FIRE STOPPING SURVEYS

Fire Stopping Surveys

 

In a correctly managed building, any fire is designed to be contained (by compartmentalization) within a sub-compartment or compartment according to the Fire Strategy design criteria thus preventing the fire from spreading to other parts of the building certainly long enough for The Fire Service to attend.

Even the best performing fire break, whether it be a 2-hour compartment wall or a 30-minute sub-compartment partition, will only perform according to the original design requirement if the integrity of the structure is maintained.

An Example

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A breach in Fire Rated floor slab in a riser within a 20 story block of flats. If not properly fire stopped this service duct could act as a chimney carrying smoke and flames up the height of the building. [Note: Any duct passing through a compartment floor or soffit must have a suitable fire or smoke damper]
Clearly the fire break must be installed according to the design requirements, but equally, it must be maintained during the life of the building.
Over time most buildings will be modified in some way as the use changes or when new technology is installed. Structural changes are not the only ‘alteration’ that can affect the integrity of compartment walls. Computer networking cables, new telephone systems, alterations to heating systems or even electrical supplies can leave building vulnerable to fire spread if the fire integrity is not maintained

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Breach of the firewall in student accommodation. (Ironically) the fire-rated wall was breached by the cable installed by a fire alarm contractor as part of a new fire alarm installation.

Our fire stopping surveys will identify failings in compartment walls. Our detailed reports identify the location where the issues occur and where possible make recommendations for remedial works.

We can provide a professional ‘Clerk of Works’ service in a new build scenario to ensure fire stopping has been installed correctly – helping to avoid expensive and destructive remedial works when the building is completed and occupied. Our surveys are applicable to old or new buildings.

We can also provide advice in formulating an ongoing policy to ensure fire compartment integrity is maintained in the event of any works on site that necessitate penetration of any fire breaks.

“I was shocked at the number of breaches in our compartmentation. Fixing that is now top priority!”   – Anon

There are, in effect, two types of compartmentation breeched – those that have always existed since the erection of the building, or those that have been caused by the change of use and alterations to the building, including but limited to new heating installations, electrical works, data cabling, and network installations.

The biggest problem, of course, is that Fire Stopping breaches are usually hidden away and therefore not easily observed. Locating and rectifying the breeches however could be of critical importance, especially in protecting the fabric of the building in a fire-related event (not ignoring, of course, the potential risk to life) as these breeches facilitate the spread of fire from one compartment to another with the obvious consequences.