Scott Base Fire Report

REPORT ON FIRE SAFETY SYSTEMS AT
SCOTT BASE
ROSS ISLAND, MCMURDO SOUND
ANTARCTICA
Prepared for
Antarctica New Zealand and
Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Page | 1
CONTENTS
Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Overview ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Fire Ratings – current situation ............................................................................................................... 4
Fire Systems ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Fire fighting equipment ............................................................................................................................ 9
Passive Fire Protection ......................................................................................................................... 10
Incident Room Alarm Silencing ............................................................................................................. 11
Emergency lighting ................................................................................................................................ 12
Inspection procedures ........................................................................................................................... 13
Appendices
A Building inspection reports
B Firepro B235 datasheet
C Ryanfire Data sheets
D Clevertronics CLIFE data sheet
E Ecoglo HYU datasheet
F Inspection Schedule
G Cosgrove Major Fire Report 2006, Reviewed 2014
Page | 2
OVERVIEW
FFP Canterbury has been engaged by Antarctica New Zealand to assist the fire engineering review of
their Antarctic base on Ross Island in McMurdo Sound being undertaken by Fire and Emergency New
Zealand (FENZ). Scott Base is a permanently occupied base housing up to 90 people during peak
periods, and holding a skeleton crew of 10-12 people over the isolation of winter. With the first
buildings constructed from the late 1950s, the base became a series of buildings, which have been
conveniently interconnected by a series of corridors making the use of the base simple to transverse,
without having to be exposed to the weather.
The original base buildings have been added to regularly and the site remains under a constant series
of improvement projects. Although there is an intention to build an entirely new base, there appears to
be no certainty about a potential design, a timeframe to complete this, or the New Zealand
government’s commitment to allocate the necessary funds. As such this report takes into account the
current state of the base as an ongoing operational facility, but notes that the buildings are not likely
to have a lifespan beyond 15 years.
The fire review is aimed at reviewing the multitude of fire designs which have been used over the
years and consider their effectiveness. FFP’s involvement was to document a practical review of the
installed passive fire protection measures and egress routes to allow the FENZ fire engineer to
establish the effectiveness of the current fire resistance ratings, and identify any which may not be
relied on.
In addition to this, FFP was requested to provide a review of the inspection procedures for the
systems with a view to bringing the process closer to that which a commercial building in New
Zealand might be subject to. This would include inspections for the active and passive fire systems,
emergency lighting and egress routes to be undertaken both by base staff, and independently audited
by external qualified personnel.
This report is based on an on-site inspection undertaken throughout the base during late November
2017. A summary of the findings are provided for use by the FENZ fire engineer to allow them to
consider the pathway forward for the protection of the base. Technical notes and field observations
are provided in appendices at the back of the document.
Page | 3
FIRE RATINGS – CURRENT SITUATION
Each of the buildings have the normal risks which might be associated in any working environment in
the wide range of tasks being undertaken throughout the base – electricity (including generators and
HV supplies), fuel, vehicles, LPG, kitchen processes, and risks associated with people sleeping in the
site.
To avoid fire spread, the various buildings and risk areas have had a 30 minute fire rating included
between the buildings and the adjacent corridor link way and many corridors are also subdivided with
fire rated doors and walls, designed to contain the effects of a fire. In the event egress through the
base is not possible, then external egress points exits in each building allowing occupants to make
their way outside and re-enter the building safely at another point. Egress doors are never locked
from either direction but occupants are not necessarily able to access cold weather clothing before
leaving making internal egress the first option.
The buildings are principally constructed with external fabric of polyisocyanurate (PIR) or expanded
polystyrene (PSP) panels which are manufactured sandwiched between aluminium sheeting. These
panels are simple to use, lightweight and offer extremely good insulation properties, but have a poor
resistance to fire. Within the outer structure, a raised chipboard-type floor allows services to be run
underneath accessed by hatches. The internal fitout is generally from plasterboard on a timber or
steel rondo frame.
Fire rating is typically with the use of a timber wall using 13mm plasterboard (later areas using Gib
Fyreline) on a single layer on each side of the wall. A timber door, generally with Georgian-wire
windows installed is used for access through the fire rating. Most of the doors are certified fire doors
manufactured with a -/30/30 sm rating and include intumescent strips bound either into the leaf or the
frame of the door, and a cold smoke seal. Intumescent strips will expand with heat and seal a door to
its frame to withstand a fire spread.
