Public Sector Buildings passive fire protection

Passive fire protection for public sector buildings

Council offices, court buildings, libraries, community centres and other public buildings are open to everyone, often for long hours, and many are older buildings that have been extended, refurbished and rewired many times. Each of those changes can leave gaps in fire-rated walls and floors, and fire doors that see heavy public use wear out quickly. TECS works for local authorities, public bodies and their facilities management partners to find and fix those problems and keep a clear record of the work.

We plan around opening hours, court sittings and public access, working early, late or in closed areas so services can carry on. In court buildings we work to the site's security rules and keep secure and custody areas closed off while we work. Every site team carries the right checks and ID, and each area is handed back clean and signed off.

Who is responsible

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the organisation that controls the building, usually the council or public body, is the Responsible Person. Where a building is shared with other services or tenants, responsibility can be split by area. We record every door and penetration by location so each party can see what is theirs and what has been done. Our guide to fire safety responsibilities covers the detail.

Typical scope in a public building

• Fire door inspection of every escape route, stair, corridor, courtroom, plant room and store door, with a pass, fail or advisory rating

• Remedial repairs from the same visit where possible: closers, hinges, intumescent seals, latches, glazing and signage

• Compartmentation surveys of roof voids, ceiling voids, risers and service routes, including older extensions and refurbished areas

• Fire stopping of cable, pipe and duct penetrations and linear joints with tested systems matched to the wall or floor type

• New FD30 and FD60 doorsets for public areas, offices and plant rooms, including glazed and accessible specifications

• Planned maintenance programmes across a whole estate, with one OneTrace record for every building

Working across a public estate

Public bodies often manage dozens of buildings of different ages. We can survey and maintain a whole portfolio on one programme, prioritise the highest-risk sites first, and give estates teams a single, searchable record of every door and seal, ready for fire risk assessors, insurers and audits.