Healthcare fire compartmentation follows the progressive horizontal evacuation strategy defined in HTM 05-01 and referenced in BS 9999. Because many patients cannot self-evacuate, the strategy moves them sideways into an adjacent safe zone on the same floor rather than down stairs.
The compartment boundaries between adjacent zones must maintain integrity and insulation for the transfer period, typically 30 to 60 minutes minimum. The same period applies to every element in the compartment line: walls, floors, fire doors, cavity barriers and every service penetration through the boundary.
Healthcare buildings run continuous refurbishment works alongside live occupation. Every break in the compartment line during works must be documented and temporarily sealed. This is where competent contractor certification (FIRAS, IFC Certification) and regular inspection are particularly important.
For new healthcare builds, the fire compartmentation strategy is developed across all RIBA stages. Cavity barriers behind rainscreen cladding and curtain walling are increasingly reviewed separately from general compartmentation because of the post-Grenfell regulatory changes to external wall product standards.