The Difference Between Active and Passive Fire Protection

The Difference Between Active and Passive Fire Protection – “There nothing more important than safety in your house or workplace”.

Yes, that sentence might be cliche and oversaid, but it’s the truth! The impact of a fire can be absolutely devastating, and it’s natural for us to protect ourselves or loved ones from it.

Aside from our natural instinct to protect everything we own, as a property owner or business owner, having some sort fire protection is also mandatory to comply with the law.

So, in today’s article, we will explain the difference between active and passive fire protection to give you a little bit of an insight about how they’re so important and how they work simultaneously to protect us.

Dire know about this? Let’s dive down below!

Difference Between Active and Passive Fire Protection

Both active and passive fire systems are important components in protecting yourself from fire hazards. 

First of all, let’s talk about the active fire protection system.

The active fire protection systems are systems that are directly involved in detecting, stopping or putting out fires.

So, if a fire starts, this system immediately intervenes to stop it, the most common example of an active system is sprinklers. 

This fire extinguishing system will detect the heat from the fire, and then automatically spray water on the burning area. 

Cool, right? Apart from sprinklers, there are also fire extinguishers and alarm systems that can instantly notify everyone in the building that there is a fire.

It can be a little bit tricky, but here’s the fire protection system that considered “active”:

• Fire alarm systems 
• Emergency escape lighting
• Fire suppression and sprinkler systems
• Fire Hydrants
• Smoke ventilation, including automatic vents 
• Emergency voice communication systems (EVCS)
• Portable fire extinguishers 

Now, moving on to passive fire protection systems, these systems work more within the structure of the building itself.

For example, the use of fire-resistant materials in the walls, doors and floors of a building or multi-story building.

Also Read: “Let’s Get to Know The 5 Types of Fire Sprinklers!“

Just imagine, if there is a fire in one room, this passive system will ‘imprison’ the fire in that room, so it cannot travel to other rooms.

There is also compartmentalization, which divides the building into zones separated by fire-resistant walls or floors, limiting the spread of fire

Here are some of the passive fire protection systems:

• Fire doors
• Fire curtains
• Fire and smoke dampers
• Compartmentation and fire stopping walls
• Fire containment
• Emergency Exit Doors

It’s important to know that these active and passive fire protection systems work together to provide optimal protection.

Just think, if there is only an active system but no passive system, a fire that has been extinguished can suddenly reappear because the structure is not supportive.

Or vice versa, if there is only a passive system, the fire may not spread but it is still in one place and you need to put it out. 

The point is, both active and passive fire protection systems are like a team that must work together, complementing each other to ensure fire safety.

Also Read: “Occupational Health and Safety for Fire Alarm Installation“

Benefits of Active and Passive Fire Protection Systems

1. Active

• Quick Response in Emergency Situations: The system is equipped with tools such as sprinklers and alarms that activate immediately when a fire is detected. So, there is no need to wait for long, the system immediately goes to work to extinguish the fire when there is a fire.
• Reduces the Risk of Major Damage: With active and passive fire protection systems in place, fires can be contained before they spread, so you can minimize the damage caused.
• Save Lives: Active systems can provide early warning so that people in the building can immediately evacuate to a safe point.

Also Read: “How to Install Fire Hydrants According to the SNI Standards“

2. Passive

• Fire Barriers: Fire-resistant building materials such as concrete or steel slow down the spread of fire, which is very important to give you more time to evacuate.
• Space Separation: Building design that separates flammable areas from other areas, avoiding the rapid spread of fire.
• Access and Exit: Emergency exits and safe stairways help make evacuation faster and more organized during a fire.

So there you have it! The difference between active and passive fire protection systems!

Did you know that both active and passive fire protection systems are strictly regulated in Indonesia by the SNI certification?

Yup! Both the active and passive fire protection systems are strictly regulated by the SNI to ensure that every product and or procedures of fire protection system installation is up to Indonesian standard.

This is because the installation of the said system is considered so crucial as it involves the life of many people both in residential or commercial buildings.

The procedures for planning a passive fire protection system in buildings are clearly stated in SNI 03-1736-2000.

There are also the procedure for planning and installing means to escape from fire hazard in buildings and procedure for planning building and environment access for fire prevention in buildings that are both stated in SNI 03-1735-2000 and SNI 03-1746-2000 respectively.

Other than that, the regulations about active fire protection systems are clearly stated in SNI 03-3989-2000 about fire sprinkler installation SNI 03-3985-2000 about fire alarm system installation and SNI 03-1745-2000 about piping system installation.