All mechanical ventilation systems should have fire dampers installed as specified by Building Regulation 38 (and for healthcare facilities, the Department of Health’s Health Technical Memorandum [HTM] 03-01 Part A specifies requirements for fitting of fire dampers).
Dampers are designed to drop down in the event of a fire effectively containing it by creating a physical barrier. However Dermott Quinn, Managing Director of duct maintenance specialist, Ductbusters, warns that an alarmingly high number of installations are faulty.
He says: “Over the years, fire dampers have been installed in ventilation ductwork systems in their thousands, but worryingly, when called to a building for the first time it is still common for us to find dampers installed the wrong way round and even upside down.”
It is essential that fire dampers are tested immediately after installation in a new building, and also at regular intervals thereafter. But Dermott Quinn identifies a major concern: “The biggest obstacle to fire damper testing is lack of access,” he says.
“Limited space in ceiling voids contributes to access problems, but also, a lack of understanding of the testing process leads to too small access doors being installed, or not being installed close enough to the damper. It is not unusual to find a damper that has obviously never been inspected or tested at all as there is no access door installed.”
Developers and contractors need to be mindful, not just of the need to install sufficient, functioning dampers, but to provide suitable access to them for testing.