What is a fire compartmentation survey?
The objective of fire compartmentation is to prevent the spread of smoke, gases, and flames. By subdividing the building with fire resisting construction, escape routes and high-risk or high-value areas are protected to ensure the safety of occupants and prevent extensive losses.
A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment will typically involve a review of existing fire compartmentation measures through a sampling approach (walls, floors, voids, and shafts predominantly).
Sampling can indicate the presence of significant issues, such as locating or confirming the presence of fire dampers, or establishing if existing measures meet the requirements of current guidance or other specific business resilience objectives.
However, the scope of a fire risk assessment will not extensively cover every area or aspect of fire compartmentation and a more detailed survey may sometimes be recommended.
Fire doors also form a principal feature of fire compartmentation, enabling travel between different compartments. The FPA also offers a fire door inspection service. Where required, compartmentation and fire door inspections can be combined into a single survey.
How can the FPA help?
Our expert surveyors can conduct comprehensive, non-destructive fire compartmentation surveys and deliver detailed reports on the condition of walls and floors, roof voids, wall voids, risers and shafts, floor voids and basements.
What is included?
- An assessment of the compartmentation arrangements for the premises, or defining the compartmentation strategy if not known
- A comprehensive visual inspection of the existing provisions including fire compartmentation in roof voids, floors, walls, basements, floor and ceiling voids, risers, and shafts where present
- An assessment of the condition of elements of structure providing fire resisting compartmentation and any subsequent defects in accordance with Building Regulations guidance, relevant British Standards, and any site-specific fire strategy information made available
- A clear action plan which outlines the location of defects, supported by photographic evidence, and suggested remedial actions to be taken.
Compartmentation survey technology
We have significantly developed the technology we use to carry out fire safety compartmentation services to improve the outputs for our customers. Using a tablet device, our software application enables our surveyors to upload your up- to- date building floor plans. Should up-to- date floor plans not be available, a scanning service can be undertaken prior to the compartmentation survey (more information including quotations are available upon request).
The plans are used to describe the compartmentation strategy, the location of the identified compartmentation issue/breach. Each issue is given a unique ID number on the drawing which corresponds with the digital survey report. A RAG rating is also included to enable prioritisation of remedial works.
This technology enables us to produce a clear, concise, comprehensive digital report which links any identified issues to the location on your building floor plans. Annotated drawings are provided in AutoCAD and pdf formats, and the report is produced in a useable format so you can filter, extract, and import to your own system.
Compartmentation survey outputs
The report will review the existing condition and adequacy of the fire compartmentation measures, and where necessary recommend improvements that should be undertaken in order to make your buildings compliant with statutory requirements and best practice guidance, or to meet a specific business resilience objective.
Our compartmentation survey outputs comprise:
- annotated plans of each floor of your building showing the lines of compartmentation
- details of each compartmentation breach, hole, and imperfection identified with suggested repair detail
- actual or expected damper locations
- any obvious fire hazards or risks
- rough order costs for each issue (if required).
Download our fire advisory services brochure.