A survey of UK buildings reveals alarming rates of defective passive fire protection — from missing fire stopping to compromised compartmentation. We examine the problem and the solution.. The Hidden Crisis A study by the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) found that 70% of UK buildings surveyed had defects in their passive fire protection systems. What Is Passive Fire Protection? Passive fire protection includes: Compartment walls and floors — fire rated barriers Fire doors — rated for 30 or 60 minutes Fire stopping — sealing gaps around services Intumescent coatings — protecting steelwork Cavity barriers — preventing fire spread in voids Common Defects Found 1. Missing fire stopping around service penetrations — 85% of buildings 2. Inadequate fire doors — 60% failure rate 3. Damaged compartment walls — holes, gaps, removed sections 4. Missing cavity barriers — particularly in roof voids 5. Incorrect intumescent coatings — wrong product, insufficient thickness The Inspection Process Destructive vs Non Destructive Non destructive: Visual inspection of accessible fire stopping, fire doors, and compartment boundaries Destructive: Opening up concealed areas to verify fire stopping integrity (sample based) Remediation Defective passive fire protection must be remediated by competent contractors using third party certified products. All work should be documented and form part of the Golden Thread. Commission a passive fire protection survey. Contact us.