A ·         Acoustic

o   The qualities of a room or building that will determine how sound is transmitted in it or reduced in it.

·         Active Fire Protection Systems

o   Active Fire Protection Systems are classified as those systems which seek to extinguish the fire through:

§  Detecting the fire early and evacuating the building

§  Alerting emergency services at an early stage

§  Controlling the movement of the smoke and fire

§  Suppress and/or starve the fire of oxygen and fuel

§  Active systems including suppression, fire alarms, extinguishers, water sprinklers and extractor ventilation.

·         Aesthetic

o   The overall look and finish of a product or products once installed.

·         Air Seal

o   Quality installation used to achieve or maintain pressure or airflow within a compartment. This can be measured in pascals, litres area or volume.

·         Annual Inspection

o   Every year the owner of a building or provide a statement certifying that all fire safety measures can achieve their intended purpose.

·         Assets

o   Possessions; ie- an entire building / structure or items within, Including equipment, furniture, machinery etc.

·         Australian Standards

o   AS1530 Part 4 – This standard provides methods for determining the performance of external construction elements when exposed to radiant heat, burning embers and burning debris.

§  The methods do not simulate engulfment by flames from the fire front or large burning items such as burning buildings or adjacent isolated trees and shrubs.

o   AS1581 – The routine service of fire protection systems and equipment.

o   AS4072.1 –  Components for the protection of openings in fire separating elements.

B ·         BCA

o   Classification summary of building and structures. This is a uniform set if technical provisions for the design and construction of building/structure. Standard which all trades must meet to reach compliance.

·         Bi-Annually

o   Occurs twice a year.

·         Building Code of Australia

o   Classification summary of building and structures. This is a uniform set if technical provisions for the design and construction of building/structure. Standard which all trades must meet to reach compliance.

·         Building Element

o   The type if material used in the construction if the building.

·         Bulkhead

o   A barrier between compartments.

C ·         C3.15

o   Protection of opening that penetrate fire rated element.

·         Cast-In Collars

o   Fire Collars that are fixed to form work prior to the pouring of a concrete slab.

·         Certification

o   Certification is a necessary requirement that any works carried out are compliant to AS1530 part 4 to ensure that the systems installed are tested and will work in the event of a fire to save lives and assets (Buildings).

·         Compartmentation

o   Compartmentation is a tool that is used in the vast majority of building, other than simple low-rise developments. Compartmentation is referred to in many different ways: fire walls ( and Floor); fire separation; protected corridors / stairs etc. All these terms carry the same meaning.

·         Compliance

o   The Fact of meeting rules or outlines standards.

·         Corresponds

o   Relates to.

·         Customized Heavy-Duty Access Covers

o   Durable fire rated access points that can be easily removed.

E ·         Essential Services

o   Eg: Electricity / Communication services, water supply services, Hydrant and Sprinkler systems services, fire alarm systems and services and fire and smoke doors and necessary to run maintain a building or structure. They all require inspection for compliance and these inspections vary from annually, biannually, quarterly, or monthly depending on the services and its mandatory requirement.

F ·         Fire Barriers

o   Are a fire-resistant barrier used to prevent the spread of fire for a prescribed period.

·         Fire Batts

o   A dense, but light weight product in comparison to fire boards. Typically used for sealing penetrations.

·         Fire Boards

o   A product that is use to stop fire and typically protect structural steel and duct work. This product varies in weight, size and thickness dependent on which supplier it comes from. The thickness also effects the level of FRL for the asset it is protecting.

·         Fire Protective Sprays

o   Because of its low density and good insulation properties exfoliated vermiculite is used in building boards. These boards are often used as a ‘core’ in fire doors, to build fire barriers, to encase or construct ductwork and to protect steel building element from the effects of fire.

§  Low pressure spray applied commercial and industrial structural steel fire protection products use exfoliated vermiculite to improve the application characteristics and to impart a high degree of fire resistance.

§  Exfoliated vermiculite is very efficient at retaining moisture, and in the event of a fire this turns to steam which has a cooling effect on the steel substrate and thus delays its temperature rise. Vermiculite concentrate is also used in the production of fire resistant gypsum plasterboard (drywall or wallboard).

·         Fire Rating

o   Means the ability of a building component to resist a fully developed fire, while still performing its function.

·         Fire Resistance Level (FRL)

o   Fire Resistance Level (FRL) is defined in the Building Code of Australia (BCA) now National Construction Code (NCC) is the grading period in minutes for three criteria in accordance with AS1530.4

§  Structural adequacy – The time that a structure must be able to with stand during a fire.

§  Integrity – The time that a barrier must prevent fire and gases spreading into another compartment.

§  Insulation – The time that a service must stop heat transfer through a barrier. Without these criteria being met, combustible materials on the outside of a barrier may ignite and continue the spread of fire.

