Passive fire protection is the silent guardian of buildings — compartmentation, structural fire protection, and fire stopping working invisibly to contain fires and protect structure.. What Is Passive Fire Protection? Passive Fire Protection (PFP) encompasses all building elements that contain fires and maintain structural integrity without requiring activation or human intervention. Categories of PFP 1. Structural Fire Protection: Protecting structural elements from fire to maintain load bearing capacity: Intumescent coatings — thin film coatings that expand (up to 50x original thickness) when heated, insulating the steel beneath Board systems — mineral fibre, calcium silicate, or vermiculite boards fixed around structural members Spray applied coatings — cementitious or fibrous sprays applied to steel Concrete encasement — steel members encased in concrete 2. Compartmentation: Dividing buildings into fire compartments: Fire rated walls — constructed to provide 30, 60, 90, or 120 minutes fire resistance Fire rated floors — preventing vertical fire spread between storeys Fire doors — maintaining compartmentation at openings Fire shutters — automatically closing to maintain compartmentation at large openings 3. Fire Stopping: Sealing penetrations through fire rated elements: Penetration seals — around pipes, cables, and ducts passing through fire rated walls/floors Linear joint seals — between fire rated elements (wall to floor, wall to wall) Cavity barriers — preventing fire spread in concealed spaces Fire collars — around plastic pipes to prevent fire spread when pipe melts Testing and Certification All PFP products must be tested to BS EN standards: BS EN 13501 2 — Classification using fire resistance test data BS EN 1365 — Fire resistance tests for loadbearing elements BS EN 1366 — Fire resistance tests for service installations Third party certification — CERTIFIRE, Warrington, BRE Global/LPCB Common Installation Defects 1. Gaps in intumescent coating revealing bare steel 2. Board systems not correctly fixed at joints 3. Fire stopping missing at service penetrations 4. Cavity barriers omitted or incorrectly positioned 5. Substitution of non tested products for specified products 6. Incorrect fire stopping products used for application For passive fire protection specification, contact us. Magnus Opifex SEVEN LTD — UK's Leading Fire Safety & Fire Engineering Consultancy 🌐 magnus opifex.co.uk 📞 +44 7486 691724 ✉️ office@magnus opifex.co.uk Founders: Nicoleta Vasile, Baroness of Brattleby — CEO, Lawyer and Barrister, Legal & Administrative Director Alina — Technical Director & Expert Fire Engineer (BEng) Head Office: Ealing Cross, 85 Uxbridge Road, London W5 5BW Magnus Opifex SEVEN LTD delivers engineering led fire engineering, fire risk assessments, CFD modelling, and building safety consultancy across the United Kingdom and internationally. With over 20 years of combined experience and a UK portfolio spanning healthcare, residential and infrastructure, we bring truly engineered solutions with a personal touch. © 2026 Magnus Opifex SEVEN LTD. All rights reserved.