Case study

Fire Compartmentation Surveys

Overview

Client Name: Essex Cares Ltd (ECL)

Project Value: £200,000

Project Duration: 12 Months

Essex Cares Ltd (ECL) is one of the largest providers of care and support services across Essex, delivering assistance to elderly, vulnerable and disabled individuals within community care sites.

Hollmark Ltd were commissioned to undertake comprehensive fire stopping surveys across 17 ECL sites throughout Essex. The surveys formed part of ECL's ongoing commitment to maintaining compliance with fire safety legislation and ensuring the continued safety of service users, visitors and staff.

Scope of works

The surveys included:

Comprehensive visual inspections of fire compartmentation throughout each building in accordance with available fire strategy drawings and fire plans.
Identification of penetrations, voids and non-compliant installations that could compromise compartmentation in the event of a fire.
Digital recording of all findings, including photographic evidence through Onetrace.
Marking and mapping of defects against fire plans to accurately identify the location of remedial works.
Production of detailed survey reports to support Fire Risk Assessments and future remedial programmes.
The surveys were undertaken on a non-intrusive basis and were designed to assist ECL in understanding the condition of compartmentation throughout their estates.
As a result of the surveys, Hollmark subsequently delivered a programme of fire stopping remedial works across a number of sites to restore compartmentation and improve overall fire safety compliance.
All surveys and remedial recommendations were completed by Hollmark's LPCB accredited passive fire protection specialists.

Onsite challenges

Working within live care environments presented unique challenges throughout the project. Many of the sites accommodated elderly and vulnerable individuals, requiring operatives to work with a high level of empathy, professionalism and awareness of the needs of service users.

Careful planning was essential to minimise disruption to daily activities and maintain safe access routes at all times. Operatives worked closely with site management and care teams to coordinate inspections around residents, staff and visitors.

To further reduce disruption within occupied facilities, a proportion of the surveys were undertaken outside of normal operating hours. This flexible approach enabled Hollmark to complete inspections efficiently.