BESA flags potentially “critical” fire damper safety issue

BESA is “taking the unusual step” of producing an interim announcement because of the “urgent nature” of the problem after annual inspections carried out by maintenance contractors found that “a huge number of dampers” had been incorrectly installed.

Graeme Fox, BESA’s head of technical, explained that many did not comply with manufacturers’ instructions and needed remedial action “without delay”. Fox noted: “We have been alerted to the very dangerous practice of people using self-drilling ‘tek’ screws which do not melt when temperatures rise during a building fire. This means spring-loaded dampers will not be released to contain the spread of fire within the zone and ensure the integrity of the fire stopping measures in place.”

Fox added: “Dampers must be secured by fusible fixings that allow the duct to break away, otherwise the collapsing duct could pull the damper out of place and break the seal between the fire zones.”

BESA’s Technical Committee sanctioned the technical bulletin, which is freely available on the Association’s website at www.thebesa.com, to give contractors the information and appropriate terminology they need in order to alert clients to this “potentially life-threatening” problem.

Updated guidance

The bulletin also updates the guidance and statutory requirements covering installation, testing and maintenance of fire dampers and smoke dampers, including clients’ legal obligations to ensure their fire safety systems remain fit for purpose in line with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for England and Wales and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

This document outlines the crucial role played by the penetration seal in ensuring the overall fire stopping integrity of an installation, the importance of maintenance teams being able to find and access dampers for testing and repair and also the need for designers and installers to seek expert advice from damper manufacturers.  

“While this is clearly a very worrying situation,” warned Fox, “we can take some reassurance from the fact that this problem is being brought to our attention by the increasing frequency of fire damper inspections and tests as awareness grows of this extremely important issue. We would urge contractors to alert their clients immediately such that all of the necessary checks and repairs can be carried out.”