Which of the following is an example of passive fire protection?

• A. Self-closing fire doors
• B. Fire alarms
• C. Automatic sprinklers
• D. Compartmentation

Answer: (D)

Passive fire protection relies on features built into the structure that work without relying on detection, power, or human action to limit fire spread. Compartmentation does this by dividing the building into fire-resisting sections with barriers like walls, floors, and fire doors, so a fire and its smoke are confined to a smaller area. This containment buys time for safe evacuation and for firefighters to respond, and it operates automatically as part of the building’s construction.

Fire alarms and automatic sprinklers are active protections—they require detection and system activation to function—so they aren’t examples of passive protection. Self-closing doors support the compartmentation approach, but the broader concept demonstrated here is the use of fire-resisting compartments to restrict spread.