what is a fire cell
Fire compartments are the spaces that can and should resist fire for a certain period of time, thus preventing the fire from spreading before other spaces have been evacuated. A fire cell is divided by fire separating walls.Here you can read more about FireSeal’s trainings
ALMOST ALL SPACES WITH WALLS, FLOORS AND CEILINGS
A fire compartment can be anything from a single room, stairwell or warehouse, to a floor of a residential building. In other words, it is a space that is separated from the rest of the building by fire-resistant floors, walls and ceilings – so-called fire walls. A fire compartment must be able to resist fire and smoke for a specified time, so that it does not spread to other areas. The time varies depending on the fire class, which in turn is determined by the type of building – whether it’s an apartment building, a school or perhaps a swimming pool, for example. But the goal is always the same: to limit the spread of any fire and prevent it from reaching more rooms. However, a fire cell must not extend over more than two floors.
DESIGNATION OF FIRE CELLS
All fire compartments are given a designation, which indicates how long the space must be able to withstand fire and smoke, among other things. The designations are given in letters and numbers. While the time is given in minutes, the letters stand for the different functions of the fire compartments:
- R stands for the load-bearing capacity of the fire compartment
- E stands for the fire resistance of the compartment
- I stands for the heat resistance of the fire compartment
- M stands for the duration of the mechanical resistance of the fire compartment
- C applies if the fire compartment has an automatic door closure
To think about! A very important factor for fire compartments to be able to resist fire is that their fire walls are properly fire sealed. It is also important that the openings made in them when working with cables, plumbing and other installations are professionally sealed.