Fire safety is like a two-person team that works to keep you safe. There is an "active" side, which includes things like smoke alarms and sprinklers that go off when they are needed, and a "passive" side, which is basically the building's own built-in protection. The goal of passive fire protection is to keep fires from spreading. Fire-rated walls, doors, and hidden seals function silently to keep a fire in one location. These structural barriers keep the smoke out of your halls and make sure the structure stays standing long enough for everyone to get out safely, even when the alarms and sprinklers are busy putting out the fire. In short, active systems put out the fire, whereas passive systems give you time to get away.