condition applies only to walls if the fire compartmentation boundary also serves as a load-bearing component.

Local legislation may sometimes demand extra criteria be followed in some circumstances.

The fire-resistance rating of fire partitions is expressed in minutes, generally in multiples of 30 minutes. For example, a load-bearing compartment floor that can endure 90 minutes of fire exposure would be indicated as ‘REI 90,’ and a sandwich (non-load-bearing) partition wall that keeps the flames at bay for at least 60 minutes would be labelled as ‘EI’ 60.

Types of Fire Partitions

There are several test criteria for horizontal and vertical partitions. Each test standard is associated with a certain kind of partition.

Vertical Partitions

Vertical partitions are built vertically within the building’s walls. These serve as a fire barrier, preventing fires from traveling between rooms via burning through combustible materials like plasterboard, thus limiting their spread and severity. Containing the fire inside of the original room, these partitions provide great fire resistance.

The majority of partition walls have interruptions, generally for pipes and electrical connections. When it comes to fire resistance, these gaps are known as “weak spots”. To improve these weaker areas in the partition, installing penetration seals is advised.

Horizontal Partitions

The effectiveness of horizontal partitions is determined by a variety of factors, including the type of testing performed. As a result, it’s critical to choose a fire protection system that has been tested in an appropriate manner for your needs.

In most national building code standards, there are requirements for “fire from beneath” in the form of propagation from the compartment below to the compartment above. There are also rules for “fire from above”, in which propagation occurs from the compartment above to the one below. Because both situations have significant implications on construction, they must be investigated separately.

There are four horizontal compartmentations that are most often used:

• Independent ceilings
• Incombustible ceilings
• Suspended ceilings, which improve the fire resistance of load-bearing elements
• Ceilings as elements of fire-rated roof constructions, with or without cavities.

By understanding the different types of partitions and their associated test criteria, and having them installed by a professional, you can be sure that your building is much safer from potential fires. For more information on what type of partition is right for your needs, get in touch with us today.