FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES DEVON

Firestopping Riser Cupboards in Exeter, Plymouth, Torbay, Devon, Cornwall & Bristol

PROJECTS

Firestopping riser cupboards is a critical part of modern fire safety and building compliance. In residential blocks, commercial buildings, and high-rise developments, service risers carry essential utilities such as electrical cables, pipework, drainage stacks and communications systems between floors. Without proper fire protection, these vertical shafts can allow fire and smoke to spread rapidly throughout a building.

What Is Firestopping in Riser Cupboards?

Riser cupboards contain vertical service shafts that run through multiple floors of a building. These shafts can compromise the fire compartmentation designed to prevent fire spreading between floors.

Firestopping involves sealing gaps and penetrations around services with tested fire-resistant materials such as:

Fire-rated sealants
Intumescent wraps and collars
Fire batt systems
Fire-resistant boards
Compartmentation systems

These products expand or resist heat during a fire, helping to maintain the integrity of fire-rated walls and floors. Properly installed firestopping slows the spread of flames and smoke and helps occupants evacuate safely.

Why Firestopping Riser Cupboards Is Important

Service risers are one of the most common routes for fire spread in multi-storey buildings. Without correct compartmentation and sealing, a fire on one floor can quickly travel through pipe and cable penetrations into other areas of the building.

Firestopping riser cupboards helps to:

Maintain fire compartmentation between floors
Prevent fire and smoke travelling through service shafts
Protect escape routes and stairwells
Improve overall building safety
Meet fire safety regulations and insurance requirements

Riser cupboards themselves are often enclosed with fire-resistant construction and doors to protect adjoining areas from fire hazards.

Building Regulations & Fire Safety Compliance

Firestopping work must comply with UK Building Regulations Part B (Fire Safety) and recognised British Standards.
These regulations require that penetrations through fire-rated walls and floors are sealed with tested firestop systems to maintain the structure’s fire resistance.
In many buildings, riser cupboard doors and enclosures must also provide 30, 60 or 120 minutes of fire resistance, depending on the building type and fire strategy.
Correct installation and documentation are essential for:
Building control approval
Fire risk assessments
Safety compliance
Insurance validation