If you’re responsible for fire safety in a building, you’ve probably come across the term fire compartmentation. But what does it actually mean? And what fire compartmentation regulations do you need to follow?
Here, we explain what fire compartmentation is, where it’s required, how it’s achieved and how to make sure it’s maintained over time.
What is fire compartmentation?
Fire compartmentation is the division of a building into separate sections — called fire compartments — using fire-resistant walls, floors, ceilings, doors and other barriers.
Each compartment is designed to contain a fire within a defined area for a set period of time, preventing the fire from spreading to other parts of the building.
This gives extra time for the fire brigade to arrive and for people to escape the building. It also limits fire and smoke damage.
Fire compartmentalisation is a form of passive fire protection. The barriers are there, ready to do their job, whenever they’re needed.
Where is fire compartmentation required?
Compartmentation is a legal requirement in the UK for most non-domestic buildings and in many residential buildings, too. Fire compartmentation requirements include the following:
Residential buildings. In new domestic buildings, terraced and semi-detached houses should be separated by compartment walls. In blocks of flats, each individual flat should form its own fire compartment. Stairwells and escape routes must also be protected.
Public and commercial buildings. Office buildings, retail premises, hospitality venues and public buildings, like hospitals and schools, all require fire compartmentation — particularly along escape routes, between floors and between areas of different use or risk.
Industrial and warehouse buildings. Fire compartmentation is again required to protect escape routes and to divide large spaces into smaller sections. It’s also used to separate areas with particularly flammable materials or dangerous chemicals from the rest of the site.
The specific requirements for your building depend on its size, use, height, other fire protection measures and number of occupants. You can find detailed information in Fire Safety: Approved Document B — the fire safety section of UK building regulations.
How do you achieve fire compartmentation in buildings?
New buildings are built to meet current fire compartmentation regulations. Existing buildings can be retrofitted. Either way, fire compartmentation is achieved through a combination of physical barriers, each of which must be correctly specified, installed and maintained.
Fire compartment walls
Fire compartment walls are the vertical barriers that divide a building into separate fire compartments. They have to be constructed from fire-resistant materials and provide the right level of fire resistance.
Critically, fire compartment walls must be continuous. Any penetrations — for pipes, cables or other services — must be properly sealed using fire-stopping materials. A single unsealed hole can compromise the entire wall’s fire resistance.
Fire compartment floors and ceilings
In multi-storey buildings, compartmentation helps prevent fire from spreading vertically as well as horizontally. Fire-rated floors and ceilings contain fire within a single storey for the required time.
As with walls, any penetrations through fire-rated floors and ceilings must be properly sealed. And cavities between storeys are a common weak point. If the ceiling is fire-rated but the cavity above it isn’t, fire can spread unchecked through that space.
Fire-rated doors and hardware
Fire doors are another critical element of any fire compartmentation strategy. Every opening in a fire compartment wall — every doorway that connects one compartment to another — needs a fire door.
It’s important to note that a fire door is only effective as part of a complete, correctly installed fire doorset. The door leaf, frame, hinges, seals, lock and letterbox all need to be fire-rated and compatible.
Fire doors must also be kept closed when not in use — or fitted with an electromagnetic hold-open device that releases automatically when the fire alarm activates. An open fire door completely compromises its fire compartment.
Fire-rated glazing
Where glazing is used as part of fire compartment walls or fire doors — for visibility, light or aesthetics — it has to be fire-rated.
Standard glass fails quickly in a fire, allowing heat, flames and smoke to pass through. Fire-rated glazing is specially manufactured to maintain its integrity for the required resistance period.
How do you maintain fire compartmentation over time?
Fire compartmentation isn’t a one-time exercise. That’s because buildings change over time. And every change risks compromising the compartmentation.
Building improvements, routine maintenance and faulty fire doors can create penetrations in fire-rated walls, floors and ceilings. If those issues aren’t addressed, the compartmentation is breached.
Here’s what you can do to maintain the fire compartmentation of your building.
Conduct a fire compartmentation survey
The most effective way to identify and address any issues is with a fire compartmentation survey.
Carried out by a qualified fire safety professional, a compartmentation survey assesses the fire-resistant barriers throughout a building — walls, floors, ceilings, doors — and identifies any problems that need to be rectified.
You can opt for a visual survey — a surface-level check of walls, ceilings and doors. Or you can go further, temporarily opening up walls, floors or ceiling coverings to properly inspect fire compartment construction.
Keep a fire compartmentation plan
It helps if you have a fire compartmentation plan. This is a documented record of the compartmentation strategy for your building.
It details where compartment boundaries are, what fire ratings apply and where fire doors and other barriers are located. This is a useful tool when conducting fire compartment maintenance — and when building renovations are taking place.
Maintain your fire barriers
Ongoing maintenance matters, too.
Whenever renovations are taking place, supervise third-party contractors and inspect their work once it’s finished, making sure that fire compartments haven’t been compromised.
You should inspect fire doors regularly — checking for damage and confirming that self-closers are working correctly. A professional fire door service, once every six months, is also advised.
Fire compartmentation: the foundation of passive fire protection
Fire compartmentation is integral to passive fire protection. Compartments contain fire, protect escape routes and buy the time needed for evacuation and emergency response.
If you’re unsure if your building’s fire compartmentation is adequate — or if it’s been a while since it was properly assessed — the right starting point is a professional fire compartmentation survey.
At Fire Door Systems, our accredited technicians carry out fire safety surveys for residential, commercial, public and industrial buildings across the UK.
We assess existing fire doors, walls, floors and escape routes. Then, give you a clear picture of what’s in place and what needs changing.
We also supply, manufacture and install fire doors, helping you create the fireproof barrier you need to keep people and property safe — and meet UK fire safety regulations.
Get in touch with the FDS team to book a fire safety survey today.
FAQs
What is compartmentation in fire safety?
Compartmentation in fire safety means the division of a building into separate sections using fire-resistant barriers — walls, floors, ceilings, doors and glazing. Each section is designed to contain a fire for a set period of time, preventing it from spreading and protecting escape routes.
What is the main objective of fire compartmentation?
The main objective is to limit the spread of fire and smoke within a building. This helps to protect escape routes, and reduces damage to the structure and its contents.
What is a fire compartmentation survey?
A fire compartmentation survey is a detailed inspection of a building’s fire-resistant barriers — walls, floors, ceilings and doors. It’s carried out by a qualified safety professional who will look for any breaches or gaps in your compartmentation strategy.
A survey is particularly useful for older buildings, recently renovated properties or any building where fire safety records are incomplete.
