What Does a Passive Fire Protection Survey Actually Include?

TL;DR

• A passive fire protection survey is a structured assessment of a building's compartmentation integrity, covering fire barriers, service penetrations, fire doors, and cavity barriers.

• The process has three stages: document review and preparation before the visit, on-site inspection, and a RAG-rated findings report.

• Every finding is graded by severity: Red (urgent), Amber (planned remediation), or Green (routine maintenance).

• The survey report is the starting point, not the endpoint. Remediation works and a re-inspection are required to close the compliance loop.

• Buildings that have undergone refurbishment or building services works are particularly likely to have undetected passive fire protection defects.

Facilities managers are often told by a fire risk assessor that they "need a passive fire survey" but what that actually means in practice is rarely explained clearly. A passive fire protection (PFP) survey is not a single standardised inspection with a fixed checklist. It is a professional assessment of a building's compartmentation integrity, conducted by a qualified assessor who works through a structured methodology specific to the building type, its construction history, and its current use.

This guide walks through every stage of a PFP survey: what happens before the assessor arrives, what they physically inspect on site, what a findings report contains, and what the next steps look like when the survey is complete.

What Is a Passive Fire Protection Survey?

A passive fire protection survey is a systematic assessment of a building's ability to contain fire and smoke within defined compartments for a specified period. Passive fire protection is built into the fabric of a building and includes the walls, floors, and ceilings that form fire-rated compartments, the door sets that maintain those compartments when closed, the materials used to seal service penetrations, and the intumescent and other fire-stopping products installed at junction points. Our passive fire protection services cover every element of this built-in protection.

A PFP survey does not test active systems such as sprinklers, fire alarms, or suppression equipment. It is concerned exclusively with the passive elements: the barriers, seals, and fire-resisting construction that slow the spread of fire and smoke without requiring any mechanical or electrical activation.

The purpose of the survey is to identify where those passive elements have been breached, degraded, incorrectly installed, or are missing entirely, and to produce a documented record of findings that enables the building owner or manager to prioritise and plan remediation.

Stage One: Preparation and Document Review

A thorough PFP survey does not begin on site. Before the inspection, the assessor should request and review the building's as-built drawings and fire strategy documents where available, any previous passive fire protection surveys or fire risk assessments, records of refurbishments, fit-outs, or building services installations that may have introduced service penetrations, and any existing maintenance records for fire door sets.

This preparation stage is important because it allows the assessor to identify the intended compartmentation layout, understand where deviations from the original design are likely to have occurred, and plan the on-site programme efficiently. Buildings without adequate documentation require the assessor to work from first principles on site, which takes more time and may result in assumptions that a more document-informed assessment would not require.

Stage Two: The On-Site Inspection

The on-site inspection is the core of the survey. A qualified PFP assessor moves methodically through the building, examining each element of the passive fire protection strategy in turn. The scope typically covers four principal areas.

Compartmentation and Fire Barriers

The assessor checks that the fire-rated walls, floors, and ceilings forming each compartment are intact and continuous. This means looking for breaches (gaps, holes, or voids) that would allow fire or smoke to pass through a compartment boundary before the fire-resistance period has elapsed. Common sources of compartmentation breach include redundant service routes that were removed but not sealed, holes cut for cable trays or ductwork that were never filled, and poorly executed plasterboard repairs that do not match the fire rating of the surrounding wall. Our fire compartmentation service addresses exactly these types of breach.

In multi-occupancy or multi-floor buildings, the assessor will also inspect the structural floor and ceiling construction at each level to confirm that horizontal fire spread is adequately resisted.

Service Penetrations and Fire Stopping

Every time a pipe, cable, duct, or conduit passes through a fire-rated wall or floor, it creates a potential breach in the compartment boundary. The purpose of fire stopping at these penetration points is to reinstate the fire resistance of the compartment by filling the gap around the service with a material or system that will expand, solidify, or seal under heat before fire and smoke can pass through.

The assessor inspects each penetration point (or a representative sample in large buildings with significant volumes of similar penetrations) to confirm that fire-stopping products are present, correctly specified for the service type and substrate, installed in accordance with the manufacturer's specification, and in good condition with no visible damage or deterioration. For buildings where existing fire stopping has been disturbed by building services works, the survey will typically identify a high concentration of defects in those areas.

Fire Door Sets

Fire door sets are one of the most frequently identified sources of passive fire protection failure. A fire door that is not correctly specified, installed, maintained, or fitted with the right hardware cannot perform its intended function of holding back fire and smoke for its rated period. Our fire door inspection service follows the same rigorous methodology applied during a full PFP survey.

The assessor inspects each fire door set for the presence of a third-party certification label, the correct installation of intumescent strips and cold smoke seals, door gap tolerances (typically 3mm at the sides and top, 10mm at the threshold), closer performance, self-latching function, and the condition of any glazing panels and frames. Ironmongery is also checked: hinges, latches, and any hold-open devices must be fire-rated and correctly installed.

Cavity Barriers and Concealed Spaces

Concealed spaces such as ceiling voids, floor voids, and wall cavities are among the most challenging areas to assess and among the most common locations for passive fire protection failures. Fire can travel unseen through voids faster than it moves through open spaces, meaning that cavity barriers (installed to sub-divide voids into compartments) are critical to limiting fire spread.

The assessor will, where access permits, inspect ceiling void spaces above suspended ceilings, wall cavities at junction points, and any other concealed spaces for the presence and condition of cavity barriers. In buildings where access is not possible without intrusive investigation, the survey report will note the limitation and recommend follow-up intrusive surveys where the risk profile warrants it.

