FIRE CLADDING SOLUTIONS THAT EXCEED SAFETY REGULATIONS PROVIDED BY LICENSED FIRE SAFETY CONSULTANTS
The Australian government defines cladding installation services as a non-lead bearing skin or layer attached outside of a structure to protect it from fire incidents and effects of weather. Cladding is the addition of a new layer of material to the exterior of a building in order to increase insulation or weather protection. It helps in providing passive fire protection to buildings, limiting the spread of fire and related loss until firefighters arrive on the scene. Experts should conduct a fire assessment to determine the best cladding for a building. The fire risk assessment should be conducted in cooperation with the local Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) and the building owner, and general fire precautions (GFP) for the building, as well as appropriate fire precautions for the significant fire loading of the external wall systems, should be considered. There are numerous fire cladding solutions available to meet a variety of building requirements. The following are some of the most common fire cladding solutions used by fire safety consultants in Australia:
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) The composite cladding is light and inexpensive. When exposed to high temperatures, EPS can shrink, melt, or ignite. As a result, EPS is not recommended for use in multi-story buildings.
Aluminium Composite Panel (ACP) This sandwich panel is made up of two aluminium faces and a core material. ACP is typically made of polyethylene, mineral-based material, or a combination of the two, with panels ranging in thickness from 3 mm to 5 mm. The most dangerous ACP products have a 100 percent polymer core that is often black and labeled as PE (Polyethylene). The core of FR or fire-rated ACP contains nearly 30% polymer. ACP classified as A2 contains less than 10% polymer in the core. Points to keep in mind for fire cladding in buildings However, certain considerations should be made when installing building cladding. For example, if there is a gap between the cladding's insulation sheets, it can provide a pathway for an ignition source to start a fire. If the gap is large enough, the risk of fire increases. Furthermore, if the fire barriers between the insulation were improperly installed, the fire could easily spread behind the weather cladding. These factors must be considered when installing any fire cladding solution.
All fire cladding projects must be smoke-free, and this must be strictly enforced. Care should be taken with debris and clothing, as they may have been contaminated by solvents and fuels and thus easily ignited. Any electrical equipment should be properly maintained to avoid creating an ignition source. Only hand-powered or electrical tools should be used because they are less likely to catch fire.
Comprehensive fire safety solutions Omnii is Australia's leading provider of fire safety solutions for building owners. The company's fire safety consultants are licensed and highly experienced in providing building owners with comprehensive fire safety solutions such as cladding fire safety, fire engineering, fire protection services, structural fire engineering, and more. Omnii has been pre-qualified by the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance with the Residential Cladding Rectification Register (RCRR). Omnii' fire safety consultants provide tangible solutions for inspecting, identifying, and rectifying buildings with flammable cladding by replacing it with a non-combustible alternative to meet regulatory and insurer requirements. Fire safety consultants at the company work with building owners to help them manage risk and ensure compliance with Australian Building Codes.
Omnii’s fire safety consultants provide bespoke fire cladding services for your various requirements including: •
Compliance pathways tailored to the client and State Government requirements
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Bespoke insurance cladding assessment reports
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Overall safety enhancements
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Due diligence cladding assessment report
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Building assessment including structural adequacy, integrity, and insulation
Omnii's fire safety consultants use detailed CFD modeling and analysis to predict the spread of fire, enabling building-specific assessment and reporting. Omnii also specialises in the re-cladding of existing non-compliant multiresidential buildings with a fully compliant fire cladding solution.
Other fire cladding solutions provided by Omnii’s fire safety consultants include: •
Cladding remediation design
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Fire engineering
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Investigation and analysis
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Cladding and façade investigation
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Obtaining statutory consents
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Solutioning
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Project management
Every building has a unique structure, sprinkler system, construction method, and wind load. All of these factors must be considered by fire safety consultants in order to provide the best and most customised fire cladding solutions. Omnii's services are backed by professional indemnity insurance at the levels required by clients in the current environment. Omnii offers fully integrated capabilities, as well as professional expertise and specialszed services. All claddings, including brickwork, painted fibre cement sheeting, stria cladding, axon, matrix cladding, and render, are designed with combustibility in mind by Omnii's fire cladding consultants. Omnii's fire safety consultants have assisted businesses in a variety of industries, including education, aviation, industrial, healthcare, mining, oil, gas & petroleum, transportation, and others, with their fire cladding needs.
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