The basic principles of structural fire protection

For standardized and safe fire protection, it is essential that we, as professionals for structural fire protection, meet the relevant basic principles and requirements. The aim is to prevent fires from starting, spreading and spreading. The specific goals associated with this are set out in § 3 and § 14 of the Model Building Code and in Appendix I of the Construction Products Ordinance. This results in the following four basic principles of structural fire protection.

Basic principles and building law fire protection goals

The first basic principle of structural fire protection deals with preventing fires and preventing the spread of fire and smoke. Various measures are used for this purpose, which apply to new buildings as well as to existing properties.
In this context, the subdivision of each building into storeys and rooms is fundamental for structural fire protection. On this basis, in turn, rooms or larger areas of the system are separated from one another in terms of fire protection. In this way, so-called smoke or fire sections are created, which are intended to prevent the spread of fire.
The use of flame-retardant building materials is also of essential importance in order to prevent a fire from starting.

The second basic principle of structural fire protection concerns the rescue of people and animals. In the event of a fire, the central components of every building must remain stable until all people and animals have been rescued. A prerequisite for rescue or self-rescue is the construction of appropriate rescue and escape routes.

The third basic principle of structural fire protection includes measures to ensure effective extinguishing work. Appropriate areas must be created that enable the fire brigade to operate properly. Precautions to keep smoke free and smoke extraction to protect rescue workers are also important in this context. In addition, the extinguishing water supply and return must be ensured by permanently installed pipes.

The fourth basic principle of structural fire protection concerns the agreement of individual protection goals for certain structural systems, which go beyond the measures anchored in building law. This may be necessary, for example, when it comes to protecting special property or cultural assets. Here it is important to make individual arrangements.