Exploring the potential for a certification scheme for fire stopping: report

Research to take forward the proposal from the final report from the Review Panel on Building Standards Compliance and Enforcement and identify if there is a demand for a certification scheme for fire-stopping within the current Scottish building warrant process.


Appendix 2 - Current definitions

Building Standards Technical Handbooks, 2019

Cavity barrier means any construction provided to seal a cavity against the penetration of fire and smoke, or to restrict its movement within the cavity.

Compartment means a part of a building (which may contain one or more rooms, spaces or storey and includes, where relevant, the space above the top storey of the compartment) constructed so as to prevent the spread of fire to or from another part of the same building; and compartmented and compartmentation should be construed accordingly.

Compartment floor means a floor with the fire resistance required to ensure compartmentation.

Compartment wall means a wall with the fire resistance required to ensure compartmentation.

Fire door means a door which, together with its frame and furniture as installed in a building, is intended, when closed, to resist the passage of fire and, where prescribed, smoke and is capable of meeting specified performance criteria in section 2.

Fire-stop means a seal provided to close an imperfection of fit or design tolerance between elements, components or construction so as to restrict the passage of fire and smoke through that imperfection. Fire-stopping and fire-stopped should be construed accordingly

Protected door means a fire door giving access to:

Protected zone, part of an escape route which is within a building, but not within a room, and to which access is only by way of a protected door and from which there is an exit directly to a place of safety. Includes a protected lobby, a fire-fighting shaft, another compartment or, a place of safety, an unenclosed external escape stair, an open access balcony, or an escape route across a flat roof or access deck.

Protected enclosure in a dwelling means a circulation area constructed to resist fire in adjoining accommodation. It includes a hall, landing or private stair or ramp but not a room.

Protected lobby means a lobby within a protected zone but separated from the remainder of the protected zone so as to resist the movement of smoke from the adjoining accommodation to the remainder of the protected zone.

Table 2: Fire resistance duration for common building elements of components
Construction Fire resistance duration British Standards Load bearing capacity (mins) British Standards Integrity (mins) British Standards Insulation (mins) European Standards Test exposure
1. Structural frame, column or beam Short 30 None None R 30 Faces exposed on the inside
Medium 60 None None R 60
Long 120 None None R 120
2. Compartment floor, separating floor or a floor, flat roof or access deck protecting routes of escape (see clause 2.0.6) Short 30 30 30 REI 30 From the underside
Medium 60 60 60 REI 60
Long 120 120 120 REI 120
3. Floor, other than a floor in 2 Short 30 None None R 30 From the underside
Medium 60 None None R 60
Long 120 None None R 120
4. Fire shutter in a compartment floor (see clause 2.1.14) Short None 30 None E 30 From the underside when fitted in frame
Medium None 60 None E 60
Long None 120 None E 120
5. Compartment wall, sub-compartment wall, separating wall, or an internal wall or screen used as a protected route of escape (see clause 2.0.6) Short 30 [4] 30 30 [5] REI 30 [4,5] Each side separately
Medium 60 [4] 60 60 REI 60 [4]
Long 120 [4] 120 120 REI 120 [4]
6. Load-bearing wall, other than a wall in 5 Short 30 None None R 30 Each side separately
Medium 60 None None R 60
Long 120 None None R 120
7. Fire door in a wall in 5 Short None 30 [6] None E 30 Sa [6] Each side separately, when fitted in frame
Medium None 60 [6] None E 60 Sa [6]
Long None 120 [6, 7] None E 120 Sa [6, 7]
8. Fire shutter in a compartment wall (see clause 2.1.14) or in a wall or screen protecting routes of escape (see clause 2.0.6) Short None 30 30 [8] EI 30 [8] Each side separately, when fitted in frame [8]
Medium None 60 60 [8] EI 60 [8]
Long None 120 120 [8] EI 120 [8]
9. External wall more than 1 m from a boundary [1, 2] Short 30 [4] 30 None RE 30 [4] From the inside only
Medium 60 [4] 60 30 RE 60 & I 30 [4]
10. External wall not more than 1 m from a boundary [1, 2] Short 30 [4] 30 30 REI 30 [4] From the inside only
Medium 60 [4] 60 60 REI 60 [4]
11. Horizontal cavity barrier Short None 30 None E 30 From the underside
12. Vertical cavity barrier Short None 30 None E 30 Each side separately
13. Ceiling dispensing with a cavity barrier (see clauses) Short None 30 30 EI 30 From the underside
14. Roof against an external wall (see annex) Medium None 60 60 EI 60 From the inside

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