Explaining Passive Fire Protection
Passive fire protection with suitable fire-stopping reduces the spread of fire in a building by compartmentalising the building. This either supports a stay put policy or gives people time to safely evacuate. From an asset protection perspective, it can dramatically reduce the damage a fire can do before the emergency services arrive.
Fire Compartmentation
Fire compartmentation is the process of dividing your premises into a series of designated contained areas, that prevent a fire and stop its progression through a building. Fire-rated partitions, floors and ceilings are essential to ensure effective fire compartmentation and they are a fundamental component of any fire safety design.
This means that to best ensure the integrity of your compartmentation you should only use accredited installers who use approved materials.
Metro Fire Stopping Services
We provide a wide range of fire-stopping services that are designed and delivered by competent accredited teams. This ensures the works can be certified and therefore contribute to your ‘golden thread’.
Our services are completely nationwide, and our teams are available for small remediation projects right through to major upgrade projects.
Further Information
Please contact us on 020 7960 3939 for further details or advice.
Fire compartmentation is the process of dividing your premises into a series of designated contained areas that prevent a fire and stop its progression through a building. Fire-rated partitions, floors and ceilings are essential to ensure effective fire compartmentation and they are a fundamental component of any fire safety design.
This means that to best ensure the integrity of your compartmentation you should only use accredited installers who use approved materials.
Compartmentation Surveys
A fire compartmentation survey explores the compartmentation measures (for instance, the use of fire dampers) used in a building to determine their effectiveness. In some instances, samples are collected and studied. The goal is to determine whether the existing measures are suitable in the prevailing circumstances.
A compartmentation survey can be instructed on a specific area (such as means of escape or roof void) or on the entire property.
Competence
Compartmentation surveys should be undertaken by a qualified 'competent person'. It is important that anyone undertaking the survey has knowledge of fire safety, building construction and fire stopping installation methods and materials.
Reporting
The output from our surveyor is a digitised report, giving clear conclusions that allow the customer to move forward with confidence. This can be used by other consultants or contractors to plan, spec and cost remediation projects if required.
Further Information
Please contact us on 020 7960 3939 for further details or advice.
The Fire Safety Act has created a requirement for the Responsible Person (RP) to ensure that a Fire Door Check takes place on all flat front entrance doors in residential properties 11m and above. The check needs to be undertaken annually and the RP must be able to demonstrate ‘best endeavours’ to gaining access to flats if the check has not been possible.
Metro can combine these checks with the quarterly common fire door checks also required by the same Act. Whilst we would rely on the customer to liaise with the tenants and facilitate access, we employ a 3-attempt approach to try and gain access, recording both the successful and unsuccessful attempts.
Responsible persons for residential buildings below 11 metres in height have a duty to put in place general fire precautions in these buildings. This duty includes making sure that all fire doors – including flat entrance doors – are capable of providing adequate protection. The Act has not been prescriptive on what this approach constitutes.
Competence
As with all our regular inspection services an initial asset grab builds a detailed digital picture of the fire door assets on site and their state of repair. The regular Fire Door Checks are then undertaken by fully trained operatives who will reference their findings against this original condition survey. All people undertaking this work will have undertaken and passed an FIA accredited Fire Door Checking course.
Reporting
The reports contain photographs and clear locations of any issues identified allowing for easy management of remedial actions. These can be accessed through our Safety SMART portal.
Further Information
Please contact us on 020 7960 3939 for further details or advice.
The Fire Safety Act has created a requirement for the Responsible Person (RP) to ensure that all common parts fire doors for residential properties 11m and above are checked quarterly.
Metro can combine these checks with the annual flat front door checks also required by the same Act. Whilst we would rely on the customer to liaise with the tenants and facilitate access, we employ a 3-attempt approach to try and gain access, recording both the successful and unsuccessful attempts.
For residential properties below 11m, fire doors are part of general fire precautions, and any RP will be expected to effectively plan, organise, control, monitor and review their fire doors to ensure their continued effectiveness. The Act has not been prescriptive on what this approach constitutes.
