Commercial Building Fire Safety Survey
Fire doors and fire compartmentation systems save lives by trapping smoke and heat. When installers fit and maintain them correctly, they prevent smoke and fire from spreading rapidly throughout a building. Consequently, this protects vital escape routes and buys valuable time for a safe evacuation.
However, a recent fire compartmentation survey by Meritas uncovered multiple serious fire safety non-conformities across a commercial premises. The inspection revealed widespread failures that could have severely compromised the building’s passive fire protection strategy.
For confidentiality reasons, we will not identify the business involved. Instead, this case study highlights the common types of issues discovered, the risks they created, and how Meritas proposed practical remedial solutions to restore fire integrity throughout the property.
What the Survey Discovered
Widespread Failures Found Across Multiple Locations
The survey identified numerous non-conformities across corridors, stairwells, communications rooms, plant rooms, kitchens, lift motor rooms, reception areas, and above fire doors. Many of these issues are related directly to compromised fire compartmentation and improperly protected service penetrations. Crucially, the report repeatedly identified “No Fire Stopping Installed” as a key failure across multiple locations.
The inspectors found several concerning defects, which included:
Missing fire stopping around infrastructure such as cables, ductwork, pipes, and conduits.
Non-fire-rated expanding foam used as a cheap substitute for compliant fire stopping.
Damaged fire curtains alongside incorrect fire dampers.
Gaps above fire doors and within hidden ceiling voids.
Unsealed plasterboard joints and missing blockwork within compartment walls.
Openings around service penetrations with zero protection installed.
Inaccessible voids where engineers could not confirm fire integrity.
The Hidden Danger Above Fire Doors
A particularly serious issue involved severe non-conformities found directly above fire doors and within escape stairwell lobbies. Investigators discovered cable penetrations passing through compartment walls, alongside significant gaps where walls failed to extend fully to the structural ceiling.
In several areas, the building suffered from the following structural defects:
Fire compartmentation walls stopped abruptly at suspended ceilings rather than continuing to the concrete slab.
Ceiling voids allowed unrestricted fire and smoke spread to adjacent rooms.
Access limitations prevented engineers from confirming hidden non-conformities.
Existing fire curtains had been damaged or installed incorrectly by previous contractors.
Ultimately, these defects significantly weakened the building’s ability to contain a fire within designated zones.
Common Installation Mistakes and Material Failures
Why Incorrect Use of Expanding Foam Threatens Safety.
Standard, non-fire-rated expanding foam fails rapidly when exposed to heat, allowing fire and smoke to spread uncontrollably. Contractors frequently make the mistake of using standard foam around penetrations and structural gaps because it is quick to apply. Unfortunately, our survey identified this dangerous practice across multiple locations.
The table below highlights where inspectors found non-compliant foam versus the dangerous risks this created:
| Location Inspected | Non-Compliant Material Found | Resulting Safety Risk |
|---|---|---|
| External Bin Stores & Boiler Rooms | Standard expanding foam | Total loss of fire containment between high-risk rooms. |
| Corridor Walls & Service Penetrations | Non-fire-rated foam around ducts | Smoke can bypass corridor walls and choke escape routes. |
| Structural Elements | Non-rated foam around steel beams | Heat can bypass protection and weaken structural steel. |
Fire Curtains and Dampers Installed Incorrectly
Incorrectly specified fire dampers and damaged fire curtains fail to activate during an emergency, leaving corridors completely unprotected. The survey uncovered damaged fire curtains and poorly chosen fire dampers above corridor fire doors. Alarmingly, in one area, a contractor had even capped vital ventilation ducting using plain wood.
This created a major compliance concern because of the following reasons:
Fire dampers were completely unsuitable for the specific curtain wall system.
Fire curtains had deteriorated significantly over time due to poor maintenance.
Penetrations passing through the curtain barriers remained entirely unprotected.
Existing installations would likely fail to deploy during a real fire event.
These types of defects are particularly dangerous in escape routes and high-risk circulation areas where people gather.
Missing Fire Compartmentation in Ceiling Voids
Missing compartmentation above suspended ceilings creates hidden pathways that allow smoke and fire to travel undetected across an entire floor. In several corridors and communications rooms, the walls did not extend fully to the underside of the upper concrete slab.
This is a common but serious problem in many commercial buildings. It usually occurs because of the following factors:
Refurbishment works take place without updating passive fire protection.
New cable installations disrupt existing barriers over time.
Subcontractors run services through walls without reinstating adequate fire stopping.
Professional Remedial Solutions and Best Practices
How Meritas Proposed to Resolve the Issues.
A successful fire remediation strategy requires installing fully tested, certified fire-stopping materials to restore a building’s original fire integrity. Following the inspection, Meritas outlined a comprehensive plan to fix the passive fire protection failures.
Our engineering team proposed the following practical remedial actions:
Installing tested fire-stopping systems around all open service penetrations.
Replacing non-compliant foam with certified intumescent sealants and graphite sealants.
Installing fire batt systems coated with high-quality ablative coatings.
Reinstating missing compartment walls up to the underside of the structural slab.
Replacing damaged fire curtains and installing correctly specified fire dampers.
Adding access hatches so that teams can inspect concealed voids in the future.
Sealing plasterboard joints using fire-rated materials and replacing non-fire-rated ceiling systems.
Why Regular Fire Compartmentation Surveys Matter
Regular fire compartmentation surveys are essential because serious fire safety defects usually remain completely hidden behind everyday commercial surfaces. Many of the issues we identified during this project were concealed from plain sight. For instance, they sat above suspended ceilings, behind walls, inside risers, and around ductwork.
Property owners must invest in professional surveys to achieve the following benefits:
Maintaining full regulatory compliance with national fire safety laws.
Protecting building occupants by ensuring clear, smoke-free escape routes.
Supporting insurance requirements and significantly reducing corporate liability.
Ensuring passive fire systems perform exactly as intended during an emergency.
Protect Your Building with Meritas
Meritas specialises in identifying and resolving passive fire protection failures before they become catastrophic risks. Our experienced engineers carry out detailed fire compartmentation surveys, remedial works, fire stopping installations, and compliance reporting across commercial, healthcare, industrial, and public-sector buildings.
If you are unsure whether your building’s fire compartmentation remains compliant, now is the time to act. Please contact the Meritas team today to book your comprehensive building survey. When fire protection fails behind the scenes, the consequences can be devastating.
Steve Chambers
Contact Meritas &
Speak to an Expert
Whether you need a specialist passive fire protection survey, expert fire damper testing, or a complete remediation roadmap, we are here to support you.
Speak with our team for honest, expert advice and the confidence that your property is thoroughly protected.
Tel: 01621 770834
Steve Chambers is a leading expert in active and passive fire protection, dedicated to safeguarding lives and securing commercial building assets. His core expertise lies in developing robust, end-to-end fire safety frameworks that go beyond basic compliance. Steve specialises in fire compartmentation, certified fire doors, fire and smoke control dampers, and automated life safety systems such as AOVs and fire curtains. His professional focus is centred on delivering rigorous testing, technical accuracy, and proactive maintenance programs to ensure complete structural fire integrity, all while minimising operational disruption for his clients.
