Fire-separating element
Approved Document B ‘Fire safety’ defines a fire-separating element as:
'A compartment wall, compartment floor, cavity barrier and construction that encloses a protected escape route and/or a place of special fire hazard.
Buildings are sub-divided by elements of fire resisting construction into fire compartments. Part B3 of the building regulations requires that:
- Openings in fire-separating elements are suitably protected in order to maintain the integrity of the element (i.e. the continuity of the fire separation); and
- Any hidden voids in the construction are sealed and sub-divided to inhibit the unseen spread of fire and products of combustion, in order to reduce the risk of structural failure and the spread of fire insofar as they pose a threat to the safety of people in and around the building.
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