Fire is and continues to be one of the most dangerous threats to human life and property in general. Even though we as a civilisation have made numerous strides towards innovation, fire-related incidents continue to torment us every now and then. We thought it would be fit to start from the basics and shed some light on fire compartmentation within buildings and talk about the importance of dividing buildings into different compartments to enhance the means of escape. So, let's take a look?
What is Compartmentation?
The very essence of the word ‘compartmentalise’ is to split up something into compact parts so that the various smaller parts do not get mixed up with one another. Let’s imagine a scenario where there’s an actual fire. Would it not make sense to have the establishment divided into smaller compartments to ensure that the impact restricts within the area where the fire originated from? This is the primary reason why fire compartmentation is one of the most effective passive fire protection strategies to help minimise damage to property and save lives.
Why Is Fire Compartmentation Important?
Fire compartmentalisation saves more lives than you can possibly imagine. In the event of an actual fire, it creates a safety window for all the inhabitants to safely evacuate the premises as fire compartmentation’s primary job is to slow down the spread of fire and smoke from the area of impact to the rest of the building.
Fire compartmentalisation helps slow down the spread of smoke and flames which in turn provides safe passage to the firefighters by allowing them to safely access the premises to actually put out the flames.
Compartmentation when done right also assists in decreasing the damage that is done to an establishment when a fire erupts. Rather than the entire building being engulfed by flames rapidly, compartmentation in essence limits the spread from one floor to another. For instance, think about a server room or a lab that contains business assets of grave importance, turning those into specialised compartments preserves what’s actually inside them in case of any fire-related emergencies.
How To Actually Go About Fire Compartmentation in Your Building?
Fire Barriers: They typically have fire-resistance ratings of one to four hours and are intended to limit the spread of fire across the assembly. They are physical barriers made using intumescent coatings which are meant to expand and enclose any gap in the vent in case of any fire-related incident.
Cavity Barriers: These help plugin hidden spaces between walls, floors or ceilings in an attempt to ensure that the fire or smoke does not escape the area of impact. What makes it possible is the intumescent coating that they are made of which expands when the temperatures exceed a certain level.
Fire Doors: Think of these as heavy doors that are made using fire-resistance properties and seals that help close up the area forming a physical barrier between the area of impact and otherwise.
Fire Dampers: These are the ducting fittings that prevent the spread of flame through vents. Dynamic dampers are well-suited in places where the fan continues to blow in spite of a fire alarm going off, static dampers cut off the air supply and smoke dampers actively prevent the smoke from spreading via the ducts.
Fire Curtains: Safely stored in ceilings, these drop-down at the onset of a fire creating a physical barrier.
Is It A One time Job Or Does It Require Recurring Monitoring?
Much like any other form of fire protection, compartmentation must be frequently monitored to ensure that its integrity is not compromised.
In doing so, it allows the building manager or the contractor to identify potential risks and mitigate them to make the premise secure.
Are There Any Specific Legal Requirements One Must Comply With?
For a building over 30 m in height, every floor must be separated by a compartment floor.
Ceilings or cavity barriers must be adept at withstanding the fire for a minimum of 30 minutes benchmark.
When two or more establishments share a wall, the walls must be built as a compartment wall.
Compartmentation should ideally be separate in a building if it serves different purposes (commercial, residential, storage space)
Compartmentation like any other fire protection system requires recurrent inspections and moderation. Moreover, under the Fire Safety Order, it is a legislative requirement to maintain these systems in an attempt to not compromise their integrity.
You can call our technical team for expert advice regarding your fire protection requirements on 01530 588189
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