Investigating passive fire protection defects in residential multi-owned properties

What we did and why

The BPC supported research by Deakin University through a research grant to better understand the types and prevalence of defects in passive fire protection systems in Victorian apartment buildings.

An adequate level of fire safety requires all components of a building’s fire safety system to function in a coordinated way. Active systems, such as smoke alarms and sprinklers, are activated when exposed to heat, smoke or toxic gases.

Passive fire protection systems do not need to be activated manually or automatically because they are built into the structure and fixtures of the building. Passive elements include fire-isolated stairways, fire-rated walls and separating floors, self-closing fire or smoke doors, smoke seals and appropriate exit widths.

The research reviewed the regulatory system to identify regulatory gaps and recommend reforms and solutions to reduce these types of defects. It used an exploratory research design involving:

• comparative analysis of regulatory frameworks in other jurisdictions
• analysis of audit and inspection data
• semi-structured interviews with a cross-section of professionals.

Deakin University’s Dr Nicole Johnston led the research, building on previous research about the types of defects in apartment buildings and how they affect buildings and their occupants.

What we found

Although difficult to quantify, the research identified evidence suggesting that many Class 2 buildings in Victoria are likely to have passive fire protection defects. Most of these defects are likely to relate to improper penetrations in fire-rated and smoke-rated walls.

The research identified several causes and contributors to passive fire protection defects, including:

• building practitioners’ lack of knowledge about passive fire safety requirements
• poor construction management practices leading to uncoordinated installation processes
• inadequate testing to ensure the compatibility of intersecting passive fire protection products
• limited transparency and availability of test reports and data
• poor delivery of, and access to, relevant construction documentation
• reluctance by building owners to undertake rectification work, particularly where costs are significant.

Proactive quality assurance, including engaging passive fire protection practitioners, was identified as a driver of compliance.

While the research broadly investigated passive fire protection defects in residential apartment buildings, including strata schemes¹, most of the data provided and analysed related to Class 2 buildings.

A key limitation of the research was the lack of available, consistent and usable data about building defects.

What difference this made

The research identified opportunities to reduce the causes of passive fire protection defects through:

• increased practitioner education
• licensing of passive fire safety practitioners
• improved pathways for accessing relevant documents during construction and after occupancy
• improved testing, accreditation and verification of passive fire protection systems
• proactive quality assurance during construction
• shared responsibility and liability across different practitioners.

Building on previous work, this research provides further insight into the causes and contributors to passive fire protection defects and opportunities to improve building safety.

The research supports the BPC’s regulatory focus on reducing improper service penetrations during construction through behavioural interventions and the continuing focus of our Proactive Inspections Program on areas of compliance risk, including service penetrations.

The BPC launched a communications campaign in March 2023 to increase awareness of the consequences of improper service penetrations and encourage practitioners to take responsibility for compliance when carrying out this work.

The BPC has shared the report and its findings with key regulators and stakeholders to help inform policy, regulatory and fire safety considerations for multi-storey residential buildings.

The Service penetration installations in fire-rated and smoke-proof walls Practice Note provides guidance to practitioners on selecting and installing service penetrations in fire-rated and smoke-proof walls.

In August 2023, we hosted the fifth annual Building Surveyors Conference. The Improving Building Health panel showcased research supported by the BPC into issues affecting the health and safety of building occupants.

Bronwyn Weir, co-author of the 2018 Building Confidence Report, facilitated the panel. Speakers included:

• Dr Nicole Johnston, who discussed findings from this research
• Dr Tim Law, who discussed findings from the Examining indoor mould and moisture damage in Victorian residential buildings research
• Professor Rebecca Bentley, who discussed research into healthy housing
• Dan O’Brien from Cladding Safety Victoria, who discussed balcony defects and water ingress issues identified through the Victorian Government’s Cladding Rectification Program.

A video recording of the panel discussion is available.