News / Case Studies

Compartmentation - Issue 2 - Oct 04

12/10/2004

In today’s insurance industry, the formation of fire compartments in buildings is one of the most highly debated issues. With the current confusion surrounding composite sandwich panels, clear guidance on when and where to install fire barriers is required.

The principle objective of compartmentation is to prevent the spread of fire between adjoining buildings
or to act as sub-division in individual buildings.

BENEFITS
The benefits of compartmentation are numerous, some of which are shown below

1. Fire barriers prevent the spread of fire throughout a building
2. A correctly installed barrier will prevent the contamination of stock by smoke or water during the fire.
3. The de-mountable nature of some barrier systems may impart tax benefits
4. Lightweight barrier systems are quicker to install and can absorb impact and blast far more effectively than a blockwork wall

BUSINESS INTERRUPTION
Separation between areas undertaking differing functions (Raw materials, production and storage for example) can also play a large part in business continuation.

A good example of this was the Bass Charrington Brewery in Cheshire. When fire broke out in the storage area, flames tore through the unprotected area, until they came up against a Promat fire barrier (specified by the insurer) protecting the bottling plant. The barrier remained intact, allowing the fire brigade to bring the fire under control. Within 2 days, the bottling plant was operational again.

Statistics prove that approximately 30% of companies that suffer a major fire are forced to cease trading within the next 12 months.

GUIDANCE
Many industry bodies have offered recommendation on compartmentation, especially in areas where buildings are constructed by composite sandwich panels.

In 2003, the ABI published a Technical Briefing on Fire Performance of Sandwich Panel Systems.
Within this report, a great deal was made of the benefit of compartmentation, some extracts of which follow.

"Many factory buildings do not incorporate fire resisting compartment walls which would make a
significant contribution to reducing spread of firesince this is not required by Building Regulations and
their supporting documents."

"Active intervention by fire fighters is less likely in the absence of compartmentation."

"The introduction of an adequate level of compartmentation may be a sensible alternative to replacing panels."

Guidance on compartmentation is also offered in the LPC/FPA Design Guide.

For further information on compartmentation or any other Passive Fire Protection issue, please contact
Technical Services Department on – Telephone: 00 44 (0)1344 381 400