In order to improve the steel structures protection against fire, the intumescent paint method can be applied along with other methods. The intumescent paints layers numbers have to be optimized though. An uniform layer of intumescent paint, foreseen to protect the whole structure, represents both a higher cost and an uneconomical solution. The authors started examination on this problem, by analyzing one of the most recommended steel joints from the earthquake-proof criteria. The conceived and realized original electric furnace allows both a high-accuracy tuning/adjustment of the temperature and a good-stability of its, by means of the original electronic command. In order to perform high-accuracy and full-field monitoring of the displacements, the authors used a modern optical non-contact system, the Video Image Correlation one. The obtained preliminary results are very promising and will be continued in the next period by this international team.