Stage Three: The Findings Report

The output of the survey is a written findings report that documents every deficiency identified during the inspection. A well-structured PFP survey report includes a photographic schedule of findings, with each defect accompanied by at least one photograph at the specific location, referenced to the building's floor plan or a grid reference system.

How Findings Are Graded

Findings are typically graded using a RAG (Red, Amber, Green) system or an equivalent severity classification.

Red findings (Priority 1) are defects that represent an immediate or significant risk to life safety. These include large unprotected penetrations in compartment walls, missing or severely damaged fire door sets on escape routes, and absent or severely damaged cavity barriers in high-risk locations. Red findings require urgent attention and, in some cases, interim protective measures pending full remediation.

Amber findings (Priority 2) are defects that represent a moderate risk and require planned remediation within a defined timescale. These include incorrectly specified fire-stopping products, fire door sets with missing intumescent strips, and partially sealed penetrations where the gap has not been adequately filled.

Green findings (Priority 3) are observations or minor defects to be addressed as part of routine maintenance, with no immediate risk to life safety. Examples include surface-level damage to fire door finishes or minor deterioration of sealant products at low-risk penetration points.

What a RAG-Rated Report Looks Like in Practice

A completed PFP survey report lists every finding by location, includes a photograph, states the defect, classifies the priority, and sets out a recommended remediation action. The report is designed to serve as both a compliance record and a works instruction, containing enough detail for a remediation contractor to understand exactly what is required at each location without needing an independent site visit.

The report should also include a summary of the survey methodology, the assessor's qualifications and any relevant third-party accreditations, the date of the inspection, and a clear statement of which areas were and were not accessed during the visit.

What Happens After the Survey?

The survey report is the start of the compliance process, not the end of it. Once you have a prioritised schedule of findings, the next step is to commission remediation works that address each deficiency in priority order. Red findings should be actioned first. Amber findings should have a planned programme in place within a defined period. Our team delivers compartmentation surveys and fire stopping remedial works as an integrated service, so the survey findings move directly into a scoped programme of works without delay.

Once remediation works are complete, a re-inspection is required to confirm that every finding has been correctly addressed and that the installation now meets the required standard. The re-inspection report, combined with the original survey and the schedule of remediation works, forms the auditable compliance record that demonstrates to building regulators, insurers, and fire authorities that the building's passive fire protection has been assessed, deficiencies identified, and those deficiencies resolved.

For buildings in London and the South East, our compartmentation survey service provides a full survey-to-remediation programme with consistent reporting and a single point of accountability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a passive fire protection survey and a fire risk assessment?

A fire risk assessment is a broad evaluation of all fire-related risks in a building, covering ignition sources, means of escape, detection systems, and general fire safety management. A passive fire protection survey focuses specifically on the integrity of the building fabric: compartmentation, fire stopping, fire doors, and cavity barriers. The two are complementary. A fire risk assessor will often identify that a PFP survey is required, but the survey itself is a more detailed, specialist inspection of the structural fire protection elements.

Who should carry out a passive fire protection survey?

A PFP survey should be carried out by a competent assessor with specific knowledge of passive fire protection systems, materials, and installation standards. Look for assessors with third-party accreditation from a recognised body such as BM TRADA or FIRAS, or who work for organisations accredited under the IFC Certification scheme. Competency matters particularly in this field because incorrect identification or grading of defects can leave buildings exposed to risk that was not correctly classified.

How often should a passive fire protection survey be carried out?

There is no single statutory interval for PFP surveys in commercial buildings, but a survey should be carried out whenever there has been refurbishment, a fit-out, or building services works that may have introduced penetrations or disturbed compartment boundaries. As a general principle, high-risk buildings such as high-rise residential or healthcare premises should be surveyed at least every one to three years. The fire risk assessment for the building will usually specify the recommended frequency.

What areas of a building does a passive fire protection survey cover?

A comprehensive PFP survey covers all areas where passive fire protection elements are present or should be present. This includes fire-rated walls and floors forming compartment boundaries, service penetrations through those boundaries, fire door sets on escape routes and between compartments, ceiling and floor voids where cavity barriers should be installed, and any areas where building services works may have disturbed the original fire strategy.

What is a RAG-rated findings report?

A RAG-rated report uses a Red, Amber, Green classification to grade the severity of each defect found during the survey. Red findings are urgent and require immediate or near-immediate attention. Amber findings require planned remediation within a reasonable timescale. Green findings are minor observations to be addressed during routine maintenance. RAG ratings allow building managers to prioritise remediation resources and demonstrate to regulators that defects are being addressed in order of risk.

Does a passive fire protection survey include fire door inspections?

Yes. Fire door sets are a critical component of passive fire protection and their inspection forms a standard part of a PFP survey. The assessor checks certification labels, gap tolerances, intumescent and smoke seal condition, closer and latching performance, and the condition of ironmongery and any glazed panels. Fire door inspections can also be commissioned as a standalone service where only the door sets require assessment.

What happens if the survey identifies Red-rated defects?

Red-rated (Priority 1) findings represent an immediate or significant risk and should be addressed urgently. Where a defect presents imminent danger, interim protective measures may be recommended pending full remediation. Options can include restrictions on the use of certain areas or temporary installations to limit fire spread until permanent remediation is complete. Once remediation works are finished, a re-inspection is carried out to confirm the defect has been correctly resolved and the compliance record updated accordingly.