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Fire Protection Systems - Active

DE6504

This online course will give you a good understanding of fire system design to safeguard persons, property, environment and to facilitate fire-fighting operations in the event of a fire.

Availability

Our distance learning courses are offered throughout the year to help you fit study around your work and life commitments.
Courses are offered up to 12 times per year depending on demand and availability of academic staff.
Exact start dates are in the course information pages and in our Enrolment dates page:

Enrolment dates

Cost

  • Course costs can be found on all course pages.  The fees may increase annually.
  • Qualification cost – to give you an idea of how much a qualification may cost in total over the duration of your studies, an approximate cost is provided for many of our qualifications. This is based on the required number of courses to complete the qualification and the average cost of those courses. It does not include annual administration fees, text books and course materials or external exam fees, and is subject to annual course fee increases. 

Credits

Courses are assigned credits depending on how much time and effort is needed to complete their learning outcomes. In general, each credit represents approximately 10 hours of study time.

Delivery method

  • Online – The course materials for online courses are delivered in an online format and all assignments are submitted online.
  • Mixed – These courses are delivered using a mix of online and paper based course materials. This may include receiving paper course materials, submitting  assignments online, or being required to participate in online forums and learning activities.
  • Print Only - The course will be delivered using paper based courses materials, and assignments may need to be submitted in hard copy rather than online. This will depend on the course.

Whether courses are delivered online, on paper or a mixture of both, there may also be components such as workshops, noho marae, work experience and practicum to participate in. To find out what your course involves check the course information page.

EFTS

EFTS stands for equivalent full-time student. An EFTS is the study time required for each course and is used by the Tertiary Education Commission to decide if a course is part-time or full-time. 

One year of full-time study is generally between 0.8 and 1.2 EFTS.

Level

You can tell how hard a course or qualification is by the level it is set at:

  • Levels 1-4 are about the same as secondary school and basic trades training.
  • Levels 5-7 are the same as university study.

Prerequisites

  • Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before another course can be studied. 
  • Co-requisites are courses that can be studied at the same time as another course.

If a course has a specific prerequisite or co-requisite course, it will be listed on the course page under the title 'Prerequisites'. If no courses are listed, check the entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying for. Some courses require you to have studied at a particular level prior to enrolling.

Student loans

Not all qualifications or students are eligible for student loans. You will need to meet criteria such as studying a minimum number of credits over a specific study period. It is up to you to apply for a student loan via StudyLink - Open Polytechnic does not do this for you.

Information about student loans and eligibility

StudyLink website

Teaching weeks

Teaching weeks is the number of weeks that we teach a course. This differs from the enrolment period, which is based on the course start and end dates.

For example, a 20-week enrolment period will have 16 teaching weeks, followed by four weeks to accommodate marking, any extensions and reassessments, or exams.

Workload

The workload estimate given on a course page is calculated like this:

Number of credits x 10, divided by the number of teaching weeks for the course. The hours will be rounded up to nearest whole number.

Please note, this is a guide only. You may need more or less time for study, and you may also need to do more hours during assessment due dates or exams times.

  •  
    Level
    6
  •  
    Credits
    15
  •  
    Cost
    $452 NZ Domestic
  •  
    EFTS
    0.125
  • Delivery type
    Online only
  • Teaching weeks 16 weeks
  • Workload Approximately 10 hours per week
  •  
    Exam dates
    2024 Offerings
    Oct - 23 Jan 2025
  •  
    Prerequisites Check entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying

The course will cover the following:

  • Understanding of fixed fire systems
  • Basic principles of operation
  • Pros & cons of differing systems
  • Smoke management, Sprinkler and deluge systems, Gas and foam flood systems, Water mist, Oxygen depletion systems, Fire detection and alarm systems, First aid firefighting, extinguishers, hose reels, Hydrant systems
    • Water supplies for building systems and Fire Service use
    • An awareness of the principles of operation of;
  • Photoelectric and ionisation smoke detectors, Aspirating smoke detection, Heat detection including point type, linear and rate of rise, Multi criteria detection and operational modes, Addressable systems and analogue addressable systems, Beam and Video smoke detection, Flame detection, UV and IR systems, design calculations for the design of smoke detection and sounder locations
  • Awareness of complex detection and warning strategies for evacuation of complex and large population buildings including application of Emergency Warning and Intercommunication Systems - EWIS
  • Basic hydraulic calculations for the purposes of sprinkler system design
  • Determination of adequate water supply
  • methods that can be used singly or in combination to modify smoke movement for the benefit of occupants or fire fighters or for the reduction of property damage
  • Understanding of smoke control system components and awareness of the parameters governing design systems
  • Documentation required on completion of installation of a fire safety system

Learners who successfully complete this online course will be able to:

  • Critique the application of the common fire safety strategies for the building fire protection
  • Examine the application of relevant Standards, Guides and Codes of Practice
  • Appraise the principles of operation of fire detection systems and calculate response time
  • Analyse the principles of automatic sprinkler systems
  • Compare and contrast the principles of smoke control systems and summarise design factors
  • Summarise the documentation required on completion of installation of a fire safety system

Course Update

This course replaced DE6429 – Fire Protection Systems - Active; completion of DE6429 – Fire Protection Systems - Active will fulfil the same prerequisite requirements as DE6504 – Fire Protection Systems - Active.

