Why is fire protection essential?

Blazing flames, grey-black clouds of smoke, injured people and major building damage: the nightmare of every homeowner or building operator. You think this can't happen to you? However, it is not at all unlikely, because according to statistics, the number of fires in residential and commercial buildings continues to rise. Time and again, we hear in the media about major fire incidents with casualties or high property damage, which usually raise the question in the course of this: Could the fire not have been prevented? This is exactly where fire protection comes into play. Because efficient fire protection not only protects the lives of people and animals or property, but also the environment.

Blazing flames, grey-black clouds of smoke, injured people and major building damage: the nightmare of every homeowner or building operator. You think this can't happen to you? However, it is not at all unlikely, because according to statistics, the number of fires in residential and commercial buildings continues to rise. Time and again, we hear in the media about major fire incidents with casualties or high property damage, which usually raise the question in the course of this: Could the fire not have been prevented? This is exactly where fire protection comes into play. Because efficient fire protection not only protects the lives of people and animals or property, but also the environment.

In a fire, heat, smoke and hot fumes are produced that are life-threatening for people. If a fire breaks out in a building, the greatest danger to people does not come from the flames, but from the toxic fumes that are produced. Statistically, about 90 % of all fire victims are due to the high toxicity of the smoke. In order to keep the concentration of toxic gases as low as possible in the event of a fire, the installation of a smoke outlet is recommended and is also mandatory in many properties. The smoke outlet discharges the smoke from the inside of a building to the outside.

In the context of fire protection, smoke extraction plays an essential role, whereby smoke and heat extraction is part of structural fire protection. In order to be able to guarantee reliable fire protection through smoke extraction systems and SHEVS, the maintenance and servicing of SHEVS plays an important role. Thus, operators of a company are obliged by law to maintain all safety devices, such as a SHEV system, every 12 months. In this article we explain what is checked during maintenance, which standards and regulations apply and why maintenance contracts from experts create safety.

The areas of preventive and defensive fire protection together form the overall concept of fire protection, which saves lives in an emergency. Measures taken in advance to prevent the development and spread of a fire incident are part of preventive fire protection. This is subdivided into three areas: structural, technical and organisational fire protection. The regulations laid down in these areas ensure that, ideally, a fire does not break out in the first place.

If a fire does occur, defensive fire protection comes into play. The central focus here is on all fire brigade tactical and technical measures that contribute to the rescue of people, animals and property, fire fighting and the prevention of environmental hazards. Authorities also come into play in defensive fire protection. For example, they take care of the fire water supply, the designation of installation and movement areas and emergency call systems. If you want to know how smart smoke extraction solutions or smoke protection contribute to fire safety, then read on.

A smoke and heat extraction system, or SHEVS for short, is used for preventive fire protection and removes smoke from buildings to the outside as quickly as possible in the event of a fire. The generic term SHEVS refers to a complete smoke and heat extraction system that consists of individual smoke and heat extraction devices, the triggering and operating elements, the power supply, the ducts, the supply air supply and, in the case of larger rooms, the smoke barriers.

The operating principle of a SHEVS system is based on natural smoke extraction as a result of thermal lift through openings in the roof or façade. They thus make it possible to keep buildings as smoke-free as possible during a fire event, thus saving lives, and at the same time to relieve the building structure thermally through targeted heat dissipation. Are you interested in the different types of SHEVS or details on the low-smoke layer? Then read on.

In Germany, the requirements for preventive fire protection are very high compared to many other countries. Nevertheless, people still die in fires every year. The legal regulations should therefore be regarded as minimum requirements. Those who are willing to invest in fire protection themselves, beyond these minimum requirements, ensure even more safety in their building. But one thing is always true: safety comes first and therefore fire protection should be considered as early as possible.

Have you ever heard of the three building blocks of preventive fire protection? If not, you should definitely read our article. There you will learn everything you need to know about preventive fire protection, its components and protection goals as well as building regulations for standard buildings and regulations for special buildings. Enjoy reading!