Competence
As with all our regular inspection services an initial asset grab builds a detailed digital picture of the fire door assets on site and their state of repair. The regular Fire Door Checks are then undertaken by fully trained operatives who will reference their findings against this original condition survey. All people undertaking this work will have undertaken and passed an FIA accredited Fire Door Checking course.
Reporting
The reports contain photographs and clear locations of any issues identified allowing for easy management of remedial actions. These can be accessed through our Safety SMART portal.
Further Information
Please contact us on 020 7960 3939 for further details or advice.
To support a stay put policy the responsible person must be confident that the fire compartmentation will support it. An intrusive fire risk assessment (sometimes called a type 2 or type 4) is usually required where the fire risk assessor (or someone else) has called into question the integrity of the compartmentation based on observations from the non-intrusive fire risk assessment. An intrusive risk assessment should only ever be undertaken when there is just cause – not as a standard default position.
The Difference Between Type 2 & 4 as Opposed to a Compartmentation Survey
A compartmentation survey is a full review of ALL compartmentations within the property that generally provides sufficient information to prepare a remediation quotation. The intrusive risk assessment is a sampling approach to ascertain whether there may or may not be issues with the compartmentation that would justify triggering a full compartmentation survey. If required, we are also able to provide the compartmentation survey.
Intrusive Risk Assessment Approach
We have a highly qualified team of fully qualified Risk Assessors that can deliver this service nationwide. Our team can either work with your own building / maintenance people or we can access one of our own experienced operatives from Metro Building Services.
Access to several tenants’ demesnes and to the common parts must be granted to a team that consists of a fire risk assessor with an ASFP qualification (usually Eng. Tech.) and a builder who will undertake a series of ‘openings’ to film and ascertain the compartmentation in the property. They will endeavour to make good and close the openings as they go. This will allow an intrusive Fire Risk Assessment Report to be produced that will either confirm the veracity of the compartmentation or suggest a way forward if issues are raised. A Type 2 usually refers to the opening up of common parts areas, whereas a Type 4 is both the common parts and in the tenants’ demesnes i.e., the flats.
A Type 4 fire risk assessment involves the same scope of work as a Type 3 fire risk assessment entering the flat, except that there is a degree of intrusive inspection, in both the common parts and the flats, carried out on a sampling basis.
Reporting
The output from our risk assessor is a digitised report, giving clear conclusions that allow the customer to move forward with confidence. This can be added to the building’s fire safety log and used to demonstrate due diligence and compliance with legislative requirements.
Further Information
Please contact us on 020 7960 3939 for further details or advice.
There are a number of different approaches to surveying fire doors that take a very ‘binary’ approach as to whether the doors are compliant or not. Relatively minor issues and the discounting of ‘notional’ fire doors without paperwork could lead to hugely costly remediation bills.
Our approach to this is to allow a qualified fire risk assessor to review the fire door survey at the time of the full fire risk assessment and then give an additional report recommending what remediation actions they believe to be required on a risk-based approach.
This service is available nationwide and we can even provide the original fire door survey report for the fire risk assessor to work with should you wish it.
Reporting
The output from our risk assessor is a digitised report, giving clear conclusions that allow the customer to move forward with confidence. This can be added to the buildings fire safety log and used to demonstrate due diligence and compliance with legislative requirements.
Further Information
Please contact us on 020 7960 3939 for further details or advice.
Fire doors form a critical element of a building’s overall fire safety arrangements. They restrict the spread of fire and smoke, which helps keep escape routes safe and passable for occupants and responding firefighters alike, but they can only do this if they are in good working order and free from any significant damage or wear & tear.
The Fire Safety Order 2005 places a duty on Responsible Persons to carry out routine fire door checks, and while these checks don’t require high level specialist skills, those carrying out the checks need to know what is acceptable and what constitutes a significant failing.
The frequency of inspections depends on the building’s Fire Risk Assessment or Fire Strategy, and the checks are often combined with other monthly or quarterly fire safety checks.
Competency of Inspectors
Our fire door inspectors are trained to a level that is commensurate with the type of inspection tasks that they are required to undertake, and the responsibilities placed on them as competent persons under article 18. (1) of the fire safety order 2005.
We have 3 levels of competency that we deploy according to the complexity of the situation and the customer’s choice.
- Fire Risk Assessor
- Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) National diploma.