·         Fire Resistant Cladding

o   Used on structural steel, mechanical ductwork and dry walls can be achieved with several products eg. 16mm fire check plaster and fire rated boards installed in accordance with its tested system to achieve compliance.

·         Fire Resistant Coating

o   Often called fire retardants, or mistakenly called “fireproof” paints, Intumescent paints refer to that class of specially designed paints which swell and form a protective “char” as a result of extreme heat exposure – such as a fire – increasing in volume. This char is a poor conductor of heat, which benefits the steel it is applied to, as it protects the surface for an increased time from the destruction fire may otherwise cause.
Typically intumescent paints are applied to structural steel, for the purposes of ensuring that in the case of a fire, the steel does not warp as quickly as it may otherwise, thus allowing fire crews to extinguish the flames.
For an intumescent to function properly, it relies on the interaction of three specific components which it is made up of. The three components are:

§  Carbon Supplier: Polyols as starch or pentaerythritol

§  Acid Source: Ammonium polyphosphate

§  Expanding Agent: Melamine

Intumescent paints are supplied and applied in one of two forms – solvent or waterborne polymeric binders. Due to the negative impact solvent based products have on the environment, Remedial Building Services Australia uses water based intumescents which are less hazardous, more stable and better for the environment. However, at times, other components are added to improve the paint properties and enable easy application, enhance build and achieve faster drying.

·         Fire Retardant

o   A fire retardant is a substance that reduces flammability of fuels or delays their combustion.

·         Fire Stopping

o   Is a fire protection system made of various components used to seal openings, control joints in fire resistant walls, floors, or assemblies.

H ·         Hatch

o   A small opening in a floor, wall or roof allowing access from one area to another.

·         Hebel

o   Is a strong, versatile, high performance building product made from Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (ACC).

I ·         Intumescent

o   A substance which will expand as a result of heat exposure (generally fire), increasing in volume whist simultaneously decreasing in density. By swelling, the substance forms a char which seeks to encase the material it’s applied to, thus protecting it from damage. This char is a poor conductor of heat and has low flammability, thus reducing the spread of flame. It’s typically used in fire collars, door strips and non-mechanical dampers.

M ·         Mechanical Fixing

o   Is a term used to demonstrate quality installation and safety.

N ·         National Construction Code (NCC)

o   Formally known as the BCA, the NCC provides the minimum necessary requirements for safety, health, amenity and sustainability in the design and construction of new buildings (and new building work in existing buildings) throughout Australia. (Also see BCA)

·         Non-Combustible

o   Doesn’t burn.

P ·         Passive Fire Industry

o   Is made up of sectors constructed that require passive fire protection. Examples that are part of the industry are; health, industrial, electrical, mechanical etc.

·         Passive Fire Protection Systems

o   Are those solutions that seek to contain the fire by:

§  Delaying the growth of the fire.

§  Using fire related partitions and doors to prevent the fire and smoke from moving from one compartment to another.

§  Delaying the collapse of the building structure with fire rated structural columns, so fire services can safely move throughout the building to extinguish the flames.

o   Passive fire protection systems include fire rated doors, fire collars, barriers, ceilings and structural fire protection such as fire sprays and thin film intumescents. Both active and passive fire rating systems have advantages over the other. In some cases, one option may prove to be more beneficial, or of no use at all.

·         Passive Fire Rating

o   Those Fire Rating solutions that seek to contain the fire by:

§  Delaying the growth of the fire.

§  Using fire related partitions and doors to prevent the fire and smoke from moving from one compartment to another.

§  Delaying the collapse of the building structure with fire rated structural columns, so fire services can safely move throughout the building to extinguish the flames.

·         Penetration schedule

o   Is a system which is used to log and document a schedule of works.

·         Penetrations

o   In fire stopping, a penetration is an opening, such as one created using a cast-in-place sleeve, in a wall or floor assembly required to have a fire resistance rating (FRL), for the purpose of accommodating the passage of a mechanical, electrical or structural penetrant. The penetration may or may not contain a firestop system. A penetration is not a penetrant. A penetration may or may not include a penetrant.

R ·         Radiant Heat

o   Any product with a temperature of absolute zero emits energy (heat). This energy reacts with other objects and can cause them to reach a point of combustion.

·         Riser (Riser Shafts)

o   Unique fire compartments. Examples are: Electrical, hydraulic, mechanical, plumbing and communications.

S ·         Shafts (Riser Shafts)

o   Unique fire compartments. Examples are: Electrical, hydraulic, mechanical, plumbing and communications.

·         Smoke Barrier

o   Are a smoke/gas resistant barrier used to prevent the spread of smoke and/or gases.

·         Stipulated

o   Specified or demanded.

T ·         Thermal Conduction

o   Is the transfer of heat through all types of matter such as solids, gases and liquids. The rate of heat transfer is determined by the material conducting heat and the difference in temperature of the two products.

W ·         Wet Trades

o   Building trades which use dry building materials that are mixed with water. For example; concrete, mortars, and plaster.