In the interest of life safety and property protection, building codes require that resistance to fire be considered in the design of buildings. The degree of fire resistance required depends on the type of occupancy, the size of the building, its location (proximity to property lines and within established fire zones), and in some cases, the amount and type of fire detection and extinguishing equipment available in the structure. Precast concrete members are inherently noncombustible and can be designed to meet any degree of fire resistance that may be required by building codes, insurance companies, and other authorities.

UPDATE: From the Summer 2014 issue of ASCENT magazine, this article offers 1 HSW Learning Unit of continuing education after successfully passing the assessment quiz.