![]() It may also be used to protect areas of high financial or strategic value, such as IT suites / server rooms or strategic storage spaces. ![]() It is required for property protection purposes as it will limit spread and attempt to contain the fire to the location it has originated, this is predominantly for enclosures housing special fire hazards such as plant rooms or other high risk rooms.It may similarly be used to support progressive horizontal evacuation in healthcare buildings – were patients can be moved horizontally away from a fire into adjoining compartments and minimising the need for vertical evacuation of vulnerable patients and/or full evacuation of the entire building. Compartmentation is also used to support specific fire evacuation strategies, such as a defend in place strategy in blocks of flats – where each flat is designed as its own fire compartment limiting the need for a full evacuation of a building in the event of a fire in one flat. Compartmentation will also be used to limit maximum compartment sizes in premises such as warehouses. It will also decrease the danger which the Fire and Rescue Services may be exposed to. Fire compartmentation provides occupiers of the building additional time to evacuate before escape routes are potentially compromised by the spread of smoke and fire. For example, escape corridors, stair enclosures including those with refuge areas, protected lobbies / firefighting shafts. It is required for life safety purposes when protecting or sub-dividing escape routes, this may include external or internal means of escape.There are two main reasons as to why fire compartmentation is required – for life safety and property protection purposes. The compartment wall or floor should not crack or develop holes that allow flames, smoke or hot gases to pass through it, and if appropriate, it should maintain a suitable degree of insulation. The wall or floor must remain functional for the duration of the designed fire resistance period. And will include special measures to address any openings in the compartment lines, such as doors, glazing, service penetrations and ductwork. This is achieved through the provision of fire resisting walls and floors (commonly offering between 30 minutes and 120 minutes fire resistance). ![]() “A building or part of a building comprising one or more rooms, spaces or storeys constructed to prevent the spread of fire to or from another part of the same building or an adjoining building.” What is fire compartmentation, where is it required and why is it important?Īpproved Document B, Volume 2 (2019) defines a fire compartment as.
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