FIR/Specific/TBT-FIR-010

Fire Door and Compartmentation

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Fire Door and Compartmentation

Toolbox Talk Record

Ref: TBT-FIR-010  |  Issue: 1  |  Date: March 2026
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What?

  • Fire compartmentation divides a building into separate zones to contain fire and smoke spread.
  • Fire doors are a critical element of compartmentation, rated to resist fire for 30 or 60 minutes.
  • Propping open a fire door removes its protection entirely and can allow fire to spread unchecked.
  • Gaps around fire doors, penetrations through fire walls, and missing fire stopping defeat compartmentation.
  • Construction work frequently breaches fire compartmentation by creating openings for services and access.
  • The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires fire compartmentation to be maintained at all times.
  • Intumescent strips and cold smoke seals on fire doors expand in heat to seal gaps during a fire.
  • Fire stopping materials must be installed by trained personnel using tested and certified products.
  • Damage to fire doors from construction activities must be reported and repaired before handover.
  • In occupied buildings, maintaining compartmentation during construction work is a life safety priority.

Why?

Save livesFire compartmentation gives occupants time to escape by containing fire and smoke. Breaching it puts lives at immediate risk.
Legal requirementThe Fire Safety Order 2005 and Building Regulations Approved Document B require compartmentation to be maintained.
Grenfell lessonsThe Grenfell Tower Inquiry highlighted failures in compartmentation as a direct contributor to the scale of the tragedy.
Do Don't
  • Keep all fire doors closed and functioning with self-closers intact.
  • Report any damaged, propped open, or missing fire doors immediately.
  • Install fire stopping to all service penetrations through fire-rated walls and floors.
  • Use only tested and certified fire stopping products installed by trained personnel.
  • Check that intumescent strips and smoke seals are present on all fire doors.
  • Maintain compartmentation during construction work in occupied buildings.
  • Inspect fire doors for damage, warping, and correct operation regularly.
  • Record all fire stopping installations with photographic evidence for handover.
  • Reinstate temporary breaches in fire walls at the end of each working shift.
  • Brief all operatives on the importance of maintaining compartmentation on site.
  • DON'T prop open fire doors with wedges, extinguishers, or other objects.
  • DON'T leave penetrations through fire walls or floors unsealed overnight.
  • DON'T use non-certified products or unapproved methods for fire stopping.
  • DON'T remove self-closing devices from fire doors during construction work.
  • DON'T damage fire doors by impact from materials, plant, or equipment.
  • DON'T assume fire compartmentation is someone else's responsibility on site.
  • DON'T paint over intumescent strips or smoke seals on fire door edges.
  • DON'T create openings in fire walls without a plan to reinstate them.
  • DON'T install fire stopping if you have not been trained in the products.
  • DON'T ignore gaps around fire door frames; they compromise the fire rating.

See also: Fire Safety Awareness on Site | Fire Stopping Installation
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