Maintain fire compartmentation

Fire and rescue services should

• Ensure information about compartmentation is included in SSRI
• Make information about buildings where compartmentation is absent or ineffective available to relevant personnel

Incident commanders should

• Assess building areas and means of compartmentation, by referring to SSRI or building plans
• Liaise with the responsible person for advice on areas of compartmentation
• Consider the original use of the building and whether this has changed, especially if this has involved internal layouts being altered
• Identify the areas of compartmentation involved in fire
• Investigate for indications of early failure of compartmentation elements and assess requirements for firefighting media and resources
• Be aware of features of the building that may allow for spread of fire or smoke
• Consider building design and construction, including the presence of domestic chimneys
• Establish where fire stopping materials are present in the construction
• Maintain the integrity of compartmentation as far as possible when carrying out firefighting operations
• Consider maintaining fire door integrity until firefighting media and resources are ready to commence firefighting operations
• Consider the opening and closing of doors as part of the firefighting tactics
• Consider the positioning of hose lines
• Anticipate early failure of general (non-fire) doors
• Consider using appropriate and effective firefighting media as a compartment boundary coolant
• Consider seeking the advice of a fire safety officer to obtain information or intelligence on the building’s fire safety measures and standards