Passive Fire Protection
Passive Fire Protection Solutions from Novus Property Solutions Fire is one of the most useful elements on earth, but it can also be one of the most destructive and the devastation caused by fire can be catastrophic. With fire, the tangible losses such as life and inventory are obvious and easy to quantify. However intangible losses such as business interruption and financial instability are equally important. Insurers will look at your entire fire strategy when insuring your building.
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A protected property is a safe property A crucial factor of this is fire safety. The UK has developed elaborate legislation regarding fire-safe construction. Examples of this legislation are “The Fire Regulatory Reform Order 2005 for England and Wales” and “The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations” 2006 which outlines your responsibilities and the duty of care imposed on you and building owners. These responsibilities are the biggest changes in fire legislation to date and have driven the need for increased quality levels and use of tested products.
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We provide a complete Fire Safety approach As a building owner with a legislated duty of care, it is important that consideration is given to the fire protection of buildings, and this is where Novus can help.
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Passive Fire Protection (PFP) PFP is vital to the stability and integrity of a building or structure in case of fire. PFP with proven fire performance properties is built into the structure to provide stability and separate the building into areas of manageable risk. These are designed to restrict the growth and spread of fire allowing the occupants to escape or the fire fighters to do their job. Such protection is either provided by the materials from which the building is constructed or is added to the construction materials to enhance their fire resistance. Research undertaken has shown that many buildings are constructed and operated with PFP either badly installed or missing altogether. This situation is compounded by alterations made to the building by occupiers as changes in occupancy, operations or systems take place.
Common areas of fire protection shortfalls: Unsealed penetrations through compartment fire walls
Incorrectly specified Fire Door sets
Poorly installed/ maintained Fire Door sets
Poorly installed/ maintained roof space compartmentation
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Quality Assurance and Expertise We are specialists in the installation and application of passive fire protection products and endorse the use of our third-party installation accreditation partners Firas and BM Trada.
We work closely with marketleading fire protection product manufacturers such as “FSI, Hilti, Rockwool and are proud to have been awarded their “Approved Contractor” status for Passive Fire Protection. Our highly skilled installation As a Firas and BM Trada teams are fully conversant certificated contractor, we with product application and have undergone a three-stage installation for all passive fire assessment process with protection works and our certification only granted once management teams hold IFE we have adhered to all of the Level 3 and Level 2 in passive certification scheme rules and fire protection qualifications. regulations. This includes a works completion report using Being members of the ASFP specialist software linked to enables us to have access to a coded labelling system to the latest industry standards ensure compliance and future surrounding passive fire maintenance traceability protection, which includes requirements. technical bulletins so that we can ensure that we adhere We are also subject to to the correct legislation for annual audits and ongoing our clients, providing a higher surveillance of site installation standard of passive fire activities where competency protection and fire safety and workmanship are advice within buildings. assessed.
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We are accredited to the UK’s leading fire protection and safety bodies: We carry out a number of passive fire protection refurbishment programmes for various clients across all sectors. Our clients include: Whitbread Plc, Platform, Bupa, Midland Heart, Bromford, Aston University, University of Worcester and many more.
Our experience equips us to deliver a full range of passive fire protection works including:
Fire Door Inspections
Maintenance
Repairs
Replacements Page 7
Fire Door Inspections, Maintenance, Repairs & Replacements Fire doors have a key role in passive fire protection and are required to maintain fire compartmentation and protect means of escape. The correct installation of both new and replacement doors is critical to ensure their performance. It is therefore vital that the installer completes this, ensuring the tight tolerances required to maintain their integrity are strictly adhered to. This is also the case when overhauling/ maintaining existing fire doors.
When using Novus to carry out your installation, you can be confident that the works have been completed by a competent installer and the door will carry out its design functionality in line with our third party installation accreditation rules and regulations. Page 8
Fire Stopping & Penetration Sealing Penetration sealing systems are a fundamental requirement of fire safety within buildings. This is often a neglected part of the buildings fire protection and by using an organisation such as Novus you can be assured that not only are these areas identified but also any installations or remedial works are completed by a competent workforce.
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Fire-Retardant Coatings We have been working with a number of our clients and technical paint specifiers to advise the most appropriate fire-retardant paint coating to protect against the spread of flames. Flame retardant top coats can be applied to unpainted surfaces. Alternatively, using specialist products it may be possible to re-instate the original fire rating of surfaces without the need to remove the existing coatings. Paints generally contain material that can burn, and multiple layers of conventional paint can create a flammable surface. However, we can apply a specially formulated product that can slow down this process. This means they can help buy precious extra time for evacuation with the potential to save lives.
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Nationwide Services We are leading specialists in cyclical and planned maintenance, refurbishment and building services. We pride ourselves on our self-financing model and ability to empower and inspire, whilst continuously delivering service excellence and value for money. Working in both public and private sectors has allowed us to develop a wealth of experience in the provision of high-quality services that focus on a right first time approach. We have successfully built long term relationships over a prolonged period by demonstrating a customer focused approach, with clients benefiting from projects delivered on time, within budget, with zero defects, and to high levels of customer satisfaction.
“I was very pleased with the quality of service that Novus Property Solutions provided. The works were carried out in a professional manner, causing the least disruption to our residents. Although the program was ambitious, the resources were put in place to complete it within the set timeframe, without affecting the quality of works. I am satisfied with the service provided by them.” Ken Ballantyne, Project Manager at Luton Borough Council
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For more advice on all of your fire protection needs, contact us: T: 01782 598 000 E: info@novussolutions.co.uk Connect with us www.novussolutions.co.uk @_NovusSolutions Novus-Property-Solutions Novus Property Solutions
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