INDUSTRY COMMENT


Planning a practical response to the fire damper installation warning


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Annual inspection of fire dampers depends upon there being ready access to the fire dampers, which is typically provided by an inspection hatch each side of each damper. Here Andrew Steel, essential services manager of air hygiene and water treatment solutions provider Airmec, raises concern over the prevalence of incorrect installation of dampers using self- drilling screws


hy any system designers would have failed to specify these inspection hatches in the first place is an argument for another day. The fact remains that


many building owners and managers are finding that they need to retrofit hatches if they are to meet the requirements of BS999: Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings. This is unexpected expenditure which can leave a big hole in the FM budgets. Now we are waking up to another ticking bomb – the use of steel self-drilling (Tek) screws to install fire dampers in the first place. Let’s assume that designers and installers did what was necessary by following manufacturer instructions in good faith. However the fact is that the majority of installations we see have ductwork connected to fire dampers using steel self-drilling screws. The installers may have made savings by having a speedier installation, but you are going to have to fund the remediation work. The issue has been flagged up by the Building Engineering Services Association, and cannot be ignored.


The call to action


You now need to ensure you have an up-to- date survey of your fire dampers, and then plan remedial works as necessary.


It’s work that involves multiple skill sets – it cannot be just tagged on to the routine annual inspection and drop testing. The person who can survey and report on the condition and installation of your fire damper infrastructure is not the same as the technician who will typically undertake the routine inspection, testing and cleaning of dampers. Their proficiency levels and hourly rates are vastly different. Don’t panic or take a knee-jerk decision: draw breath and take the opportunity to scope – and price – the work properly. Any remediation contract will base estimates on an hourly rate, so it’s important that the team your partner fields brings the right combination of skills to the table in the right ratios.


What might the outcome of a survey be? Ideally a clean bill of health. If not, incorrectly fixed dampers can usually be refitted using required fusible fixings for a fraction of the cost of replacing a damper from scratch. Re-fixing work would be followed by a suitably qualified and registered passive fire protection specialist verifying the correct fire stopping system has been applied and correctly installed. Only then comes the return to routine annual inspection, testing and resetting of the fire damper.


Don’t be fooled by the fact that your dampers have apparently passed muster before. A damper with the wrong fixing screws could be in good working order and pass annual routine inspection and testing – but if it has the wrong fixings, it may well not perform in a fire. Work with your service contractor to build a matrix of tasks to be done and the skills needed to do them. All of this should be based on a judgement of the risk attached of the various issues.


The problem


The current concern surrounds the use of the wrong type of fixings – self-drilling or Tek screws – to fix ventilation ductwork to dampers. As fire damper inspectors and testers, we can attest to having seen enough instances of this to know the issue is a real and live concern, although no- one knows for sure how common it is. So, you need a strategy for checking all your dampers and scheduling remedial work as necessary. Correctly installed dampers must be secured by fixings such as aluminium or nylon, that melt in a fire and allow the duct to break away, otherwise a collapsing duct could pull the damper out of place and break the seal between the fire zones.


Why now?


The services industry, and that includes Airmec, has been successful in boosting the uptake of fire damper testing and inspection across all industries, and that has eventually led to there being a critical mass of feedback on the use of inappropriate fixings. The issue cannot now be ignored and, quite rightly, the industry itself is pushing it to the forefront. The alarm bell was sounded last year by The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), and the strength of the warning has successfully precipitated government action from the UK’s product regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). OPSS says it has contacted some manufacturers, importers, or distributors of smoke control dampers asking for documentation which includes but is not limited to, declarations of performance. BESA is updating its own guidance which will


presumably spell out chapter and verse on how fire dampers should be fitted. The new guidance is expected later this year, but BESA has already issued an interim technical note on fire damper


18 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER NOVEMBER 2023


maintenance to stress the importance of using the correct fixings for dampers. Be under no illusion: incorrectly installed fire dampers may well not perform their function of reducing the spread of smoke in a building during a fire. You need to act now to check on your installation.


The guidance


There are multiple statutes for fire dampers. At the top of the regulatory tree is The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) which requires that the person responsible for the building – be that the owner or the occupying employer – takes necessary precautions for fire safety in a building. BS 9999 is the recognised Code of Practice for


fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings and it requires that fire and smoke dampers are tested annually. Any dampers found to be faulty must be repaired or replaced on an urgent basis.


At a practical level, it is BESA DW145 – Guide to good practice for the installation of fire and smoke dampers and BESA VH001 – Fire damper maintenance which are the touchstones. VH001 3rd edition requires confirmation of the presence of breakaway and flexible joints that will leave the damper in place and maintain fire separation if there is a fire.


Who is responsible?


There are a lot of people involved in fire damper specification and installation but overarching all this, The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) requires that the person responsible for the building – be that the owner or the occupying employer – take necessary precautions for fire safety in a building.


Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


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