Fire safety is an important matter pretty much anywhere. The bigger the building or the venue, the more serious it gets. And let’s not forget about the responsibility that owners have on their shoulders. It’s quite a complex matter, as it turns out. Having a few fire extinguishers is definitely a good start, but that’s all it is – a start. There are plenty of other things a business owner has to consider and take care of to make their business a safe place. That requires specialised knowledge and services, but also – at least a basic understanding of the rules. One of the crucial aspects of that is fire rating.
What are Fire Ratings?
They are nothing more but a set of standardised classifications of the building materials aimed at indicating and determining their resistance to fire and its spread. They were created based on rigorous testing procedures, and they come in a wide range of different factors – from flame spread, and smoke development to fire protection and general resistance.
Building Classes
There are five main types of building classes based on their construction and how they respond in the event of a fire – obviously, they’re more about resistance rating than anything else.
Type 1
These are high-rise buildings (over 75 feet tall) and other commercial spaces. They have to be extremely resistant to high temperatures.
Type 2
These are mostly newer buildings, like schools or smaller commercial spaces, and shopping malls, which are often made out of non-combustible materials.
Type 3
This group may contain combustible materials (like wood, for example). And examples? Mostly residential spaces, like homes – these are brick-and-joist structures, to put it simply.
Type 4
Mostly timber constructions – barns, old churches, or factories. Obviously, these are not particularly fire-resistant.
Type 5
The buildings in this category are pretty much the same as those included in the group above – the only difference is that they are even less resistant to fire. In other words, this is the lowest rating.
A one-hour test is very often a weapon of choice when it comes to building fire resistance analysis. It is very simple – different materials used in the construction of a given building are treated with fire for one hour to see how they react.
Other Tests
That’s not all. We did mention it’s quite complicated, didn’t we? After all, it’s a matter of life or death. One of the most important ones is determining how quickly the flames will potentially spread (accompanied by smoke, of course) based on the materials used in the construction. The higher the flame index, the worse it is. There are three classes here: A, B, and – you guessed it – C.
Class A
This is the very best fire rating with a flame index below 25 and a smoke development rating of 450 maximum. These are mostly hospitals and some commercial buildings with particularly high requirements.
Class B
Obviously, the requirements are not quite as strict as for Class A buildings, with ratings over 26 but below 75, and the same level of smoke development.
Class C
This is the weakest building class, so to speak. These buildings have a flame spread rating of over 76 and 200, with a maximum smoke development rating of 450.
Good to Know
This knowledge, while perhaps not essential, can help you immensely in picking out the right tools to help you mitigate any fire-related risks your business is going to have to face. It’s plain to see fire safety goes far beyond deciding whether to purchase a CO2 fire extinguisher or a different model. That’s why it’s still a good idea to at least be able to understand what’s going on and stay in the loop when it comes to a decision-making process.
