Effective fire compartmentation for building safety is crucial for suppressing the spread of fire and protecting lives. However, many buildings fall short of meeting legal compliance due to flaws in original construction or modifications over time. The responsibility lies with designated accountable persons to initiate surveys and deliver necessary upgrades. This article examines key compartmentation requirements and regulations to inform those tasked with ensuring fire safety.
What is fire compartmentation?
Fire compartmentation refers to dividing a building into sections or “compartments” separated by fire-resistant walls, floors, doors and other barriers. The purpose is to prevent the spread of fire and smoke from one compartment to another for a specified period.
Compartmentation is a mandatory requirement in nearly all types of buildings in the UK. It is typically required in residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings to protect occupants and contain fires. Specific compartmentation requirements are based on factors like building use, size, height and occupancy.
Effectively designed and installed fire compartmentation is crucial for saving lives and property. It provides occupants with extra time to evacuate in an emergency. Compartmentation also helps:
- Prevent rapid fire spread, reducing the chance of flashover
- Limit smoke movement throughout a structure during a fire
- Contain fires in their origin area, aiding firefighting efforts
- Reduce damage to building infrastructure and assets
Importance of Proper Fire Compartmentation
The primary purpose of fire compartmentation is to contain fires for a specified duration using fire-resistant walls, floors, ceilings and sealing penetrations. Properly installed cavity barriers between walls and comprehensive fire-stopping around ducts, pipes and openings maintain the integrity of compartments against smoke and flames.
While standards vary based on factors like building height, occupancy and purpose, compartmentation requirements derive from stringent fire engineering calculations and are codified in building regulations and codes. Failure to meet fire resistance specifications due to overlooked construction errors or later alterations risks extremely serious consequences when a blaze occurs.
Regulations Covering Fire Compartmentation
Core UK regulations mandating maintenance and integrity of fire compartments stem from the Building Safety Act 2022 and Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Both make clear that accountable persons must take proactive responsibility for ensuring compliance. Additional detailed technical guidance on required fire resistance levels and solutions comes from essential documents like Approved Document B, BS9999 and BS9991.
Industry trade associations and specialist fireproofing contractors like Firestoppers also provide comprehensive compartmentation standards, installation expertise and audit services based on decades of direct experience.
Importance of Building-Specific Compartmentation Compliance
Ultimately, the specific fire compartmentation requirements applicable to any individual building depend on a range of factors including total height, expected occupancy and vulnerability profile of inhabitants. Besides baseline general standards, buildings housing hazardous materials or high-risk processes typically undergo more exhaustive compartmentation protections.
Any identified non-compliance poses severe risks to life and property, as inadequate fire-resistance ratings allow smoke and flames to spread dangerously fast between compartments. This was tragically demonstrated in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, where inferior compartmentation contributed to the rapid vertical spread of the blaze.
Avoiding Issues Through Proactive Maintenance and Upgrades
Best practice fire safety involves having accountability officers initiate periodic surveys of compartmentation integrity even in new buildings, as simple yet critical oversights like improperly sealed service penetrations can arise during maintenance work or renovations over time. Identifying and rectifying these issues before disaster strikes is crucial.
With over 34 years of experience exclusively focused on passive fireproofing solutions, Firestoppers leads the industry in delivering fully compliant fire compartmentation including comprehensive audits, upgrades and active maintenance. As Firestoppers Operations Director Garrett Nolan observes:
“Even minor flaws in installed fire barriers can completely undermine the purpose of compartmentation. We see our role as working closely with clients to eliminate any points of weakness before they are exploited by fire. Comprehensive audits and upgrades by our experienced teams provide total peace of mind.”
Prioritising Fire Compartmentation Compliance
In summary, compromised or sub-standard fire compartmentation significantly endangers occupants throughout a building by enabling rapid fire spread. Accountable persons carrying legal responsibilities must fully understand the relevant requirements for their specific building and proactively address any potential non-compliance issues through expert surveys and timely remediation.
With seasoned assistance from specialised providers like Firestoppers, buildings of all types can meet their safety objectives and avert tragedy. Contact the fire safety experts at Firestoppers today to schedule an assessment and ensure your fire compartmentation fully meets all necessary standards. Compliance saves lives.
Passive Fire Protection Dublin
Firestoppers is the UK’s leading provider of passive fire protection solutions, including fire stopping, fire compartments and fireproofing. With over three decades of experience working exclusively in fire safety, our team of highly-trained specialists delivers comprehensive fire protection for all types of buildings.
Firestoppers combines certified products, expert installation and ongoing maintenance to ensure our clients meet the highest standards for fire compartmentation and risk reduction.
Contact our knowledgeable technical team today to discuss an assessment of your fire safety requirements.
