There are two main reasons as to why fire compartmentation is required – for life safety and property protection purposes. This is achieved by fire resisting construction and cavity barriers, including any fire stopping as necessary.
Conrad Wolfe is highly qualified to carry out a full survey and produce a comprehensive report with enough detail for a contractor to quote against, thus ensuring your staff and customers are protected and your business is fully compliant.
The Law
To meet the legal requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, building owners and occupiers must ensure that the fire compartmentation in their buildings is robust and adequately managed and maintained.
Fire Safety: Approved Document B (ADB), Volume 2 (2019) defines a fire compartment as; –
“A building or part of a building comprising one or more rooms, spaces or storeys constructed to prevent the spread of fire to or from another part of the same building or an adjoining building.”
This is achieved through the provision of fire resisting walls and floors (commonly offering between 30 minutes and 120 minutes fire resistance). And will include special measures to address any openings in the compartment lines, such as doors, glazing, service penetrations and ductwork.
The wall or floor must remain functional for the duration of the designed fire resistance period. The compartment wall or floor should not crack or develop holes that allow flames, smoke, or hot gases to pass through it, and if appropriate, it should maintain a suitable degree of insulation. ADB Tables B3 and B4 provide detailed information regarding the minimum periods of fire resistance required in buildings for different purpose groups and maximum permitted compartment sizes.