Why is fire resilience so important?
When we go to sleep at night, send our children to school or leave a parent in a care facility, we typically don’t think about the fire safety of these buildings.
And we shouldn’t have to, either.
The fact is, however, the building materials we choose can fundamentally affect the fire safety in these buildings and the lives of the people using them. For the fire safety of building materials, one question can make all the difference: Is the material combustible or non-combustible?
In a fire, combustible materials can burn – even with the addition of chemical flame retardants. And if they do catch fire, combustible materials will contribute to the fire’s spread and intensity.
Non-combustible stone wool products will not burn, helping to slow the fire’s spread. In addition, if exposed to fire, they also will not emit significant amounts of toxic smoke. These two attributes give more time for rescue crews to do their jobs and for building occupants to evacuate.
If it were your choice to make – on behalf of everyone who will use the building – which type of materials would you choose?
