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Building codes around the globe dictate the design and construction of buildings. For most buildings, designers will follow prescriptive code provisions to demonstrate code compliance. However, some buidling codes allow the use of performance-based design to demonstrate code compliance. Performance-based design is usually more complex but allows for greater flexibility in the use of materials and systems. Regardless of the code compliance methods, the combustibility of timber structures and wood products needs to be well understood and properly accounted for in building designs. This paper describes the develpment of a new international guidance document on fire safety in timber building within the Fire Safe Use of Wood (FSUW) network, written by 13 lead authors assisted by more than 20 experts in over a dozen different countries.

A wide variety of active fire protection systems are available to fire safety practitioners. In addition to passive fire protection measures, some level of active fire protection is normally required to meet the expected minimum level of fire safety in modern buildings. Active fire protection can also be used to increase the fire safety in order to achieve a more flexible fire safety design and an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings. There are many types of active fire protection systems, but this chapter deals mainly with automatic fire sprinkler systems, since they are often used to facilitate the use of timber as structure, internal linings and external facades in large or complex buildings. Sprinklers are required in some countries for taller timber buildings, as described in Chapter 4.

This chapter provides an overall description of the strategy for delivering fire safety in timber buildings. As in the design of all buildings, the goals are to provide life safety for occupants, safe access for firefighters and protection of affected property. It is essential to control the severity and duration of any accidental fire and prevent it from spreading elsewhere in the building. An important design objective for timber buildings is to control the burning or charring of exposed timber or protected timber, because this can add to the fuel load, and it will reduce the load capacity of structural timber members due to loss of cross-section. Many of the topics introduced here are expanded on in the following chapters.