Info about Firewalls
Firewalls Prevent Fires From Spreading
A firewall is designed to slow down the spreading of fire. Buildings are separated into certain areas by fire walls according to the local building code. Firewalls make up part of the fire protection system of a building.
There are two categories of firewalls, fire partitions, and actual fire walls. To most people the term firewall indicates both unless there is a necessary reason to make a distinction.
A fire wall separates buildings to prevent fire from spreading and it is made from material with a fire resistant rating and stable structure. Areas of buildings that are divided by fire walls are allowed to be considered a separate building because the firewall is strong enough to hold up the wall if the structure collapses on the other side. Firewalls are made in a way that passes a fire resistance rating and forms part of the passive fire protection. The walls have to be able to hold up a minimum of five pounds per square foot or more. Firewalls in the United States are most often made from concrete blocks or reinforced concrete.
A fire barrier wall, which is also called a fire partition, as made of fire rated material but it is not a firewall. The main difference being that the fire partition is not a stable structure. It does not go through the roof or under the upper floor. The fire barrier wall is continuous from one external surface to the next or from one firewall to the next, even through hidden spaces. Fire barrier walls are commonly made from gypsum board.
Firestop must be used on both firewalls and fire partitions where cables or pipes go through the wall. This prevents fire from being able to spread through these openings. Firewalls cannot be weakened by openings for cables or pipes.
Fire testing methods have presently proven that it is not always necessary to have a traditional masonry fire wall. The reason for this is that using a four hour fire rated concrete wall to separate buildings made of highly flammable wood is unnecessary because it is improbable that the building on either side of the wall would burn over two hours before it collapsed.
The International Building Code has approved using firewalls made out of materials, other than concrete, that are non-combustible. This has been a controversial issue for building code officials who are more conservative. The concrete masonry business has also been a critic of the new firewalls. Its work is being affected by the move to different firewall materials. The result of this controversy has been that a large group of local officials adopted amendments to the International Building Code that restricts firewalls that are not made of concrete and masonry in their district.
Firewalls are found in most commercial buildings such as schools and hotels, However, that is not the only places that they are found. They are commonly found in airplanes to keep to engine away from passengers in case is should catch on fire. Some mechanics refer to the wall between the driver and the motor in a car as a firewall as well.