Assessment

  • Assignment 20%
  • Test 30 %
  • Examination 50%

For information on examinations, including a full list of exam times see our examination information:

 Exam dates and venue information

Examination information

Assessments for this course include an examination that you need to attend in-person.

Learn more

Computer and internet requirements

To complete this course you will need access to a laptop or desktop computer, reliable broadband internet connection and a data plan able to support online learning such as streaming of videos (including YouTube), downloading content, and writing and submitting online assessments. If you are unsure if your current computer or internet access allows you to complete your online learning with us, please contact us before applying to enrol.

Learn more about our online learning and study tools.

Work towards

You can do this course as part of these qualifications:

Certificate of Proficiency
Diploma

Course availability over the next 12 months

Dec
2025
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov

November enrolment dates

Enrol by -
Course starts -
Course ends -
21 Oct 2025
3 Nov 2025
22 Feb 2026

Availability

Our distance learning courses are offered throughout the year to help you fit study around your work and life commitments.
Courses are offered up to 12 times per year depending on demand and availability of academic staff.
Exact start dates are in the course information pages and in our Enrolment dates page:

Enrolment dates

Cost

  • Course costs can be found on all course pages.  The fees may increase annually.
  • Qualification cost – to give you an idea of how much a qualification may cost in total over the duration of your studies, an approximate cost is provided for many of our qualifications. This is based on the required number of courses to complete the qualification and the average cost of those courses. It does not include annual administration fees, text books and course materials or external exam fees, and is subject to annual course fee increases. 

Credits

Courses are assigned credits depending on how much time and effort is needed to complete their learning outcomes. In general, each credit represents approximately 10 hours of study time.

Delivery method

  • Online – The course materials for online courses are delivered in an online format and all assignments are submitted online.
  • Mixed – These courses are delivered using a mix of online and paper based course materials. This may include receiving paper course materials, submitting  assignments online, or being required to participate in online forums and learning activities.
  • Print Only - The course will be delivered using paper based courses materials, and assignments may need to be submitted in hard copy rather than online. This will depend on the course.

Whether courses are delivered online, on paper or a mixture of both, there may also be components such as workshops, noho marae, work experience and practicum to participate in. To find out what your course involves check the course information page.

EFTS

EFTS stands for equivalent full-time student. An EFTS is the study time required for each course and is used by the Tertiary Education Commission to decide if a course is part-time or full-time. 

One year of full-time study is generally between 0.8 and 1.2 EFTS.

Level

You can tell how hard a course or qualification is by the level it is set at:

  • Levels 1-4 are about the same as secondary school and basic trades training.
  • Levels 5-7 are the same as university study.

Prerequisites

  • Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before another course can be studied. 
  • Co-requisites are courses that can be studied at the same time as another course.

If a course has a specific prerequisite or co-requisite course, it will be listed on the course page under the title 'Prerequisites'. If no courses are listed, check the entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying for. Some courses require you to have studied at a particular level prior to enrolling.

Student loans

Not all qualifications or students are eligible for student loans. You will need to meet criteria such as studying a minimum number of credits over a specific study period. It is up to you to apply for a student loan via StudyLink - Open Polytechnic does not do this for you.

Information about student loans and eligibility

StudyLink website

Teaching weeks

Teaching weeks is the number of weeks that we teach a course. This differs from the enrolment period, which is based on the course start and end dates.

For example, a 20-week enrolment period will have 16 teaching weeks, followed by four weeks to accommodate marking, any extensions and reassessments, or exams.

Workload

The workload estimate given on a course page is calculated like this:

Number of credits x 10, divided by the number of teaching weeks for the course. The hours will be rounded up to nearest whole number.

Please note, this is a guide only. You may need more or less time for study, and you may also need to do more hours during assessment due dates or exams times.

  •  
    Level
    6
  •  
    Credits
    15
  •  
    Cost
    $452 NZ Domestic
  •  
    EFTS
    0.125
  • Delivery type
    Online only
  • Teaching weeks 16 weeks
  • Workload Approximately 10 hours per week
  •  
    Exam dates
    2024 Offerings
    Oct - 23 Jan 2025
  •  
    Prerequisites Check entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying