Improving fire safety: a vital prerequisite for electrification

With Nexans Fire Safety, our priority is to support the construction industry in moving towards safe and sustainable electrification, at each stage of their project lifecycle. Reflecting our continuous innovation drive, our cables comply with the most stringent standards and incorporate the latest advances in terms of safety, reliability and performance.

Challenges associated with fire safety

Fire hazards are a reality with potentially devastating consequences. In a burning building, the incapacitating emissions and smoke that hamper visibility are the main cause of casualties. Reducing exposure to these harmful substances is vital to save lives, make evacuation easier, and support emergency services in their work.

Cables form the electrical backbone of a building. Present in number everywhere, they run through each room, story and wall. As new energy uses emerge, the number of cables in buildings is increasing constantly, creating new risks for people and properties.

Cables seldom represent a danger, especially when they are properly sized from the beginning. However, they can serve as fuel when a fire occurs, greatly increasing flame spread and the development of irritant emissions, making it more difficult to evacuate quickly. They also slow down rescue operations owing to the huge quantity of smoke generated.

Electric cables therefore have a major impact on how a fire develops and how it is contained. Their performance is assessed according to two key criteria.

The first is their reaction to fire. The objective is to determine their potential to contribute to fire spread, and to produce opaque smoke, high acidity emissions, as well as flaming droplets.

The best line of defense against fire is to install Low Fire-Hazard cables on every story of the building. These cables slow down fire spread significantly, while also minimizing smoke and acid gases, maintaining visibility for evacuation and rescue operations.

The second key criterion for cables is fire resistance. This refers to their ability to maintain the functionality (power and data) of the circuit under a fire, with no or minor decay of performances.

Fire-resistant cables are a key part of a building’s safety system. In the event of a fire, they are designed to keep critical equipment running (warning systems, smoke detectors, smoke extractors, emergency exits and emergency lighting) up and running when the fire spreads to the whole building, and to transmit the key information required for safe and rapid evacuation.