Boston Health Clinic - Roof Space Compartmentation and Protected Zone Installation

LOCATION: Boston, Lincolnshire 

SECTOR: Healthcare / NHS 

ACCREDITATION: FIRAS Certified

We were awarded a two-week contract by the facilities management company acting for the local health trust to create both compartmentation and an extended protected zone within the roof space of Boston Health Clinic on Lincoln Lane - a community facility providing vaccination and screening services to the local population.

The Challenge

The clinic occupies a single-storey building with relatively restricted mono-pitch and dual-pitch roof areas, requiring careful planning to install an effective compartmentation system without disrupting the services below. The building remained fully operational throughout our works, meaning logistics, noise, and access all had to be carefully managed throughout.

As a trusted specialist contractor with an established relationship with the client, we were responsible for drawing up the specification ourselves - designing a solution that would create both compartmentation and a protected zone within the roof space using a selection of FIREFLY® products.

Our Approach

Our three-man team installed 150m² of FIREFLY® systems across the roof areas over the two-week period. We installed Apollo Lite 30:30 flexible barrier - supplied in roll form and fitted to lightweight steel angles, then securely clamped into position using the FIREFLY® clamping angle system. All joints were completed using stainless-steel staples to ensure a continuous and robust installation.

Timbers penetrating the barrier were protected using FIREFLY® Collaroll, and the surrounding timber rafters were coated with FIREFLY® Ablative Coating. FB180 Ablative Batts were friction-fitted between the rafters, with a 6mm bead of FIREFLY® FR Intumescent Acrylic applied between adjoining batts and at all junctions with the timbers - ensuring an effective fire-resistant seal and maintaining system integrity throughout the protected zone in accordance with Approved Document B.

One FIREFLY® FR120 Access Panel offering two hours of fire protection was also installed to allow easy access through the flexible barrier.

The Result

The full 150m² installation was completed within the two-week programme with the clinic remaining open throughout. Compliant compartmentation and a protected zone were established across all roof areas in accordance with Approved Document B, with every operative on the project trained in the correct installation of FIREFLY® systems through the FIREFLY® Academy.

As our Contracts Manager Daniel Oldacre noted: "This was the latest in a series of projects we have carried out for this client. As a trusted specialist contractor we were responsible for drawing up the specification - and we were able to employ a selection of FIREFLY® products to deliver it. Across the country we currently have some 10 contracts in progress, from Portsmouth on the South Coast up to North Wales, with many of them featuring FIREFLY® systems."