If you own or are responsible for apartment buildings then it’s likely that you’ve undertaken a fire risk assessment (FRA) at some point. Despite the Fire Safety Order 2005 ensuring that FRAs are conducted in almost all buildings, it’s not always clear on how intrusive it should be. Amongst the four types of fire risk assessment, there are two that are intrusive, assessing the suitability of compartmentation within a premises. However, it is possible to have a compartmentation survey as a standalone assessment. Continue reading our helpful guide to discover the main objective of a fire compartmentation survey.
Compartmentation in fire safety
So, what is fire compartmentation? Using fire resistant materials, compartmentation is used to divide buildings into smaller compartments. Buildings are compartmentalised with fire resisting walls, floors and doors.
The main objective of a fire compartmentation survey is to ensure that if a fire breaks out in a specific area of a residential building, it will be contained within that area for at least 30 minutes. This gives occupants time to escape the blaze and the building, because dividing the premises with compartmentation helps to protect escape routes. Containing a fire can also allow enough time for the fire to “burn out” and not spread any further.
Fire safety compartmentation is required for the safety of residents and for the protection of property.
What is a fire compartmentation survey?
Compartmentation surveys are used to assess a building’s compartmentation. The survey assesses on the building’s ability to contain smoke and fire, how well it protects fire escapes, and is a general assessment on the subdivision of the property.
Fire compartmentation surveys are normally only required in a small number of circumstances. For example, if there are serious defects found after a fire risk assessment in common parts and inside apartments, the fire risk assessor may make a recommendation for the building’s Responsible Person to commission a compartmentation survey in order to delve deeper into the building’s issues.
A compartmentation survey can also be undertaken if a fire risk assessment points out issues with a building’s compartmentation, especially in areas that aren’t always obvious or easy to reach, such as ceilings, under floors, risers, roof voids and service cupboards. In cases like this, there may be reason to believe that there’s a high risk of fire ignition and spread, so an intrusive check – a fire compartmentation survey – is required.
What does a fire compartmentation survey include?
Fire compartmentation surveys include checking a wide variety of areas in a building. Should the client request it, a survey may also provide a list of recommendations and actions required to bring the building’s fire safety up to standard.
A fire compartmentation survey includes the following:
- Assessment of the current compartmentation strategy for the building.
- Comprehensive visual inspection of existing fire compartmentation provisions, including floors, walls, roof voids, basements, floor and ceiling voids, risers and shafts.
- Assessment of the condition of compartmentation and any defects in accordance with British Standards, Approved Document B, and any site-specific fire strategy information.
- Detailed mark-ups of existing floor plans, indicating the locations of compartment walls and floors.
- A fire stopping survey to identify individual breaches in compartmentation.
- A fire door survey to identify any defects with existing fire doors.
Fire compartmentation surveys with NW Fire Solutions
If you require a fire compartmentation survey on your building, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at NW Fire Solutions on 0151 665 0124.
Backed by years of specialised experience, NW Fire Solutions offers fire stopping surveys, fire compartmentation surveys and fire strategy reports across the UK.
By following our professional and proven process, we deliver detailed compartmentation surveys to ensure your building is fire safe. With years of fire safety and building construction knowledge and experience, our fire engineers are experts in identifying and applying fire compartmentation requirements in buildings, as per the approved British Standards.