Fire Stopping & Passive Fire Protection FAQ

Passive fire protection, also sometimes defined as ‘built-in’ fire protection, are those components, materials & systems that go to make up or sit within the fabric of a building.

YES, fire stopping is required by law. Legislation – Building Regulations 2006 – Technical Guidance Document B – Fire Safety.

Yes. It is a very practical way of sealing compartments of your building and can be done area by area.

With minimal disruption you can continue to trade. We may only need access to part of your building. During our site survey and fire stopping consultation, this can be discussed.

Yes, residential properties are suitable for fire stopping. Generally, we work in large commercial buildings but do not hesitate to contact us for any fire stopping needs.

The spread of fire within a building can be restricted by sub-dividing it into compartments separated from one another by walls and/or floors of fire-resisting construction.

The object is twofold:

1. To prevent rapid fire spread which could trap occupants of the building; and
2. To reduce the chance of fires becoming large, on the basis that large fires are more dangerous, not only to occupants but to people in the vicinity of the building.

Generally, it is assumed that services should be supported as per the fire test, typically between 200mm and 500mm away from the compartment.

As ducts and dampers are tested to a different standard to cables, pipes etc. they should therefore be separated from other services and installed into their own openings.

Yes, Flame Stop Ltd use unique identifier tags on every individual component of fire stopping installed. This is then photographed, the location is recorded and uploaded using a mobile device in real-time on our BORIS system.

Once a project is completed, we use our BORIS system to generate a worksheet detailing all works completed, the location of the work and photographic evidence of completed work including unique identifier tag. Giving our clients a fully transparent service.

The ‘s’ in FD30s and FD60s indicated that a fire door also has a smoke seal fitted. This is a fire door that offers protection against fires and smoke.

Fire doors should be visually inspected on a regular basis by the building managers/competent person, particularly in busy areas.

Fire doors should be installed by a 3rd party accredited fire door installation company with installers trained in the proper installation of a fire door.

Fire doors must be fitted with automatic self-closing devices that can close the door from any angle unless they have a Fire Door Keep Locked sign on them. An open fire door offers no fire protection.

An intumescent seal is designed to expand with the presence of heat. This then fills the gap between the fire door and the door frame. The smoke seal is only designed to prevent the spread of cold smoke until the intumescent seal reacts to the fire & expands.

A company with 3rd party certification for the activity of taking a fire resistant doorset that needs adjustment and / or has minor to moderate damage, and to repair or maintain it, in such a way as to restore the fire resistance performance to what it was before the damage occurred or the doorset went out of tolerance.

The gap between the door leaf and door frame must be as per the fire test report for said door. In general, the gap should be between 2-4mm.

Below are the main components on a fire door which can check for damage by yourself between your accredited fire door inspections.

• Doorleaf – Edge condition, door gaps, Bowed or twisted, Leaf thickness.
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• Doorframe – Thickness, Securely Fixed, Architrave Condition, Material.
• Seals – Overall condition, Size.
• Hardware – Hinge condition, lock/latch operation, Door Closer, Hold open device.
• Glazing – Glass Condition, Glass type.

There are various intumescent coating products which are designed to excel in different circumstances, so selecting the right one for your project requirements is essential. This is a highly specialized field though and an accredited intumescent coating system contractor should be consulted.

Intumescent systems are applied using airless spray equipment. Some smaller areas may be hand applied.

Only approved primers may be applied prior to an intumescent coating. Check the manufacturer’s approved primers list for compatibility or, alternatively, contact the manufacturer.

Yes, intumescent coating systems can be applied to galvanised steel but the steel substrate first requires a special primer over the galvanisation before the intumescent is applied. Contact the product manufacturer for specific details.

Only approved top coats can be applied over intumescent coatings. Contact the coating manufacturer – or visit their website – for a list of approved top coats for the coating in use

Some intumescent coating systems can achieve up to 120 minutes fire rating. This will all depend on the mass of the steel member/s to be coated and the load the members are supporting. The product manufacturer can help determine what thickness you need to achieve the required Fire Rating Loadings.

Generally intumescent paint for structural steel can only achieve the fire protection for Integrity (E) – structural adequacy.

The intumescent coating thickness is calculated based Fire Rating required, steel geometry and weight as well as what type of load it is supporting. It is therefore impossible to provide a general square metre rate as it is different for every member. Please contact us to discuss the details of your job.

Flame Stop Ltd are a 3rd party certified applicator of intumescent paint and provide a certificate of compliance for the intumescent coating system and its application.