Throughout the 20th century, several fire-related catastrophic events occurred resulting in massive loss of life, and led to changes in building codes. Revisiting the example of the One Meridian Plaza fire, lessons learned from the fire initiated several changes to local and national building codes. As two examples, stairwells would now be marked with floor numbers and sprinkler systems would now be required on every floor of a high-rise.

For this week’s second Application Assignment, you will assess the life safety and health requirements in a commercial building. Specifically, address the following in a 300- to 500-word response:

What are the strategies for passive fire protection and active fire protection in commercial buildings? How do they differ?
What is the role of structural design (timber, steel, concrete) in choosing a fire protection approach?
Compare the life safety features of an elementary school to those of a sports arena. What active and passive systems are used in each?
How does occupancy load impact life safety and health requirements in a commercial building?
Be sure to support your work with citations. Refer to the Harvard System of Referencing guide to ensure your in-text citations and reference list are correct.