The life safety role of structural

The life safety role of structural fire resistance is threefold:a) to minimise the risk to occupants, some of whom might have to remain in the building forsome length of time while evacuation proceeds (see also Section 5);b) to reduce the risk to firefighters who might be engaged in search or rescue operations(see also Section 6); andc) to reduce the danger to people in the vicinity of the building, who might be hurt by fallingdebris or as a result of the impact of the collapsing structure on other buildings.In addition to any load-bearing function, separating elements need to provide an adequatestandard of:a) insulation, to avoid the unexposed side of the element becoming hot enough to ignitematerial in contact with it; andb) integrity, to avoid the formation of openings or cracks in the element that allow flame orhot gases to pass through it, to ignite the unexposed surface or materials on theunexposed side of the element.