Join the Plus Passive Fire team as they sit down with other Fire Professionals to share knowledge, fire stories and highlight key take aways to improve our businesses and protect the community.

Brisbane based start-up Plus Passive Fire, is the only exclusively passive fire protection company to make the  Australian Financial Review’s Fast Starters list.

Having grown 27% in the last financial year increasing revenue to $1.76m, that makes Plus Passive Fire one of the fastest growing new businesses in Australia.

Over the last year, Plus Passive Fire was able to work with Tom Dooley Developments by providing our third-party certification service “The Plus Approach” as they undertook the construction of Gasworks Residences, standing at 16 stories with almost 200 units.

Typically a professional in passive fire could be similar to a building certifier but specialising, or a very experienced construction manager or builder. However, there is the opportunity for professionals of the future, as there are many facets to this industry offering excellent education, mentors and business skills

When the construction industry comes to mind you might think strong or steadfast, but the word innovation rarely springs to mind. Whilst there are countless industries that are coming forward in leaps and bounds, for the most part the construction industry apparently doesn’t match the trend, even more so in the passive fire industry.

With passive fire supposedly now accounting for around 2 – 4% of a building’s construction, and figures at around 30 – 40% of all litigation in construction, it’s not just an add on to a trade any more.

Recently we took part in a build and burn demonstration at Resolute Laboratories, where we ran a simulated AS1530.4 fire test. It was fantastic to see firsthand what kicks in to protect property in a fire from some of the most commonly seen passive fire products.

Our opinion, it’s the open penetrations that we see in way too many places, sometimes get scared to open up a service cupboard. Our concern are blatant open holes that are not even treated, for example like the one above an open floor penetrations in a riser.

It’s crucial that fire safe compliance be better executed across all systems including Party Walls, the walls that are shared between two or more dwellings, most common in class 1a apartments, terraces and town houses. Party walls creates a barrier between containment zones which limits the spread of smoke and fire.

Our co-founder Peter recently spoke at the Fire Protection Association conference in Sydney on the topic of ‘What’s changing in Passive Fire’.  The conference touched on many issues that are providing challenges in the passive fireindustry - some of which are being addressed, and many which are not.

The current Draft Queensland Building Plan proposes that Building Certifiers perform mandatory inspections on fire rated party walls in Class 1a buildings (townhouses, duplex). This review is an acknowledgment that the industry is currently doing this badly and sadly we fully agree.

A tragedy in South Australia highlighted the fact that in the building industry, each specialist area tends to communicate to its own very limited field of participants and not to the broader group of consultants, contractors and other professionals. In this case, the Coroner made comments in relation to the way in which different participants in the building industry communicate or, rather, fail to communicate well.

Does your fitout guide sufficiently cover everything to ensure Passive Fire compliance?
Most fitout guides may mention penetrations but rarely a path of pre-approval and compliance.
As a passive fire certifier I see some poor attempts at fire stopping of new works, as more often than not this issue is treated as an afterthought, plainly misunderstood or just sadly ignored.

As certifiers we see so many non complying passive fire penetrations that are defective and require reworks or in some cases pull out and start again. This lack of planning is costing the construction industry unnecessarily.