Re: [AV Media Matters] Fire protection

[rohre@ARLUT.UTEXAS.EDU]

Your local fire Marshal's office/  or Fire Brigade should be able to help,
(or Fire Protection or Inspection office, in USA we call it the Fire Marshal
office).

First of all, there is fire rated dry wall, (sheet rock in USA) for
one hour protection, etc. and you may be able to layer your present
dry wall to some higher rating.

One hour is a pretty resistant wall to fire for dry wall, if you
have fire detection alarms that remotely sound the alarm to the Fire
Brigade for early response.

The ceilings have to also have a rated material, and this can be
vital in your application.  The load bearing rating of the existing
internal frame may limit you to not having concrete block or brick
interior walls.

I would investigate the sprinkler systems that drop inert chemicals
upon smoke and heat detection from a fire, and sound an alarm direct
to the Fire Brigade. Such systems are sold in the computer room
market.

There are Fire Doors made and sold for various hourly ratings to
resist fires.  These are steel doors with insulation cores rated by
the American NFPA, National Fire Protection Association, and
comparable bodies world wide.  There should be some with standards
in European Community, but I am not sure about other areas of the
world.

Look for Fire Protection Engineers in a web search, or search for
Fire Doors, or Fire Walls among building materials suppliers.  I
prefer <google.com> for technical searches such as this.

Good Luck,
Stuart M. Rohre  (also a volunteer fireman for 38 years)
Univ. of TX, Applied Research Labs, Media Archive