Fire Dampers

Fire Dampers are an essential part of any building with an air-conditioning system. Fire Dampers are designed to prevent the spread of fire through the building via the ductwork. The nature of a ventilation and extraction system means that it is in almost every part of the building.

Fire Dampers react to smoke or fire by a variety of methods; heat sensitive device, smoke detector or directly activated by the fire alarm. Often it is a combination of all three methods.

Every building built or refurbished since 1995 should have fire dampers installed and the details of their location should be logged in the Health and Safety documentation.

Fire Dampers are used to compartmentalise the fire and prevent its spread. It is part of a range of measures that fall under passive fire protection. Other items such as pipe wraps, pipe collars and smoke seals on doors are other ways that help to prevent the spread of fire and smoke.

Fire dampers are part of your buildings defence against fire and should be tested every year and at least every two years in non-critical areas. Documentary evidence is required to confirm testing has taken place.

The code of practice for fire safety in buildings (BS5588-9:1999) states; “all the dampers should be tested by competent persons at regular intervals not exceeding two years… spring operated fire dampers should be tested annually and fire dampers in dust laden atmospheres should be tested much more frequently to suit the degree of pollution”.

Complying with fire safety legislation rests with the ‘responsible person’. In a workplace environment this could be the owner, occupier or facilities manager. They must carry out a fire risk assessment and take steps to ‘remove or reduce the risk’.

The responsible person must provide a suitable and sufficient level of fire precautions. This includes “ appropriate measures that will limit the spread of fire”.

All fire safety systems must be kept in order. This includes all active (eg. fire extinguishers) and passive fire protection systems, including fire dampers.

Powered Ventilation, with our supplier partners, can carry out appropriate tests and repairs and document any major repairs required. This can be part of a continuous ductwork monitoring or air hygiene programme or a stand alone inspection. All work carried is digitally documented and can be supported by DIFCO and NADCA tests.

You will be provided with a certificate to fully validate any work carried out. You will also have fulfilled all the legal requirements necessary to meet due diligence and Health and Safety legislation for your air conditioning system.

If you are interested in this service, please contact Powered Ventilation to discuss your specific requirements.