Compartmentation & Fire Door Surveys
Two survey disciplines under one roof. Compartmentation surveys inspect above ceilings, in risers and through concealed voids to confirm every fire-resisting wall, floor and barrier is intact and continuous — verified against the building's documented fire strategy and compartmentation plans, not a generic checklist. Fire door surveys audit every door set against BS 8214 and current guidance: gaps, seals, hinges, closers, glazing, signage and certification. Every defect is recorded with its location, photograph and severity, so nothing rests on opinion — only on evidence.
A photographic condition report, a location-referenced defect register with severity ratings, and a prioritised remediation schedule — documentation you can put straight in front of a fire risk assessor, building safety manager, insurer or purchaser.
Early Stage Engagement
The cheapest fire-stopping defect is the one designed out before it reaches site. Bring us in at RIBA Stage 2–4 and we review penetration schedules, service routing and wall build-ups against manufacturer-tested details — flagging where no tested solution exists, where routes should change, and where a barrier specification needs upgrading. The result is fewer untested improvisations on site, less abortive work, and a fire strategy that is coordinated, buildable and provable before the first frame is erected.
Marked-up drawings and penetration schedules, a register of details with no current tested solution, and clear specification recommendations — issued before packages are let, when a change costs a drawing revision rather than a programme delay.
Fire Stopping & Penetration Sealing
Sealing of every service penetration — pipes, cables, ducts, trays and combustible services — through fire-rated walls and floors, using manufacturer-tested systems matched to the exact substrate, aperture size and service type. Fire batt, mastic, collars, wraps, pillows and mortar installed strictly to the tested detail and the manufacturer's approved schedule; never an improvised fix, never an untested substitution. Every penetration is photographed and logged before concealment, so each seal is traceable to a specific tested system for the life of the building.
A penetration-by-penetration installation record: photographs before concealment, the tested system and batch details for each seal, and test certificates with product data compiled into the handover evidence pack.
Remediation & Rectification — Legacy Projects
Existing and completed buildings where historic fire stopping is missing, incomplete or non-compliant. We survey the as-built condition against the fire strategy, isolate the defects, and rectify them to tested details — working around live occupancy, phased access and out-of-hours constraints where needed. Because remediation is only as good as its proof, every stage is documented: the condition found, the tested detail applied, and the compliant result. Ideal for building safety cases, remediation orders, insurance requirements and pre-sale due diligence.
A before-and-after evidence pack proving what was found, what was done and the tested detail it was done to — ready for regulators, safety case reviewers, insurers and legal teams.
Cavity & Void Barriers
Installation of cavity barriers and void closures at floor-to-wall junctions, within external wall cavities, and across roof voids, floor voids and service risers — the concealed routes where fire and smoke spread unseen. Barriers are specified to tested performance for the specific cavity width, construction and orientation, and fitted with the fixings and compression the test demands — because a barrier installed outside its tested scope is not a barrier at all. Compartmentation is restored through the parts of the building nobody sees but every fire finds.
As-installed photographic records referenced to the compartmentation drawings, with product certification and tested-scope evidence for every barrier fitted.
Fire Rated Partitions & Ceilings
Design and installation of fire-rated partition and ceiling systems to certified, tested assemblies — the correct board type, number of layers, fixings, framing and junction details for the required integrity and insulation rating. Vertical partitions and horizontal ceiling compartmentation built as complete systems rather than assembled from parts, because a fire rating belongs to a tested assembly — not to a board. Installed performance is checked against the specified rating before sign-off.
As-built documentation and system certification issued at handover, so the installed performance is provable — not presumed — for building control, safety cases and future owners.
Frequently asked questions
What is passive fire protection, and how is it different from alarms and sprinklers?
Alarms and sprinklers react once a fire has started. Passive fire protection is built into the fabric of the building itself — fire-resisting walls, floors, doors, sealed penetrations and cavity barriers that hold a fire within its compartment of origin. It works with no power, no activation and no human intervention, buying occupants time to escape and crews time to respond. A building needs both; neither replaces the other.
Am I legally required to have this work done?
In most non-domestic and multi-occupancy residential buildings, yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a duty on the building's responsible person to assess and manage fire risk, and the Building Safety Act 2022 adds stricter duties — including an accountable person regime for higher-risk buildings. If a fire risk assessment has identified compartmentation or fire door defects, there is a legal duty to address them. This is general information rather than legal advice — for your specific obligations, speak to a fire risk assessor or solicitor.
How often should fire doors and compartmentation be inspected?
For blocks of flats over 11 metres, current regulations require quarterly checks of communal fire doors, and best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at least annually. For other buildings, the inspection interval should be set by the fire risk assessment — but best practice is at least annually, and sooner after any building work, since new cabling, pipework or refurbishment routinely punctures compartment lines without anyone realising.
What happens after the survey — am I obliged to use you for the remediation?
No. The survey report is a standalone deliverable: a photographic defect register with severity ratings and a remediation specification you're free to price with any contractor. Naturally we'd like the remediation work, and there's a practical advantage in one firm carrying accountability from what was found through to what was fixed — but the report is yours either way.
Can you work in occupied buildings?
Yes — much of our work is in live environments. We plan around occupancy: phased access, out-of-hours and weekend working, and coordination with residents, facilities teams or clinical staff where needed. The programme is agreed before work starts so disruption is understood and minimised, not discovered.
Which areas do you cover?
We operate across London and the South East, covering residential, commercial and public-sector buildings. If your project sits just outside that area, ask anyway — for the right programme of work we can usually extend our reach.
Not sure which service you need?
Tell us about the building and we'll point you to the right starting survey.
Contact us