Specialists warn on fire stopping

Construction specialists are concerned the Government focus on cladding safety means other fire risks in buildings are being ignored.

Fit out body FIS has published new guidance on fire-stopping in building service openings, an area often neglected at design stage, it warns.

“This has historically been considered part of contractors’ design, and as a result, little consideration is given to fire-stopping service openings at initial design stage,” said FIS CEO Iain McIlwee.

“This makes it difficult to install approved fire-stopping solutions because of insufficient space or a mixture of services in the same opening. Other critical issues can occur due to lack of clarity on roles and responsibilities between specialist trades.”

McIlwee also criticised the scope of the Government’s Building Safety Fund.

“The industry needs to pull out all stops to ensure profound changes to culture and process happen, but the fund falls short of attacking the problem head on; cladding is but one issue,” he said.

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection CEO Niall Rowan said: “Money should be made available to cover all identified defects and not just cladding. There is no argument about the requirements of compartmentation that are included in Approved Document B.”