Once a fire is raging, there is usually no end to it. Only the energetic help of the fire brigade and measures of defensive fire protection can then keep the fire largely in check. Regardless of the size and length of the fire, the result is usually the same: damage to people, buildings or property. The amount of damage varies greatly, of course, depending on the extent of the fire, but one thing is certain: the right insurance protects you from huge amounts of damage.

Depending on the type of damage, the building, household or private liability insurance takes effect. The various insurances then reimburse either the replacement value, the current market value or the replacement value of the objects contained therein. We have summarised for you in a clear diagram exactly which insurance covers what. You can find the chart, everything you need to know about when the insurance pays out and 5 tips on how to proceed after a fire in this article.

The term "integral building smoke extraction" refers to the smoke extraction of a complex building as a complete system. The more multi-part, angled and multifunctional a building complex is and the more people there are in it, the more complicated the smoke extraction becomes. To ensure the best possible safety in the event of a fire, it is essential that all fire protection systems are interlinked and function without exception.

But how does integral smoke extraction work in practice? All components are coordinated and automated. Nothing is left to chance or even has to be triggered manually. With the help of some objects, we will show you how special smoke extraction solutions were successfully planned, manufactured, installed and commissioned. You will also find important information on the subject of maintenance and servicing. Enjoy reading!

There are many regulations and standards that need to be taken into account when it comes to fire protection. One of them is DIN18234. The standard defines measures to limit the spread of fire through roofs. This is because a hall roof must in no way contribute to the spread of fire. On the contrary: roofs and, among other things, daylight systems must have a fire-retardant effect.

The measures of the standard include specifications for material, design of the individual layers of the roof structure as well as their combination. There are also corresponding specifications for roof penetrations, such as for skylight domes. Details can be found in this article.

The fact that most people do not know how dangerous smoke is, how rapidly it spreads and that it can block all escape and rescue routes in a few seconds is life-threatening. In the event of a fire, you have just three minutes to leave a building. If you want to learn how exactly fire smoke is produced, how it spreads and what dangers fire smoke brings with it, read our article.

But how does integral smoke extraction work in practice? All components are coordinated and automated. Nothing is left to chance or even has to be triggered manually. With the help of some objects, we will show you how special smoke extraction solutions were successfully planned, manufactured, installed and commissioned. You will also find important information on the subject of maintenance and servicing. Enjoy reading!

Integrated smoke and heat ventilation systems direct smoke out of the shopping mall in the event of a fire. This gives people in the building complex more time to escape from the shopping mall to the outside. We explain with the help of some examples how you can elegantly solve the fire protection requirements and combine visual appearance and safety in shopping centres with a SHEV system. Enjoy reading!

But how does integral smoke extraction work in practice? All components are coordinated and automated. Nothing is left to chance or even has to be triggered manually. With the help of some objects, we will show you how special smoke extraction solutions were successfully planned, manufactured, installed and commissioned. You will also find important information on the subject of maintenance and servicing. Enjoy reading!

Large construction projects in particular, such as shopping centres, large production facilities or exhibition halls, present special challenges in terms of smoke and heat extraction systems. When planning a smoke and heat extraction system, special requirements, challenging difficulties or conditions on site and various possible solutions must be considered and weighed up individually for each specific case. Only in this way can all regulations be optimally met and fire protection efficiently ensured.

Because one thing is certain: there are no blanket rules with regard to SHEV systems, but with the knowledge that anything could work, the optimal solution can also be found for every large-scale project. Are you wondering what the whole thing looks like in practice? Then read on and find out everything you need to know about fire protection safety in major projects such as the trade fair in Hamburg, BMW-Welt in Munich or Rhein-Galerie in Ludwigshafen. Our reference examples clearly show how such SHEVS systems look in practice. Enjoy reading!