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Title / Demonstrate knowledge of passive fire safety systems
Level / 3 / Credits / 4
Purpose / This unit standard is for personnel employed in the fire protection industry and covers knowledge of passive fire safety systems.
People credited with this unit standard are, for passive fire safety systems, able to demonstrate knowledge of: firecells; fire resistance ratings; external wall and roof construction requirements; related installation and finishing requirements for their construction; and smoke control systems and techniques.
Classification / Mechanical Engineering > Fire Protection Systems Technology
Available grade / Achieved
Explanatory notes
1References
Building Act 2004
Department of Building and Housing compliance documents for the New Zealand Building Code (compliance documents). Available at
New Zealand Building Code.
2Definitions
Company procedures refer to procedures put in place by the employer for the safe conduct of company business. Typically this includes procedures relating to quality assurance, handling and disposal of materials and waste, health and safety, charging of time and materials, management of drawings, and documentation.
Firecell, as used in the compliance document, refers to any space including a group of contiguous spaces on the same or different levels within a building, which is enclosed by any combination of fire separations, external walls, roofs, and floors.
Fire resistance rating (FRR), as used in the compliance documents, describes the minimum fire resistance required of primary and secondary elements as determined in the standard test for fire resistance, or in accordance with a specific calculation method verified by experimental data from standard fire resistance tests. It comprises three numbers giving time in minutes for which each of the criteria stability, integrity and insulation are satisfied, and is always presented in that order.
Fire safety precautions (FSPs), as used in the compliance documents, refer to the combination of all methods used in a building to warn people of an emergency, provide for safe evacuation, and restrict the spread of fire, and includes both active and passive protection.
Fire separation as used in the compliance documents, refers to any building element which separates firecells or firecells and safe paths, and provides a specific fire resistance rating.
Passive Fire Safety Systems in this unit standard includes: firecells, fire resistance ratings, walls and roofs, closures in fire and smoke separations, fire stopping, concealed spaces, surface finishes, and smoke control as provided for in the compliance documents.
Purpose group, as used in the compliance documents, refers to the classification of spaces within a building according to the activity for which the spaces are used.
Safe path as used in the compliance documents refers to that part of an exitway which is protected from the effects of fire by fire separations, external walls, or by distance when exposed to open air.
Smoke separation as used in the compliance document, refers to any building element able to prevent the passage of smoke between two spaces.
Systems documentation refers to the documentation required to be maintained by the relevant fire safety precaution standards, including log book, test reports, equipment details and drawings, specifications, contract agreement, software configurations and versions, additions and alterations, fire reports, building consents standards, codes of practice, installation instructions, test and commissioning procedures, test and maintenance records.
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Demonstrate knowledge of firecells used for passive fire safety systems.
Evidence requirements
1.1The requirements for firecells are identified and explained in accordance with the compliance documents and systems documentation.
1.2Design requirements and procedures are described in accordance with systems documentation.
1.3Construction requirements and methods for components of firecells are described in accordance with systems documentation.
Rangewalls, floors, sub-floor spaces, protected shafts.
1.4Purpose groups are identified and described, including the limitations and applications of each, in accordance with the compliance documents and systems documentation.
1.5Specific requirements for firecells are identified and related to the documentation for tenancy, construction materials, and access and facilities.
Rangecross lease, company lease, unit titles; occupancy;
foamed plastic building materials, wood and wood products;
fire service vehicular access, fire fighting facilities.
Outcome 2
Demonstrate knowledge of FRR for passive fire safety systems.
Evidence requirements
2.1Explanations of the symbols and meaning of the associated numbers are provided with reference to definitions in the compliance documents and systems documentation.
2.2F (fire) and S (safety) ratings are determined from given information and specifications and their applications described.
2.3Special requirements for firecell construction are identified with reference to FRR.
Outcome 3
Demonstrate knowledge of external wall and roof construction requirements for passive fire safety systems.
Evidence requirements
3.1The requirements and limitations for constructions are identified and described in accordance with systems documentation.
Rangebuilding separation, FRR of external walls, vertical fire spread, distance between unprotected areas in external walls, horizontal fire spread, roofs, exterior surface finishes.
3.2The construction principles relating to external wall and roof constructions are identified and explained, and dimensions and materials identified by hand drawn sketches.
3.3Installation processes relating to external wall and roof constructions are explained in accordance with systems documentation and company procedures.
Outcome 4
Demonstrate knowledge of the related installation and finishing requirements for construction of passive fire safety systems.
Rangeclosures in fire and smoke separations, fire doors and smoke control doors, glazing, fire stopping, concealed spaces, surface finishes, floor coverings, suspended flexible fabrics.
Evidence requirements
4.1Fire rating requirements are described in accordance with the compliance documents and systems documentation.
4.2Selection criteria are identified and described in accordance with the compliance documents and systems documentation.
4.3Exceptions and limitations of the systems are described in accordance with systems documentation.
4.4Construction and installation techniques are described in accordance with systems documentation and company procedures.
Outcome 5
Demonstrate knowledge of smoke control systems and techniques.
Rangeexitways, firecells with intermediate floors, mechanical smoke control, sprinkler systems, smoke detectors in mechanical extraction systems, automatic activation of services and plant, air handling systems, emergency power, theatre stages.
Evidence requirements
5.1Fire safety requirements are described in accordance with the compliance documents and systems documentation.
5.2Exceptions and limitations of the systems are described in accordance with systems documentation.
5.3Construction and installation techniques are described in accordance with systems documentation and company procedures.
Replacement information / This unit standard and unit standard 17709 have been replaced by unit standard 26422This unit standard is expiring. Assessment against the standard must take place by the last date for assessment set out below.
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process / Version / Date / Last Date for AssessmentRegistration / 1 / 31 December 2000 / 31 December 2014
Review / 2 / 26 March 2007 / 31 December 2014
Review / 3 / 21 May 2010 / 31 December 2016
Rollover / 4 / 20 June 2013 / 31 December 2016
Rollover / 5 / 17 November 2016 / 31 December 2020
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference / 0013
This CMR can be accessed at
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
CompetenzSSB Code 101571 / New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2018 / / New Zealand Qualifications Aut