There are quite a few reasons why an office space is at a greater risk than a residential home. First of all, there are more people there, and every person is a liability. With each person, there’s a higher risk that someone will misuse an application or forget to turn something off.
Then, there’s the fact that there are more appliances and that they’re seeing higher use (on average). Old appliances and cords that are trampled on are always a massive risk, yet this is exactly what happens in an office.
Ultimately, office spaces are inspected more often than residential homes, and there are a lot of rules and regulations that owners of office spaces and businesses inhabiting them have to fulfill. In other words, there’s no excuse.
With all that in mind, here are some of the materials and techniques for fireproofing office interiors.
- Fire-resistant glass, doors, and drywall
The first thing you need to do is identify all the major points in your office and make them fireproof. This is a crucial part of the overall workplace health and safety policy.
First, by using fire-resistant glass, you can prevent the spread of fire and smoke, but you can still keep the transparency needed for your team to figure out what’s going on. In other words, in a moment of crisis, even when the fire is all around them, they won’t be in a fog of war.
It’s also important that you get a fire-rated door. This way, you’ll provide the team with an area that provides safe egress while still containing smoke and fire.
Drywall is incredibly popular in interior decoration and design. It helps keep the place warmer (and reduces the cost of heating), as well as soundproof the place. Both of these things are necessary in massive office spaces; however, drywall can also be quite flammable. So, getting a fire-resistant drywall can make a world of difference in the overall security of your space.
By tending to these three elements, you’ll already make a world of difference in your office’s security.
- Fire stops and seals
Fire stops and seals are areas that are designed to stop a fire or slow it down. Think about a row of matches, each lighting the next one. Now, imagine pulling a few of these matches out, thus stopping the chain reaction.
Well, in a massive office space, the outcome is not necessarily stopped, as much as it’s slowed down. Still, even this can prevent massive damage and even some cost to human life.
What you need is to look for openings that could be used as penetration points, as well as identify all the joints and do your best to seal them.
You also want to use the right materials, like fire-stop putty, intumescent sealants, and fire-stop pillows.
Lastly, you might want to make some voids (gaps in construction).
- Fire-retardant paint
The next thing you need to understand is the difference between fire-resistant and fire-retardant. The discrepancy is huge. Namely, fire resistance is something that won’t burn no matter what. For instance, you could say that a stone is fire-resistant.
On the other hand, fire-retardant means that it’s harder to catch fire. It will take exposure to higher temperatures for longer in order to catch fire. Why is this important? Well, because you can’t make materials that you already have fire-resistant, but you can’t make them fire-retardant.
One such example is fire-retardant paint. The way this works is pretty simple – this paint has either air or various chemicals engrained in it, which get released every time the surface is exposed to high temperatures. These chemicals then reduce the temperature, thus slowing the immolation time by quite a margin.
Covering the area with this paint makes a huge difference, and it’s something you have to do just once. Sure, it’s more expensive than regular paint, but the amount of protection it provides is worth it.
- Fire-resistant carpet and flooring
Both carpet and flooring are made out of highly flammable materials (usually), which means that you have to pay special attention to making the system so that it won’t catch fire as easily.
First, you need to understand that fire ratings of materials are not the same. Wooden floors and laminate are, naturally, more flammable than concrete, stone, or marble. Generally speaking, harder materials are more fire-resistant. Cork, for instance, is soft, quiet, and cheap, but it will set ablaze as soon as the fire starts.
Even if your floor is already flammable, you need to understand that there are quite a few ways you can improve the situation with the right coating. In general, treating your flooring is an effective way to make a difference.
It’s also worth mentioning that composite materials usually produce better results than single-material ones. Engineered hardwood floors, for instance, perform better than regular hardwood floors.
- Automatic sprinkler system
The reason why an automatic system is so important is pretty simple to explain – it doesn’t rely on a human factor. Even with the best escape plan, you can never know which of your employees will panic and take a sub-optimal route.
Fire extinguishers are pretty simple to use, but someone who didn’t take the course or didn’t remember a thing won’t be able to use them effectively. So, what you really need is an automatic sprinkler system. This system is set to act in a certain scenario, and as long as it’s in perfect working order (which you should check regularly) and the conditions are met, it will go off.
Another thing to understand is that there’s no delay, and the system performs the same every time. There’s no panic or anything along those lines.
Now, there are two (or three) types of fire alarms. Some detect smoke, those that detect higher temperatures, and there are those that react to the combination of the two. Either way works.
Wrap up
Ultimately, safety is your optimal goal. The ironic thing about fire protection (and protection of any kind) is that you invest a fortune into something that you hope you’ll never get to use. Still, wishful thinking is the absolutely worst method of fire protection. You’ll do much better with any of the methods listed above.