- FIA Fire Door Check Course Certified
Reporting
The output from our inspections is a digitised report, listing the doors that were inspected and the findings of each inspection. This can be added to the building’s fire safety log and used to demonstrate due diligence and compliance with legislative requirements.
Remedial Works
We are able to provide a quotation to undertake any maintenance works necessary to bring your failed fire doors back to required standards. This applies not only to failings detailed in our inspection reports but also those highlighted by your existing fire risk assessment.
Any repairs to fire doors should be carried out by an approved contractor. Approved fire door contractors will certify the work they have carried out and provide valuable information for the fire risk assessor and fire authority that helps demonstrate due diligence. Metro only carry out certifiable remedial works.
Further Information
Please contact us on 020 7960 3939 for further details or advice.
Whether you require the installation of new fire doors, or need existing fire doors repaired or replaced, our team can help. We offer a comprehensive range of fire door remediation and installation options.
Experienced Installers
We deal with thousands of fire door sets a year and are confident that the solutions we implement will be safe and compliant.
Cost-Effective
We specify and quote on any installation works according to the recommendations of the fire risk assessment and in line with the relevant British Standard. These tailored, building-specific solutions mean we only recommend what you need to be compliant.
Paperwork
Any repairs to fire doors should be carried out by an approved contractor. Approved fire door contractors will certify the work they have carried out and provide valuable information for the fire risk assessor and fire authority that helps demonstrate due diligence. Metro only carry out certifiable remedial works.
Further Information
Please contact us on 020 7960 3939 for further details or advice.
Fire dampers are passive fire protection products used in heating, ventilation, air conditioning (and air HVAC) ducts to prevent and isolate the spread of fire inside the ductwork through fire resistance rated walls and floors. Fire/smoke dampers are similar to fire dampers in fire resistance rating, and also prevent the spread of smoke inside the ducts.
When a rise in temperature occurs, the fire damper closes, usually activated by a thermal element which melts at temperatures higher than ambient but low enough to indicate the presence of a fire, allowing springs to close the damper blades. Fire dampers can also close following receipt of an electrical signal from a fire alarm system utilising a detector remote from the damper, indicating the sensing of heat or smoke in the building occupied spaces or in the HVAC duct system.
As Per PAS
Fire Damper - mobile closure or intumescent device within a duct, which is operated automatically and is designed to prevent the passage of fire and which, together with its frame, is capable of satisfying for a stated period of time the same fire resistance criterion for integrity as the element of the building construction through which the duct passes.
Smoke/Fire Damper - mechanical device which, when closed, prevents smoke passing through an aperture within a duct or structure. These are automatically operated, or manually operated, or a combination of the two.
Fire Damper Testing
All fire safety systems must be regularly and professionally maintained to ensure the safety of building occupants – a faulty fire damper will not prevent the spread of fire. With the enactment of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, it is now the employer’s responsibility to maintain their fire safety systems.
Compliance requires that fire damper testing is usually carried out annually. A fire damper test requires a visual inspection of the fire damper and a drop test.
BS 9999:2017 states: ‘… all fire dampers to be tested by a competent person on completion of the installation and at annual intervals. Spring-operated fire dampers should be tested annually and fire dampers situated in dust-laden and similar atmospheres should be tested much more frequently, at periods suited to the degree of pollution’. Dampers in hospitals or high-risk environments will require more frequent testing.
Cost-Effective
Efficiency is imperative in keeping costs to a minimum. Our pre-authorised service spend can ensure minor works are carried out whilst the engineer is on site, reducing the need for return visits and minimising the cost to our clients.
Nationwide
We have locally based engineers who can help with any property across mainland UK.
Find out More
Our qualified team of professionals are on hand to answer any questions you may have about our Fire Damper Testing service.
Please contact us on 0207 960 3939 for free advice and a quotation.
Fire curtains work with other fire protection systems to create barriers where partitions are limited or not present. They are great for buildings that don’t want to compromise on design, with the bonus of the curtain remaining hidden until needed. The fire alarm system in a building will send a signal to the fire curtain, which drops from the ceiling, preventing fire and smoke from travelling throughout the building.
Further Information
Please contact us on 020 7960 3939 for further details or advice.
