Principles of Fire Behavior - Essay Example

Performance specifications are the operational requirement for a turnkey fire protection system in which the functional requirements, the environment in which it must operate, maintainability, interchangeability characteristics, and the necessary interface are specified and they do not require specific parts. The performance specification is more flexible than the detailed specification as it could change depending on the working condition the fire protection system is subjected to. The detailed specification must be thoroughly followed to the latter as they can not be changed and they hinder the adoption of new materials and techniques in their design, whereas performance specification due to its flexibility permits the implementation of other methods.

Unlike the detailed specification, Performance specifications exclude dispensable detail and give the manufacturer a certain degree of flexibility in determining the best possible way to satisfy their customer’s needs. Performance specification helps to verify or evaluate the level of functionality of a building, structure, or system and it gives us an insight into how the fire protection system performs during its usage. Detailed specification, on the other hand, is given to provide specific comprehensive information on the standard of the system and how the system is expected to perform prior to its use.

Due to the flexibility of the performance specification, they are preferred over the detailed specification.