What To Expect During A Fire Compartmentation Survey

Fire compartmentation is a critical aspect of any fire safety strategy. With a fire compartmentation survey and inspection, you can identify any breaches and areas for improvement with your current compartmentation measures to help you ensure the safety and compliance of your property. But what can you expect during a fire compartmentation survey and inspection?

In this blog, we’ll explain the process and purpose of a compartmentation survey and what elements are typically assessed during a fire compartmentation inspection so you have a better understanding of what to expect during these vital surveys.

What is fire compartmentation?

The aim of fire compartmentation is to contain fire and smoke within a specific area of a building for a specific time. This containment serves two primary purposes; one, it allows occupants more time to evacuate safely and two, it limits the fire’s spread, which helps reduce the potential damage caused to the building and its contents.

To achieve robust fire compartmentation, buildings must incorporate various passive fire safety measures which can include fire-resistant walls and floors, strategically placed fire doors, fire-stopping materials to seal gaps and openings, and fire dampers installed within ventilation systems for example.

Fire compartmentation is an integral part of a building’s passive fire protection system. It serves as a critical life-saving measure that protects people and property. Imagine a building without compartmentation – a fire could quickly spread and engulf the entire premises. By dividing a building into compartments, you can create a controlled environment where the fire’s spread is significantly slowed, which lessens the risk of widespread damage and potential casualties.

What is a fire compartmentation survey and inspection?

A fire compartmentation survey involves a detailed fire compartmentation inspection of a building’s passive fire protection measures. It focuses on identifying breaches, weaknesses, or damage to the elements that create compartmentation.

The survey’s objective is to assess the effectiveness of a building’s current fire compartmentation strategy to ensure it meets the required standards and building regulations. Here’s a breakdown of some of the elements that are assessed:

Fire barriers and walls

A crucial aspect of a compartmentation survey is a detailed fire compartmentation inspection of fire barriers and walls. This involves physically examining all elements that make up the fire-resistant partitions and extends to areas that are often overlooked, such as roof voids, to guarantee complete coverage.

Qualified inspectors will pay close attention to the condition of the fire barriers, checking for any cracks, gaps, or damage that could compromise their effectiveness. They’ll also thoroughly assess the type and integrity of the fire-resistant materials used, looking specifically for signs of deterioration, incorrect fittings, or the use of incorrect materials. If the assessor finds any of these, it will be flagged as a potential breach and will often require immediate action to fix.

Fire doors and smoke seals

Fire doors and smoke seals are key for stopping and slowing the spread of fire and smoke, and these are thoroughly assessed during a compartmentation survey. It will often involve a detailed inspection of the whole of the door, along with the smoke seals, to ensure they’re both effective and they meet the required standards. 

The highly-trained inspector will check the door’s construction, verifying that it’s fire-rated and appropriately marked. The door’s hardware, including hinges, closers, and latches, are also inspected during the fire compartmentation inspection, to ensure proper installation and functionality. Any signs of damage, wear, or improper fitting will be noted with recommendations to fix or replace.

Hazards and risks in fire compartmentation

A fire compartmentation survey isn’t complete without identifying potential hazards and risks that compromise the effectiveness of your compartmentation strategy. Similar to a fire risk assessment, a comprehensive fire compartmentation inspection of your building will take place, looking for potential fire hazards such as flammable materials stored inappropriately, overloaded electrical circuits, and obstructions to escape routes.

As well as this, specialist inspectors will evaluate the risk of a fire occurring due to the building’s use and occupancy. For example, a building used for high-risk activities, such as cooking or using flammable liquids, will demand a higher level of fire safety measures compared to a standard office building.

What happens after a fire compartmentation survey?

After a fire compartmentation survey has been completed, a detailed report of any findings is put together and given to the ’Responsible Person’ of the building, usually the building owner, employer, or facilities manager. As mentioned, the report will outline the findings of the survey and any identified breaches, weaknesses, or potential hazards associated with the building’s fire compartmentation strategy.

Where defects are identified during a fire compartmentation inspection, the report will help the responsible person understand the location and recommended action for each issue. This may include remedial fire stopping, fire door repairs or replacement, reinstatement of damaged barriers, or further investigation where hidden compartmentation issues are suspected.

Issues highlighted in a compartmentation survey will often be ranked on the severity of risks posed and the responsible person should prioritise actioning these in that particular order. For some common recommendations, you may need specialist help from professional fire engineers, like Fire Industry Specialists (FIS), to carry out necessary repairs, upgrades, or installations.

Who can conduct a fire compartmentation survey?

Given the technical nature and the significant importance of a compartmentation survey, it requires the specialist knowledge, skills, and expertise of a competent individual or company, like FIS. You should opt for professionals with proven expertise in fire safety, building regulations, and passive fire protection systems.

At FIS, we’re International Fire Consultants (IFC) third-party accredited, meaning we conduct fire compartmentation surveys that meet the relevant industry standards. This gives you an added layer of assurance as it demonstrates our competency and adherence to industry best practices.

Need to book a fire compartmentation survey?

As you can see, a thorough fire compartmentation survey is crucial for ensuring the safety of your occupants and protecting your property in the event of a fire. By assessing essential compartmentation measures such as fire barriers, fire doors, and fire walls and floors, these surveys play a vital role in maintaining fire safety standards. 

If you’d like to learn more about how we can conduct a third-party accredited fire compartmentation survey, or to book a survey for your building, get in touch with us today. We’ve worked with businesses across Lincoln, Nottingham, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, and all across the UK to ensure their compartmentation strategy is effective and meets the required safety standards.