Fire-barriers are the walls and floors that divide a building into separate compartments and protect the escape routes. They are essential for containing the fire and limiting its damage to the building and its occupants. However, fire-barriers are not effective by themselves when openings are formed, and services laid through. They need to be properly maintained and checked to ensure that the fire compartmentation measures will work as intended in the event of emergency.

So, what are Firestopping Systems?

Firestopping systems are an important part of the fire precautionary measures in buildings. They are designed to seal the openings, voids and joints in fire-resistant walls and floors, where services, doors and windows are fitted. They prevent or slow down the spread of fire and smoke through these openings and maintain the integrity of the fire-barriers within the building.

Firestopping systems are composed of various products and materials that are fire-resistant, such as sealants, spray coatings, mineral wool fire batt, and intumescent materials. These products and materials are installed around the services, such as pipes, cables and ducts, that pass through the fire-compartments. They are easy to install and use, and they ensure that fire safety is continually maintained.

However, firestopping system are not uniform or standardised. There are several different manufacturers that produce firestopping products and systems, and they may have different specifications and requirements. Therefore, it is recommended to have detailed information about the firestopping systems that are installed in the building, such as the exact location, fire rating, installer, and any other relevant details. This information will help in producing a detailed fire risk assessment and management plan for the building and ensure that the firestopping systems are compliant with the fire safety regulations and standards.

If you do not have any information of the installed life safety systems or passive fire safety products, you may face some challenges in ensuring the fire safety of your building and complying with the fire safety regulations and standards. You may not know the condition, performance, or suitability of the systems or products that are present in your building, or if they need any repair, replacement, or upgrade.

Should you have this information, a detailed fire risk assessment and management plan for your building can be easily generated, which is essential for identifying and reducing the fire hazards and risks within your premises and for continual management. If this information is missing, it can lead to assumptions (sometimes incorrect ones) which can put life safety at risk. Potential fire risk assessors may request further information or surveys to be able to ascertain what firestopping systems are installed in a building, if they are compliant and confirmation that they will perform in a fire scenario.

Therefore, we at Trident Fire Compliance believe that a suitable and bespoke compartment and firestopping surveys are the two appropriate inspections that would provide information of the conditions and systems present within your premises.

What type of surveys can Trident Fire Compliance can help with?

A compartment survey is an inspection of the fire compartments within the building, such as the walls and floors that divide the building into separate sections and protect the escape routes.Our competent and accredited surveyors can survey the fire compartmentation structures in the building, determine their build up and their likely fire performance. You can then use this information to determine whether any additional or remedial works are required in order to comply with the building’s fire strategy.

A firestopping survey is an inspection of the firestopping systems within the building, such as the products and materials that seal the openings and joints in the fire barriers, where services are fitted. These surveys will help you to assess the fire safety of the premises and to identify any issues or defects that may compromise the fire safety of your building.

Not only can Trident identify the compliant, and the non-compliant systems, we can assist you with determining what the best course of action is to achieve compliance. We at Trident are advocates of sufficient management of fire safety, therefore we recommend that you contact us today to discuss your requirements and get a free quote for our compartment and firestopping surveys.

We can also provide you with any recommendations that may be needed to ensure that your life safety systems and passive fire safety products are safe and effective as well as a Bill of Quantities to ease with the tendering process and workload management. We are here to help you with your fire safety needs and to ensure the safety of your building and its occupants.