Fire Compartmentation 101: How To Identify Breaches And Prioritise Remedials Before Winter

Protest ES Ltd
24 minutes ago
6 min read

Preparing buildings for winter and holiday shutdowns is not just about heating checks and roof leaks. It is also the time to make sure fire and smoke are contained if the worst happens when occupancy is low and response times may be slower. This guide gives you a practical overview of fire compartmentation, the breach types you are likely to find, how to survey and record defects, and how to prioritise remedials so you enter the colder months with confidence.

What fire compartmentation means and why it matters

Fire compartmentation is the passive fire protection strategy that divides a building into fire resisting boxes. Walls, floors, ceilings, doors and service risers form barriers that limit the spread of fire and smoke from one area to another for a set period, typically 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes depending on design and use.

When asked, what is the meaning of fire compartmentation, the simplest answer is this: it buys time. Time for people to escape, time for first responders to arrive, and time to limit damage and business interruption. It only works if the compartments are intact and all penetrations are properly sealed.

Requirements and where fire stopping applies

What are the requirements for fire compartmentation? In the UK, compartmentation and fire stopping should meet the intent of Building Regulations Approved Document B.

That means:

Maintain the fire resistance of compartment lines where services pass through.
Use compatible, tested systems that match the fire rating of the element.
Ensure continuity at junctions, edges and linear joints.
Keep fire doors to specification with correct gaps, seals and hardware.

Where is firestopping required? Anywhere fire or smoke could bypass the compartment line, including:

Service penetrations in walls and floors, such as cables, cable trays, conduits, pipework and ducts.
Damaged or poorly sealed risers and vertical shafts.
Unprotected linear joints, such as floor slab to wall interfaces, head-of-wall joints and façade interfaces.
Around fire doors and frames where sealing or substrate has failed.
Voids above suspended ceilings, plant rooms and around structural steel where specified.

A linear joint seal is a tested system that closes the continuous gap between two building elements, for example the joint between a floor slab and a wall. Correctly installed joint seals maintain the required fire and smoke resistance along that junction for the specified duration.

Common breach types you will find on site

Ahead of seasonal closures, look for these frequent issues:

Cables, bundles and trays routed through walls with no seal or with crumbling foam that is not a tested system.
Plastic pipes lacking intumescent collars or wraps.
Oversized holes where small services were run, leaving annular gaps unfilled.
Ad hoc fire foam without backing material or identification tags.
Damaged riser walls and floors after contractor works, with rubble and daylight visible through openings.
Missing or degraded linear joint materials at slab edges and head-of-wall interfaces.
Penetrations hidden above suspended ceilings or inside cupboards that have never been sealed.
Fire doors that do not close, have excessive gaps or missing cold smoke seals, undermining the line of compartmentation.

How to survey compartmentation quickly and well

A structured survey helps you capture the risk picture and brief your supply chain for remedials. Use this approach:

Start with plans. Mark compartment lines, escape routes, high risk rooms and service routes.
Walk risers from bottom to top. Check each floor’s penetration seals, joint continuity and access doors.
Open ceiling tiles at line-of-route points, near cores, plant rooms and corridor junctions.
Trace key services to their wall or floor crossing points. Note where multiple trades share openings.
Check door sets that sit on compartment lines. Confirm gaps, seals, closers and signage.

Photographic evidence tips:

Take wide, context shots that show location, orientation and the surrounding construction.
Follow with close-ups of the breach, with a ruler or identifiable marker for scale.
Include rating labels, product stamps and any existing tags.
Name files or annotate photos with floor, room, gridline and direction so they are audit ready.

Tagging and labelling:

Apply durable tags at each seal after inspection or remedial work. Include date, rating, system type, installer and reference ID.
Use colour coding for status, for example red for defects requiring remedial action, amber for monitoring, green for compliant.
Update your asset register with tag numbers, locations and photographs so future contractors know what they are dealing with and do not create new defects.

Recording defects:

Log each breach with location, description, element rating, service type and approximate size.
Assign a risk level based on consequence and likelihood, for example immediate risk where a large unsealed opening sits on a main escape route.
Attach photos and sketch details where useful. Clear records shorten quotation time and prevent scope drift.

Prioritising remedials before the holidays

You will not fix everything in one visit, so prioritise by life safety and smoke control:

First, breaches in compartments protecting escape stairs, lobbies and corridors, or that separate sleeping or high dependency areas.
Next, large or multiple penetrations in risers that run the full height of the building.
Then, openings that compromise plant rooms, high fire load spaces and areas with high ignition risk.
After that, fix linear joints at slab edges and head-of-wall interfaces to restore continuity.
Finally, address minor annular gaps and tidy historic ad hoc foam that is not part of a tested system.
Plan work sequencing to minimise disruption during occupied hours. Many sites tackle noise and dust producing works out of hours in the run up to shut down.

Competence, certification and who can do fire stopping

Who can do fire stopping? Fire stopping is specialist work. It should be designed and installed by competent persons who understand tested systems, substrates, service types and movement. A passive fire protection contractor brings trained installers, access to manufacturer approved solutions and the right documentation trail.

Does fire stopping need to be certified? You should expect a certificate or record for each installed seal that states the product system, rating, location, installer and date, with supporting photos. This provides traceability and evidence for audits, insurers and your fire risk assessment. Certification of the installer or third party accreditation is strong assurance of competence and quality control.

Protest ES Ltd provides fire stopping surveys, installations and a clear certification trail, with nationwide delivery and minimal disruption. If you also need help with compartmentation lines and fire door interfaces, our teams integrate fire doors and fire stopping to restore performance end to end.

Cost and programme considerations

How much does fire stopping cost? Pricing depends on quantity, access, substrate, service mix and the required fire rating. A small cable seal differs from a large multi service opening with collars, wraps, pillows and boards.

The fastest way to get a reliable cost is to arrange a targeted survey with photo evidence and a schedule of openings. We provide prioritised quotations so you can phase works around shutdowns and budgets.

Link your findings to your wider compliance plan

Compartmentation sits alongside doors, alarms and evacuation planning. Use your survey outcomes to inform your next fire risk assessment and to coordinate with door inspections. If you need a partner to help you integrate passive protection, a certified

passive fire protection contractor can streamline planning and delivery. You can also learn more about our fire stopping capability, from surveys to installation and records. For estates where compartment lines and doors intersect frequently, reviewing

fire door inspections at the same time reduces repeat visits and speeds up remedial closure.

Winter readiness checklist

Confirm your compartment lines on updated plans.
Survey risers, plant rooms and ceiling voids along escape routes.
Photograph and tag all defects and record them with clear locations.
Prioritise works that protect means of escape and vertical risers.
Use competent, accredited installers and insist on a certification trail.
Schedule intrusive works before holiday closures to minimise disruption.
Update your records so contractors do not re open sealed penetrations.

Summary and next steps

Intact compartments control smoke and heat, support evacuation and cut downtime. Focus your pre winter effort on finding and fixing the real pathways fire would take, starting with escape routes, risers and linear joints. Record everything with clear photos and tags, and use competent installers who certify what they install. If you want help, book a compartmentation survey and remedial programme with Protest ES Ltd before seasonal closures. We will survey, prioritise and restore compliance so you can lock up for the holidays with confidence