Property Refurbishment: How to Adhere to Fire Compartmentation Standards
Published: 26/06/2024
During a property refurbishment, it’s essential to consider fire safety, particularly in multi-occupancy residential blocks.
Recent government data states that there were 2,304 dwelling fires relating to some level of compartmentation failure in 2023. These can be attributed to several compartmentation failures such as compromised fire barriers, voids, or faulty fire doors.
The Grenfell tragedy was a significant event in fire safety standards. Expert witness hearings during the 2018 Inquiry highlighted that along with the cladding, lack of effective compartmentation played a large role in the spread of the fire.
The event was critical in introducing the Fire Safety Act 2021, with a further emphasis placed on fire compartmentation in the aftermath of Grenfell to mitigate risks to future property refurbishments.
In this article, we’ll focus on the essential information you need to know to ensure your property refurbishment project complies with fire compartmentation, including:
- A recap of what fire compartmentation is
- How property refurbishments can hinder fire compartmentation
- How to adhere to fire compartmentation standards
- Essential regulations to consider when refurbing a property
- Property refurbishment best practices
- Why regulatory compliance is important
Improve the fire safety of your property refurbishment project with expert advice from our team at Harris Associates.
What is Fire Compartmentation?
Fire compartmentation refers to dividing a building into separate fire zones using fire-resistant walls, floors, and ceilings. This restricts the spread of fire and smoke, allowing occupants more time to evacuate safely.
In apartments, this translates to fire barriers separating individual units, hallways, and escape routes.
How Can Property Refurbishment Hinder Fire Compartmentation?
Many common property refurbishment projects in flats, like kitchen renovations, internal reconfigurations, or window replacements, can unknowingly compromise existing fire compartmentation.
- Typical Refurbishment Projects: Kitchen renovations often involve removing walls or altering ceilings, potentially weakening fire barriers. Reconfiguring rooms may require creating new openings, which need proper fire doors and seals. Even seemingly minor changes like replacing windows can affect the overall fire resistance of an area.
- Risks Introduced by Refurbishment: These projects can create gaps or breaches in fire barriers, allowing fire and smoke to spread more easily. Additionally, using unsuitable materials during renovations, like replacing fire doors with standard doors, can significantly increase fire risk and lead to prosecution in multi-occupancy residential blocks.
How to Adhere to Fire Compartmentation Standards
Maintaining fire compartmentation during property refurbishments requires careful planning and adherence to regulations. It is important to factor this in at the start of the refurbishment, to see what compartmentation is in place already, as this can affect the scope and costs of a project. Pay close attention to shared walls with neighbouring flats. Any alterations must be done with fire-resistant materials to maintain their integrity.
Similarly, vertical escape routes, such as stairwells, must remain clear and have proper fire doors.
Don’t compromise the safety of your refurbished property and its occupants. Get peace of mind that your project meets the required standards with insights from our team of specialists.
Property Refurbishment: Essential Regulations to Consider
Several regulations govern fire safety during property refurbishments in the UK:
- Building Regulations: Part B of the Building Regulations specifically covers fire safety in buildings and is crucial for refurbishments in residential blocks. It outlines specific requirements for fire resistance, compartmentation, and escape routes.
- Local Authority Requirements: Local authorities may have additional guidelines specific to your area which could be in a Conservation area or the building may be listed. Consulting your local authority ensures that you are aware of any additional fire safety considerations for each apartment refurbishment.
- Fire Safety Order: The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places responsibility on apartment owners and management companies to ensure fire safety within the building. This includes maintaining fire compartmentation during refurbishments.
Property Refurbishment Best Practices
When undertaking a property refurbishment project, there are best practices you need to follow to improve fire safety.
- Consulting Experts: Always consult a qualified fire safety specialist or building control officer before starting any refurbishment project. They can advise on maintaining fire compartmentation and ensure compliance with regulations.
- Choosing Materials: Use fire-resistant materials and construction techniques that comply with current building safety standards such as firestop boards made of gypsum or mineral wool or elastomeric sealants that fill small gaps and joints and maintain their sealing properties under extreme temperatures. Fire safety specialists can recommend suitable materials for your specific project.
- Continuous Assessment: Regular fire safety assessments during and after the refurbishment process are essential. This ensures any potential breaches are identified and rectified promptly.
The Importance of Regulatory Compliance During Property Refurbishment
Failure to adhere to fire safety regulations can have serious consequences:
- Legal ramifications: Non-compliance can lead to large fines, enforcement actions from the local authority and as recent cases have proved, criminal charges. In the worst-case scenario, a fire caused by a non-compliant refurbishment would result in a lengthy custodial sentence.
- Insurance Issues: Failing to meet fire safety standards can affect your insurance coverage. In the case of a fire, your insurer might deny claims or raise premiums due to non-compliance.
Improve the Safety of Your Property Refurbishment With Harris Associates
Maintaining and enhancing fire compartmentation during refurbishments is crucial for fire safety in apartment buildings. By proactively engaging with fire safety professionals, adhering strictly to regulations, and using fire-resistant materials, managing agents, property managers and apartment owners can create a safer living environment for themselves and their neighbours.
Harris Associates often undertakes a fire compartmentation survey following a Fire Risk Assessment that has identified breaches in fire compartment walls, ceilings, and floors or carries out fire compartmentation services ahead of works where the level of fire compartmentation is unknown.
Get in touch for Fire Compartmentation advice