Australia’s varied landscape and climate have long been a source of disasters, like fires. Since the 1960s, however, fires were considered worse in New South Wales, which is further substantiated with a series of bushfires in October 2013.
Over 100 fires burned across the state due to high fuel loads along with the warm, dry and windy weather. The severity of the incident led to the declaration of NSW in a state of emergency.
2. Australia’s varied landscape and climate have long been a source of disasters, like
fires. Since the 1960s, however, fires were considered worse in New South Wales,
which is further substantiated with a series of bushfires in October 2013.
Over 100 fires burned across the state due to high fuel loads along with the
warm, dry and windy weather. The severity of the incident led to the declaration
of NSW in a state of emergency.
To this day, the board has regulated materials used in the construction of
infrastructures and set rules to avoid the unfortunate occurrence of a fire.
What is Fire Resistant?
Fire resistance is characterised by the
ability of a material to perform its basic
function while resisting being affected by
a fully developed fire.
The Building Code of Australia is a
standard set of provisions for an
infrastructure’s design and construction.
The set of rules requires the following
steps in order to comply with the
standards.
3. Determine the class of the
establishment
Check if the BCA’s code is
applicable
Choose wood or materials that
meet their requirements
Using wood is one that is strictly
regulated since it is used for most, if
not all, buildings. Moreover, it is one
of the industrial materials conducive
to catching fire the most; therefore
making it hard to make it resistant to
fire.
What Fire Resistant Commercial
Establishments Have
A fire cannot continue to set ablaze if
it lacks any of the three components:
Heat
Fuel
Oxygen
Establishments that are fire resistant
are equipped with technologies and
systems that can ride at least one of
the three.
4. One of the common solutions for
which are fire dampers. They work as
protective devices to prevent the
spread of fire in the ventilation
system. Dampers are used in HVAC
ducts with the help of fire-resistant
rated walls.
The fire dampers are activated by
high temperatures, as their melting
triggers the closing of vents and
ducts. This prevents oxygen from
entering the fire-infested area and
stops it from growing or travelling to
other locations.
Sources:
http://www.ewp.asn.au/library/downloads/ewpaa_fire_resistance.pdf
http://apexaircon.com.au/
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/09/13/3589455.htm
