In this article, we will be looking at fire safety in a sustainable world and how you can design a home that is both sustainable and safe.
Why Fire Safety is Important
All properties, whether commercial or residential, need to offer an acceptable level of fire safety to avoid injury or death of building occupants in the event of a fire. There are many elements that need to be taken into consideration when designing a fire-safe building.
“We experienced a fire within an external wood bunker two years ago and understood first-hand the impact fire can have on our business,” says Stuart Butler-Gallie from Countrystyle Recycling. “Since then we have invested heavily in technology and staff training to ensure we can quickly move to tackle fires that can arise when dealing with high volumes of waste per annum.”
Perhaps the most crucial is how a building can be repaired and function after a fire, any risks to adjoining properties, environmental pollution, and protecting property contents.
The main design options for fire-safe buildings are:
Prevention: this involves controlling ignition and fuel sources so that fires are unable to start.
Communications: ensuring all building occupants are informed and any active fire systems are triggered successfully.
Escape: ensuring all building occupants (including adjoining buildings) are able to move to places of safety.
Containment: ensuring the fire can be contained to the smallest area possible, thereby limiting the risk and extent of property damage.
Extinguishment: ensuring the fire can be successfully extinguished with minimal damage.
The Impact of Fire Safety on Sustainability
It is important to integrate fire safety into building initiatives to help improve the sustainability of buildings for both the environment and future generations. The effects of fire can be devastating, going beyond the immediate building structure, victims, and emergency response personnel, into the environment. Fires add pollutant gases into the air, contaminating water systems and influencing the health of local citizens. Including fire safety into building codes and policies can help individual residents, businesses, and societies recover more quickly from fire incidents.
Minimise Exploitable Details
The summer months see huge numbers of property fires due to extended periods of heat from the sun. Around 6% of fatal house fires occur in the summer months, according to the National Fire Incident Reporting System. So, designing a sustainable roof that minimises the chances of heat building up and causing a fire is extremely important. That might mean not having a roof cavity, installing non-combustible roof framing, or choosing tight-fitting roof tiles or non-flammable insulation like fibreglass.
Install Fire Smoke Control Systems
After tragedy struck at Grenfell Tower, it was discovered that the smoke control system had been inoperative for over a year and nothing had been done. One of the biggest steps you can take to ensure fire safety in building design is by installing working smoke control systems that will alert residents to a fire and give people a better chance of getting out in time.
In its March 2020 Fire Engineering Thematic Technical Report that audited buildings with mechanical smoke ventilation systems, the London Fire Brigade found that 20% of systems inspected failed to operate, which would indicate that the problem of defective smoke control provision may be widespread – Read more here.
Fire Safe Insulation
It is essential that wall and ceiling insulation is non-flammable. We recommend spray-in foam polyurethane insulations as these tend to perform well thermally but are non-flammable and do not release toxic fumes when exposed to heat. Carefully choosing the insulation for your property is a great way to fill cavities where a fire could potentially take hold and spread very quickly.
Walls Designed for Fire Safety
There are many ways to keep your property safe from fire risks. One of these is by designing walls specifically with fire safety in mind. A couple of great options are:
Earth Walls
These are a popular sustainable option and are basically made from compressed earth or mudbrick. Earth walls perform extremely well thermally and they also offer carbon and acoustic insulation which is very popular.
Double Brick
This design of wall far outperforms weatherboard or brick veneer on timber frames, both in terms of sustainability and fire protection.
Steel
While many properties are made from timber frames, these can be extremely hazardous when it comes to fire safety. Therefore, we highly recommend opting for steel frames instead.
Windows and Doors
Fires can spread extremely quickly, and windows and doors need to offer escape routes and be able to prevent the fire from spreading further (or at least slow it down). All windows and doors installed in your property should be integrated into the wall systems and installed to reduce ignition potential or gaps where embers can get in. We recommend window glazing made from toughened glass as it lasts longer, can withstand damage and keeps your home secure.
Air Tightness
Fire feeds off oxygen, so it is extremely important to ensure the airtightness of your property design and finish. Any gaps or cracks in the windows, doors, walls, or skirting boards can allow embers and smoke to get in.
“Air Tightness testing is cheap (around £250), easy and essential, and there is almost an inexhaustible list of companies who will undertake the testing. But a smoke pen or pencil can be useful in indicating exactly where the leaks are.” - Tim Pullen, Home Building & Renovating
If you take extra care to ensure the air-tightness of a building, it should handle a spreading fire a lot more safely.
Home Automation
Not everyone likes to implement technology into their homes, but when it comes to fire safety and sustainability it can be a great way to protect your home from wherever you are. Smart home automation features can be used remotely to switch on protection systems such as sprinklers, irrigation, shutting protective awnings or blinds, and turning off the electricity. If you are building a sustainable home, it is worth considering home automation to increase the fire safety of your property.
Final Words
Sustainability is the future, but it doesn’t mean you have to neglect important details like fire safety. There are plenty of sustainable measures you can take in your property design to ensure your home is as fire-proof as it can be.
We hope the advice above has given you some great tips to get started!
