The Importance of Compartmentation Surveys: What You Need to Know

Regular Fire Risk Assessments are an obvious legal responsibility for property managers, but do you know what level of assessment your building needs?The current regulations stipulate that risk assessments must be reviewed regularly, but little guidance is provided around how intrusive or destructive the assessments need to be.In this article we’ll be explaining the different types of assessment available while going into some detail around compartmentation surveys; what they are and when they are required.

Assessment Types

There are 4 levels of assessment, with Types 2 and 4 often referred to as “compartmentation surveys”:

• Type 1: This is a non-destructive survey of the common areas of the building and is the most commonly requested assessment.
• Type 2: This assessment involves destructive works in the common areas of the building. Type 2 assessments are required only if there is good reason to believe there are serious structural flaws that risk breaches in compartmentation.
• Type 3: This is a non-destructive assessment, like Type 1, but it includes the assessment of individual flats. This is only advised if there is reason to believe there is a fire risk present within an individual unit.
• Type 4: This assessment is the same as Type 2, but it extends to individual flats.

What is Compartmentation?

Compartmentation within blocks of flats is a vital element of fire safety. It’s used to subdivide these large, residential buildings into smaller compartments using fire-resisting materials.These compartments can contain fire and smoke for at least 30 minutes- protecting escape routes, minimising spread and reducing damage. It also allows the fire and rescue services time to arrive.Fire doors, fire-resisting walls and floors, and fire protected glazing all come into play to create effective compartmentation. It saves lives and reduces property damage enormously.

When is a Compartmentation Survey Necessary?

In the vast majority of cases, a Type 1 survey (carried out with regularity by a competent person) is sufficient. It will satisfy the legal requirements and maintain safety in most buildings.However, due to the importance of effective compartmentation, type 2 and 4 surveys are sometimes necessary. If you have reason to believe that there are serious defects in common areas (type 2) or within individual flats (type 4), then more destructive surveys are imperative.These issues may well be brought to your attention by the surveyor carrying out your standard assessment. They may find that they can’t sufficiently determine adequate compartmentation and so suggest a more destructive assessment.Common reasons for suggesting a type 2 or 4 assessment include needing access to ceilings, floorboards, roof voids, risers, service cupboards or boiler rooms. If they can’t assess these areas, a high risk of fire spread could be assumed.

Who Can Carry Out a Compartmentation Survey?

As is the case for any fire risk assessment, the person you instruct must be “competent”. They will need the qualifications, skills and experience to do the job- experience being the most important factor for these higher level surveys.Compartmentation surveys differ greatly to standard assessments. They are intrusive and can therefore be complex. In-depth understanding of the building’s structure and design is needed, as well as an awareness of active and passive fire safety measures.For buildings built before 2000, an Asbestos Refurbishment and Demolition Survey will also be required. This must be completed before the compartmentation survey to identify any Asbestos Containing Materials that may be present. This survey will also be intrusive, as any ACM present may be disturbed during the course of the compartmentation survey.

Evacuate or Stay Put?

The results of your compartmentation survey will form the basis of your entire fire safety strategy, so surveys must be accurate, repeated regularly and carried out by a competent person.Compartmentation provides residents and staff with the precious time needed to escape the building if a fire takes hold. These compartments must not be breached- the consequences can be fatal.The National Fire Chiefs Council supports a “stay put” policy wherever possible, as building regulations require each flat to be its own compartment. For this to be a safe strategy, effective compartmentation is vital.If compartmentation can’t be confirmed or corrected, Simultaneous Evacuation should be adopted instead. For this to be applied, fire detection and alarm systems must be effective- allowing residents and staff to evacuate as soon as possible.

Building Safety Reports

For managers of high-rise blocks (18 metres or higher, or over 7 storeys), fire safety and a demonstration of your efforts in this area could be required and would form part of your Building Safety Report.We offer specific guidance in this area and can support you with compiling, maintaining and sharing your safety case reports, as well as carrying out the necessary assessments.If you would like further advice or guidance regarding Compartmentation Surveys or our Building Safety Case Support Service, please speak to a member of our team.