Fire dampers and their importance are too often forgotten about; hidden in duct work few people know they exist never mind their key role in fire protection. As a result, the maintenance of fire dampers is often overlooked due to the assumption that fire damper testing is covered as part of the maintenance of your fire protection systems – however this is not always the case.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a duty of care on the building occupier / owner to take such general fire precautions that will ensure, as far as reasonably practical, the safety of the building and safety of the people within it; therefore it is important that your fire dampers are regularly inspected and maintained by a qualified specialist.
All smoke and fire dampers within the building in question should be located, serviced and tested with a plan created for regular timely checks to ensure their continued safe operation in an efficient working order and good repair. Despite various legislation providing clear guidance and stating that ventilation and air conditioning systems should be cleaned regularly such as the British Standard BS EN 15780 and HSE ACoP L24, it is worrying how many incidents of duct fires still occur as a result of a failure to do so. As such many insurance companies now refuse to pay out for fires spread or started due to dirty ductwork. More importantly, however; is the fact that fire dampers play a key role in preventing the spread of smoke and fire through ducts which penetrate floors, ceilings and fire walls and therefore is a potentially life-saving piece of fire equipment. If fire dampers don’t operate as designed, fire can spread with rapid results resulting in considerable loss of life such as in the high profile case of the MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas.
Dirty ductwork which can impede a tight seal being created is only one reason why a fire damper may fail though. Other typical problems include blockages and obstructions, corrosion and broken springs, poor installation or simply inadequate access to enable servicing to be carried out regularly. Inspectors have even been found dampers propped open! It can take only one faulty damper to allow the catastrophic spread of fire and smoke.
Robinsons have experience fitting fire dampers at various projects including Vida Healthcare in Starbeck and Craven College in Skipton. If you would like to find out more on fire dampers and the services we offer please get in touch.