Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Fire compartment
– a building or part of a building, 
comprising one or more rooms, spaces or storeys, 
constructed to prevent the spread of fi re to or from 
another part of the same building.
Dead-end
– an area from which escape is only 
possible in one direction.
Inner room
– a room that can only be accessed 
through another room.
Storey exit
– an exit that provides egress from a 
compartment fl oor into a protected stairway or fi nal exit.
Protected route
– a corridor or stairway that is 
separated from the rest of the building by a minimum 
degree of fi re resistance (normally 30 mins) and is a ‘fi re 
sterile’ area, i.e. contains no ignition sources or combust-
ible material. A protected route will contain or lead to a 
fi nal exit.
Final exit
– a door that gives access to a place of 
ultimate safety outside the building.
9.2
Fire protection (preventive and 
protective measures)
Fire protection of buildings, the preventive and protect-
ive measures that will protect persons in the event of a 
fi re, fall into two broad categories referred as passive 
and active protection.
9.2.1 Passive 
fi re protection
Passive fi re protection is based on the principle of contain-
ment; the compartments of the building are constructed 
so that if a fi re should occur, it will be restricted to one 
area. For example, fi re doors should prevent the spread of 
smoke and fl ames from lobbies, stairwells and lift shafts.
Another example of passive fi re protection is the 
design of escape routes, which should not incorporate 
combustible wall, ceiling or fl oor linings. Fire dampers 
should be installed in ducts where they pass through 
compartment walls, and holes in such walls around 
cables and other services should be fi re stopped.
Doors and shutters in compartment walls should be 
able to withstand the effects of fi re for the same period 
of time as the walls themselves.