Contact IconGet In Touch
The Grenfell Inquiry: Key Takeaways for the Passive Fire Protection Industry View Here >

Fire Compartmentation Survey

A fire compartmentation survey is an all-encompassing inspection to ensure your structural passive fire protection is working effectively and is legally compliant. The 2005 Fire Safety Order states fire protection components in a building must be “subject to a suitable system of maintenance”.

Between 2022 and 2023, there were 7,649 workplace fires, the majority of which were caused by faulty appliances and leads. In fact, 1,774 of these originated in industrial premises, making it the most common sector for fire outbreaks. If your compartmentation is not up to code, you could be risking lives and facing legal action.

As third party accredited fire safety experts, we’re here to clarify the regulations around fire compartmentation and its maintenance. Our aim is to save lives, protect property and ensure you’re compliant with the law.

Why do you need Fire Compartmentation

What is a Fire Compartmentation Survey?

A fire compartmentation survey assesses your existing fire compartmentation measures. It looks at the subdivision of your building into smaller compartments. The purpose of doing this is to prevent the spread of flames, smoke and toxic gases in the event of a fire, giving occupants time to evacuate to safety and preserving the structural integrity of a building.

Suitably maintaining your fire protection measures is required by law, so a survey is necessary to identify any required remedial or maintenance works. We ensure appropriate fire compartmentation exists and is suitable for its surroundings.

Sometimes, you may be advised you need a more in-depth survey following a fire risk assessment (FRA), refurbishment or for due diligence when looking to purchase a building. In these instances, we’d recommend a fire compartmentation survey to look at passive fire protection strategies and compliance in more detail.

Read More

What Is the Main Objective of Fire Compartmentation?

The main objective of fire compartmentation is to slow the spread of fire and smoke throughout a building by containing the fire within a series of designated building areas (compartments). In high risk buildings, such as those housing hazardous materials, it also stops detrimental explosions before a fire can reach these areas.

For example, if a kitchen fire breaks out, the correct wall and door structure can reduce the spread of said fire in some cases up to 4 hours. As such, people have more time to safely evacuate and the fire service can protect the rest of the building.

Contact Us
Fire Door Inspections

What’s Involved in a Fire Compartmentation Survey?

As compartmentation exists at a structural level, people often worry a compartmentation survey is destructive or invasive. In reality, most surveys are non-invasive and don’t cause any disruption to day-to-day operations. In some circumstances, a more invasive survey is required, but this is something we’d discuss with you.

At Adaston, we offer fire compartmentation surveys for new and existing measures. They generally consist of:

  • Assessing or defining the strategy for the building.
  • A visual inspection of existing measures, including those in roof voids, floors, walls, risers etc.
  • A comprehensive inspection of fire doors, ensuring they meet the required British Standards and adhere to building regulations. We offer separate fire door inspections where necessary.
  • A transparent and simple action plan detailing any suggested remedial works.

Our team now use tablets and advanced technology to undertake a fire compartmentation survey, which allows them to upload building plans and strategies (where available). By having an online record, it’s much easier to manage maintenance and remedial works, helping you stay compliant with the Fire Safety Order 2005.

We understand the need for discretionary surveys and offer bespoke services for each client.

Contact Us

Protecting the integrity of Britain’s buildings

Ensure you’re compliant with Adaston!

Get in Touch

Our Process

Steps line
01

Planning

Scope of works and deliverables agreed • Full fire strategy of the building provided by the client • Deadlines and timetable agreed, including any out of hours work required

02

Implementation

Work as agreed in the scope is coordinated and performed • This will be delivered by our in house firestopping team accredited by IFC and cleared and insured

03

Completion

Finalise and issue our tailored report detailing findings from the scope of works • Adaston advise on next steps if required and provide continued support

Featured Articles

View All
Laptop On Desk In Student Accommodation

  • Are There any Legal Requirements for Fire Compartmentation Surveys?

    No, a fire compartmentation survey is not a legal requirement. However, a fire risk assessment is, which might prompt further investigation, such as a survey.

  • How Often Should They be Conducted?

    We recommend conducting a fire compartmentation survey annually.

  • Will A Fire Compartmentation Survey Impact my Building's Insurance Premiums?

    Yes, many insurance companies factor in fire safety measures. Proving your fire compartmentation survey will prove complete compliance; it can also reduce insurance costs and liabilities, and support any legal and financial implications.

  • Will The Survey Disrupt Building Operations?

    A fire compartmentation survey may disrupt operations, but we will do our best to reduce disruption and can work out of hours/overnight if needed.

  • What Happens if Issues are Found During the Survey?

    If we find any issues during your fire compartmentation survey, we will provide you with complete information regarding all non-conformances, including locations, materials, dimensions and more. Adaston is fully qualified with a range of fire safety organisations, enabling us to undertake any remediation, including fire doors and sealing.

  • How Long Does A Fire Compartmentation Survey Last?

    There is no general time limit In fact, our surveys are completely bespoke to your needs. This includes the size of your building and scope of the survey, including sample areas, full survey visual or a full survey with intrusive testing.

Contact Us  Contact Icon
SEO & Web by