Fire stopping systems

Fire stopping is an essential component of passive fire protection, purposed to close a service penetration through compartments. These methods seal the weaker points of a building, working to prevent the spread of fire, smoke, and gases, whilst prolonging time for safe evacuation. It is essential that any openings are fire stopped to help prevent both lateral, and vertical fire spread.

There are various fire stopping systems such as:

Fire sleeves:?used around the entry and exit points of cables and pipes. They are designed to firestop insulated metal and combustible plastic pipes. They expand at a rapid rate and seal off the space in the event of a fire.

Fire collars:?expand under high temperatures, helping to maintain fire rating levels, and prevent flames and gases from spreading to other compartments.

Fire sealants:?expand when exposed to heat. They can be used around pipes and cables, as well as doors and windows.

Fire wraps:?an alternative to fire collars, for the firestopping of plastic pipework.

Fire curtains:?located above a ceiling, lobby or doorway. In the event of a fire, it would be released by a trigger and act as a physical barrier between the fire and the escape routes.

Intumescent batt:?an ablative coated board used to reinforce the fire rating of the wall and floor constructions where they have been penetrated by services. This board is comprised of mineral wool, coated on both sides with ablative coating.

Intumescent putty pads:?offer fire resistance for electrical socket boxes, penetrating fire resisting constructions. Correctly installed putty pads can create a compliant fire stop and smoke seal for those penetrations, and can also improve acoustic performance.

Air transfer grilles:?vents of which are fitted into doors or walls, allowing air to travel freely around the building, helping it to stay ventilated. When exposed to heat, they will swell and provide an effective fire barrier to restrict hot gases travelling.

Load bearing compounds:?predominantly used in riser cupboards, requiring load bearing capacity. Once cured, it can be drilled through to allow the passage of services. This can be designed to reinstate the fire integrity of a compartment wall or floor.

Black mastic / high pressure expansion mastic:?used around combustible services (cables/ plastic pipework). Works by pushing against a solid substrate and expanding to many times its original size thus, sealing the void left behind by melted plastic services

Fire pillows:?often used inside metal or plastic trunkings or for services where routine maintenance is required and replacements are often necessary

The importance of fire stopping systems:

If there is no fire stopping present, smoke and flames can quickly spread through compartments, damaging the property and posing risk to the occupants. Fire stopping helps emergency services suppress a fire before it has chance to spread and become uncontrollable.

Global’s?fire stopping team?are skilled and experienced in providing the best solutions to your requirements, ensuring you are safe in the knowledge that your property and occupants are protected by expertly installed fire stopping solutions. We can assess the full scope of what is needed to bring your premises up to legislative standards, employing various methods to create safe and secured compartments. All of Global’s remedial works are installed to manufacturers’ detailing and guidelines and are third-party certified.

Global Technical Services can provide?passive fire surveys.?They can offer a proactive approach towards fire stopping, assessing the effectiveness of the existing fire stopping methods, and advise the necessary action.