Guide · downloadable

Fire compartmentation: how it works and how it fails

Compartmentation contains fire and smoke within defined areas. This guide explains how it's designed, how it fails and how to remediate it.

Why compartmentation matters

It buys time for escape, protects firefighters and limits property and business loss. It only works if every element — walls, floors, doors, dampers, seals — is intact.

Survey types (1–4)

Type 1 is non-intrusive desk review; Type 4 is fully intrusive sampling. Most clients commission Type 3 or Type 4 for occupied buildings under the current regime.

Typical failure modes

Unsealed service penetrations, missing or damaged cavity barriers, breached riser walls, ill-fitting doors and inappropriate substrates around penetrations.

Evidenced remediation

Each defect closed against a named tested system, with a per-defect photograph, system reference and asset register entry — verifiable by the original surveyor.