Where we work

Sectors we work in

Wherever mechanical ventilation crosses a fire compartment, fire dampers are part of the fire strategy. We work across the building types where compliance is scrutinised hardest and disruption is least welcome.

Sector 01

Healthcare

Hospitals, care homes and clinical settings where evacuation is slowest and scrutiny is highest.

Healthcare buildings depend on progressive horizontal evacuation, which makes intact compartmentation critical. Patients are moved sideways into an adjoining compartment rather than out of the building. Extensive mechanical ventilation means large numbers of dampers, often in clinically sensitive areas. We plan works around ward schedules and infection control requirements, and work out of hours where daytime access is not possible.

Sector 02

Education

Schools, colleges and university estates, with works planned around term dates and holidays.

Education estates typically combine buildings of very different ages, each with its own ventilation strategy and standard of record keeping. We survey the whole estate to a single format so that a facilities team can see one consistent compliance position, and we concentrate intrusive works into holiday periods so that teaching is unaffected.

Sector 03

Commercial offices

Multi-tenant office buildings, managed estates and landlord-retained areas.

Office buildings change constantly. Every fit-out reconfigures ceilings, ductwork and partitions, and dampers are frequently obstructed or lost behind new construction. We work with managing agents and landlords to establish a baseline register, then keep it current through each churn cycle, including checks on tenant fit-out works that cross the compartment line.

Sector 04

Residential and high-rise

Blocks of flats, build-to-rent and student accommodation, including higher-risk buildings.

Since the Building Safety Act 2022, accountable persons for higher-risk residential buildings face a far higher evidential burden around fire safety information. Dampers in corridor ventilation, smoke shafts and riser cupboards are central to the stay-put or evacuation strategy. We provide the asset data and test evidence that the safety case needs, and we work sensitively in occupied homes.

Sector 05

Retail and hospitality

Shopping centres, restaurants, hotels and leisure venues, including commercial kitchens.

Commercial kitchen extract is one of the highest-risk environments for fire dampers: grease-laden air, heat and constant use mean mechanisms seize far faster than in clean ventilation. These dampers warrant annual testing as a minimum. We schedule works overnight or between service so that trading is not interrupted.

Sector 06

Industrial and logistics

Warehouses, manufacturing plants and distribution centres with large-volume ventilation.

Industrial buildings bring their own challenges: dust-laden atmospheres that clog damper mechanisms, dampers at height requiring access equipment, and production schedules that leave narrow windows for work. BS 9999 specifically recommends annual testing for spring-operated dampers in dust-laden atmospheres, and our surveys identify where that applies across your site.

Not sure your building is covered?

If your building has mechanical ventilation passing through fire-rated construction, it almost certainly has fire dampers, whether or not anyone has records for them. Talk to us and we will tell you honestly what is likely to be there and what it would take to establish the position.

Talk to our team