Interior Finishes and Passive Fire Protection
                      Chapter Contents
                 Case History ...................................137                                      Fire Partitions  ....................................................................149
                 Interior Finishes  ..............................138                                     Enclosure and Shaft Walls  .................................................149
                 Surface Burning Characteristics  ........................................139             Curtain Walls  ......................................................................150
                 Fire-Retardant Coatings  .....................................................140        Fire Doors  .....................................152
                 Testing Interior Finishes  ....................141                                       Fire Door Classifications  ....................................................152
                 ASTM E-84   ........................................................................141  Fire Door Hardware and Features   .....................................158
                 NFPA® Interior Finish Tests   .............................................143           Fire Door Maintenance   ......................................................162
                 Limitations of Test Findings  ...............................................144         Fire Door Testing  ................................................................162
                 Ceilings   .......................................145                                    Chapter Summary   ...........................165
                 Walls and Partitions   ........................145                                       Review Questions  ............................165
                 Compartmentation  .............................................................145       Chapter Notes .................................165
                 Fire Walls  ...........................................................................146
             134   Chapter 5 • Interior Finishes and Passive Fire Protection 
                                                                                                                                    5
                          Key Terms
                      ASTM E-84  .............................................. 141           Louvers  ................................................... 162
                      Compartment  ......................................... 139              Mastics  ................................................... 140
                      Compartmentation  ................................145                   Metal-Clad Door  ..................................... 155
                      Criterion-Referenced Testing (CRT)  .... 141                            NFPA® 265  ............................................. 144
                      Curtain Wall  ............................................ 150          NFPA® 286  ............................................. 143
                      Door Closer  ............................................ 160           Nonload-Bearing Wall  ........................... 151
                      Door Hold-Open Device  ........................159                      Overhead Door  ....................................... 154
                      Fire Area  ................................................. 146        Parapet Wall  ........................................... 148
                      Fire Door  ................................................. 152        Rated Assembly  ..................................... 146
                      Fire Flow  ................................................. 146        Rated Fire Door Assembly ....................153
                      Fire Partition  .......................................... 149          Self-Closing Door  ..................................160
                      Fire Wall  .................................................. 146       Shelter in Place  ...................................... 146
                      Flame Spread  ......................................... 139             Sliding Door  ........................................... 155
                      Flame Spread Rating  ............................. 142                  Smoke Developed Rating  .....................142
                      Freestanding Walls  ................................ 148                Steiner Tunnel  ........................................ 141
                      Fusible Link  ............................................ 154          Surface-Burning Characteristic  ...........139
                      Glazing  .................................................... 161       Swinging Door  ....................................... 156
                      Hardware  ................................................ 158          Tied Walls  ............................................... 148
                      Interior Finish .......................................... 138          Tin-Clad Door  ......................................... 155
                      Intumescent Coating  ............................. 140                  Wired Glass  ............................................ 161
                      Listed  ...................................................... 140
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          Interior Finishes and Passive Fire Protection
       FESHE Outcomes Addressed In This Chapter
    Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) Outcomes: Building Construction for 
    Fire Protection
      1.  Describe building construction as it relates to firefighter safety, buildings codes, fire prevention, code 
       inspection, firefighting strategy, and tactics.
      6.  Differentiate between fire resistance, flame spread, and describe the testing procedures used to establish 
       ratings for each.
       Learning Objectives
      After reading this chapter, students will be able to:
        1.  Describe how characteristics of interior finishes influence fire behavior.
        2.  Describe tests used for interior finishes.
        3.  Explain how ceilings can influence fire behavior. 
        4.  Identify characteristics of fire walls and partitions.
        5.  Describe fire doors and how they limit fire damage.
    136   Chapter 5 • Interior Finishes and Passive Fire Protection 
                                                                            Chapter 5
                                  Interior Finishes and 
                         Passive Fire Protection
                                Case History
                                   The interior finish of the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, Russia contributed to both the 
                                        ease of ignition and the acceleration of a fatal blaze on December 5, 2009. An illegal 
                                        pyrotechnic firework used as part of a dance performance ignited the plastic sheeting 
                                        and willow branches covering a low ceiling. In videos that were taken of the event, the 
                                        dancers are still performing while the fire on the ceiling is fully involved above them. 
                                        In the early stages of the fire, a crowd of over 300 individuals was in the process of 
                                        evacuation when wooden decorations on the interior walls of the club ignited. The 
                                        club license only allowed for 50 guests.
                                           Of the 153 people who died as a result of the fire, 94 people died at the scene; the 
                                 rest died in hospitals as a result of their injuries. Many were trampled because there were 
                                 not enough exits to allow the people in the club to escape. Others died of exposure while 
                                 lying on the pavement, waiting for ambulances in subzero temperatures.   
                                   In the aftermath of the fire, investigations revealed violations and corruption that resulted 
                                 in multiple criminal charges, civil suits, and public officials being dismissed from their posts. 
                                 The owners and management were found guilty of negligence and noncompliance with 
                                 construction safety requirements. They were sentenced to prison for ignoring warnings 
                                 about the interior finishes that led to the nightclub deaths. They were also found liable in 
                                 civil suits for the victims and families of the deceased. The chief and all the deputies of the 
                                 Perm Fire Safety Supervision Authority were dismissed for corruption, and the chief fire safety 
                                 inspector was criminally charged for negligence on duty leading to fatalities. The tragedy 
                                 led to increased activity and scrutiny from local Fire Safety Authorities across the country. 
                                   This catastrophe illustrates how the confluence of factors can contribute to an incident, 
                                 and how lives can be saved when codes regulating the installation of interior finishes, build-
                                                                                              1
                                 ing occupancy limits, and exit ways are followed and enforced.
               Early building codes focused primarily on the structure of the building, namely 
               the construction materials and the structural system. Over time, more atten
                                                                                            -
               tion has been given to the fire behavior characteristics and layout of materials 
               used for the interior finish. 
                 This chapter explains the fire behavior relevance of the following topics: 
               •  Interior Finishes 
               •  Testing Interior Finishes
               • Ceilings
                                                                           Chapter 5 • Interior Finishes and Passive Fire Protection  137