Fire Stopping ServicesService Penetrations, Linear Gaps & Construction JointsLondon, Kent, Sussex & Surrey
Restore compartmentation using certified, tested systems — sealed by a BM TRADA third-party certified specialist — with a Record of Insulation, product datasheets and per-penetration photo evidence handed over so the building safety file has what it needs.
5 years' passive fire experience. Certified systems only, every penetration photographed.
What this service is — and when you need it.
Sealing of service penetrations, linear gaps and construction joints to certified, tested detail — using batt-and-sealant, mortar, collars, wraps and mastic systems appropriate to the substrate, service type and fire rating required.
Housing associations, HRB duty holders, principal contractors, M&E contractors, healthcare estates and commercial fit-out teams needing compartment lines reinstated after works or defects.
After M&E first-fix and second-fix, following FRA compartmentation findings, during refurbishment, on new build handover, or when riser and cupboard surveys reveal unsealed penetrations.
Fire stopping is a certified system, not a bucket of pink foam. The wrong material, wrong depth, or wrong backing for the service and substrate means the compartment line looks sealed and isn't. A specialist selects and installs the right system, then evidences it.
The consequence of leaving it.
- Unsealed penetrations allow fire, smoke and hot gases to bypass the compartment line — often into the exact riser or corridor that forms the escape route.
- FRA compartmentation actions left open drive enforcement escalation and, on HRBs, mandatory reporting.
- Insurance-side reviews increasingly ask for evidence per penetration. Missing evidence is treated as missing work.
What we see go wrong.
- Using generic expanding foam around a penetration — it is not a fire stopping system.
- Applying intumescent mastic without the correct backer or depth — the seal fails at test spec.
- Sealing plastic pipe without a fire collar or wrap — plastic pipes require a collapsing/intumescent detail.
- No photo per penetration — the seal is invisible behind cabling and can't be evidenced after the fact.
A step-by-step system, from survey to handover.
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Step 1Survey of compartment lines
Walk the risers, corridors, service cupboards, plant rooms and communal ceiling voids to log every penetration, gap and joint against a floor plan.
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Step 2System selection
Each penetration paired with a tested, certified system appropriate to substrate, service type, aperture size and required rating (typically 60 or 120 minutes).
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Step 3Preparation and installation
Aperture prepared to system requirements, backing installed to the correct depth, sealing installed to the system's tested schedule.
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Step 4Per-penetration photograph
Every completed penetration photographed and referenced to a location on the floor plan.
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Step 5Record and handover
Record of Insulation, product datasheets and photo pack handed over for the building safety file and FRA close-out.
Specific outcomes, not vague promises.
Certified systems installed to their tested detail — not generic foam, not decorative mastic.
Every seal photographed and referenced — the FRA re-inspection has what it needs.
No handoff between the M&E installer and the FRA close-out contractor.
Coordination with M&E first- and second-fix reduces the number of times you re-open the ceiling void.
Action-by-action evidence pack means the assessor signs off without a second site visit.
The Record of Insulation and datasheet pack survive scrutiny from insurers, enforcement and the Building Safety Regulator.
Materials, methods and where each applies.
The technical detail behind how fire stopping services is scoped, specified and installed to certified detail.
Batt-and-sealant systems
Coated stone-wool batts with a sealant overlay are the standard system for larger apertures in blockwork, drylining and concrete — carrying cable trays, bundles, multi-service penetrations and larger plastic pipework. Batt depth, coating side and sealant depth all come from the certified system datasheet, not from site judgement.
Fire collars, wraps and pipe closures
Plastic pipework passing through compartment lines needs a collapsing intumescent detail — a collar for larger pipes, a wrap for smaller — sized to the pipe outer diameter and rated to the required minutes. Metallic pipework has a separate detail with its own insulation and sealant requirements.
Mortar and concrete-substrate details
Larger penetrations in concrete slab and blockwork are sealed with cementitious mortars to a certified depth, often in combination with sealant. Overfill and underfill both fail the test detail.
Sealants — intumescent, acoustic and hybrid
Sealant selection is driven by joint width, substrate and whether cold-smoke and acoustic performance are required alongside fire. Not every 'fire' sealant is intumescent, and not every intumescent product is rated for the joint width you're sealing.
Coordination with dampers and ductwork
Ductwork penetrations are typically the responsibility of a damper rather than the fire stopping around them — but the perimeter seal around the damper still has to be installed as a certified detail.
What we do not offer
We do not offer a product warranty on the sealed system. The certified system carries its own third-party test evidence; our commitment is to install strictly to that tested detail and to provide the Record of Insulation and datasheet pack.
Straight answers on cost, timing and process.
How much does fire stopping cost?+
Priced by penetration count, size and system used. A riser survey with sixty small penetrations sits in a different band to a plant-room bulkhead. Send drawings, a survey list or an FRA extract and you'll get a fixed quotation.
How long does the work take?+
A typical residential riser with fifty to eighty penetrations is a few days of on-site work. Large commercial voids and multi-floor riser programmes are phased by floor and access window.
Do you provide a warranty on fire stopping?+
We do not offer an additional warranty. The certified system's test evidence and the manufacturer's datasheets are the assurance. What you get from us is documented proof — Record of Insulation, per-penetration photo, datasheets — that the system was installed correctly.
How long does a fire stopping seal last?+
Correctly installed and undisturbed, a certified fire stopping system performs for the life of the compartment line. Most failures come from later trades cutting through the seal to run a new cable — which is why every re-entry needs the seal reinstated.
Can you seal around cables installed by our M&E contractor?+
Yes. We work alongside M&E first- and second-fix teams so seals go in as the services are completed rather than being retrofitted through finished ceilings.
Do you produce a Record of Insulation?+
Yes — every job is handed over with a Record of Insulation, per-penetration photo pack and the product datasheets used.
Do you work on live, occupied buildings?+
Yes. Most of the work is in occupied residential and healthcare buildings; access is phased and dust is controlled.
Which areas do you cover for fire stopping?+
London, Kent, Sussex, Surrey and the surrounding boroughs including Croydon, Sutton, Bromley, Sevenoaks and Crawley.
Can you close out FRA compartmentation actions on our behalf?+
Yes — send the FRA and we return a priced programme, action-by-action, closed out with evidence.
Get a fixed quotation for fire stopping services.
Send the FRA action list, drawings or a short scope description. You'll speak to Michael directly — not a call centre — and get a scoped, priced programme back.
Ready to scope your fire stopping services works?
Send the FRA or a short brief. You'll get a priced, evidenced programme back — not a template quotation.