IMPROVED FIRE SAFETY

A performance benefit of choosing a suspended ceiling over an open plenum ceiling is the added extra margin of fire safety. The ceiling represents a significant percentage of a room's surfaces, and is critical to controlling the growth of a fire within a room or space.

PHYSICAL BARRIER

• An Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL) fire resistant rated ceiling system provides separation between the elements of the building services (i.e. ductwork and piping) and the occupied space below.
• A UL fire resistant rated ceiling also provides a known, specified fire resistance period.

SMOKE DETECTOR/SPRINKLER ACTIVATION

• When a suspended ceiling is used at a typical ceiling height, smoke detection and sprinkler systems will activate faster.
• Occupants will receive an earlier warning and sprinklers can react to a much smaller fire when a suspended ceiling is used at a typical ceiling height.