Doors have automatic closers and in many cases are held in the open position using electro-magnetic
devices which are released on the operation of a smoke detector in the building. Each of the fire
doors has a small opening cut into the base of the door leaf to allow the door to be closed while a fire
hose is run through the door in the event fire fighting is required.
Most fire doors do not form an adequate seal and have clear gaps around the edges and between
leaves which smoke or fire could pass through. Fire and smoke doors have maximum gaps which are
permitted, and most doors on the base exceed these limits. Some doors are also bowed and warped
to the point where they are 10-15mm off the alignment of the frame, reducing their effectiveness
again.
Because of the extremely dry environment in Antarctica, it appears that the natural residual moisture
in the timber has been drawn out of the timber – resulting in the loss of dimensional stability and
causing deformation of the doors due to timber shrinkage. The doors at the top of the stairs to the
HFC link way corridor are less than 2 years old, but have significant gaps around them – but notably
the metal edging is now protruding from the edges of the door, showing that the doors once extended
to the edge of the framing but have now shrunk. It is recommended that any new fire rated doors are
prepared for the ultra-dry environment or adequately sealed to prevent this phenomenon occurring.
Where services pass through walls, there appears to have been some use of fire pillows – typically
the Firepro B235 or the Fyreguard Fyre-pillow – to seal the opening and prevent fire spread. Fire
pillows are a soft and malleable container with an intumescent product which will expand to seal an
opening in a fire, but are generally not considered to be suitable as a permanent solution in fire rated
walls as they are often poorly installed and even more often left incomplete. Fire pillows also do not
provide a smoke seal unless they are tightly packed.
In some cases in Scott Base, entire underfloor fire walls are constructed by nothing other than
stacked pillows across an underfloor space of 1.5 – 2.0m2 unsupported by any wall or framing. Firepro
Page | 4
identify in their one-page data sheet that their B235 pillow is limited in testing to 0.3m 2 and the
Fyreguard product no longer appears to be manufactured, but would undoubtedly not have been
tested to an area larger than the Firepro product.
As such a fire will cause the fire pillows to start an expansion, but like an unsupported spring in which
tension is placed, it is likely to cause the stack of pillows to bow outwards and fall, causing the entire
fire rating to fail and allowing the fire to spread through the wall.
In addition to this, poor installation practice has found numerous instances of fire pillows being placed
on a cable tray adjacent to an opening or placed next to a penetration. This will have no effect in
sealing the fire wall during combustion as the expanding intumescent product will direct itself into
open space rather than into the wall.
Fire walls have been damaged in numerous areas where plasterboard linings have been breached
and either left open or repaired with inferior products such as chipboard or plywood.
The construction and trade services industries are generally lacking in competency in the
identification, strategy and repair methodologies for the repair of penetrations in fire rated wall
systems, and these are now often left to specialist trades to complete the repairs and openings rather
than letting each trade undertake their own repairs. It would be our recommendation that a single
strategy and methodology is adopted for the sealing of fire rated walls, and all trade staff heading to
Scott Base are trained in the use of the material prior to departure. Recommendations for products
and methodologies are detailed later in this document.
The design requirement for 30-minute fire walls appears to be considering a simple approach as if the
building was in a normal New Zealand environment, modelling on egress to a safe place as written
within the New Zealand Building Code Acceptable Solutions – being “a place outside of and within the
vicinity of a single building unit from which people may safely disperse after escaping the effects of a
fire. It may be a place such as a street, open space, public space or an adjacent building unit.”
Generally this assumes that egress, if it cannot be made inside, will then default to an external route
as outside is safer than inside in a fire. This is not always possible in weather conditions without
risking the health of the evacuee, so it would be recommended that the internal path is better
protected to ensure it is more likely to remain available in a fire. In a new base, two separate internal
paths would be recommended.
The envelopment of the site in PSP and PIR panels creates a risk where a fire can spread within the
envelope and circumvent a fire rated wall. Even where a fire wall exists, the conductivity of the metal
sheeting can cause the fire to spread past the wall, and the combusting or even just melting material
can open the space within the panelling to allow the heat from the fire to bypass the passive fire
protection.
Early PSP panels were heavily used in food processing and cold storage as they were a clean
material and allowed the temperature to be maintained easily. Unfortunately the nature of expanded
plastics - being a mix of aerated fuel - leaves them very vulnerable to fire and once combustion
occurs within the core of the panel, the fire is almost impossible to attack resulting in the loss of the
entire building as the fire creeps invisibly through the core of the building material. This has been the
cause of a number of total loss fires.
Structures constructed from between 10 and 15 years ago incorporate a fire retardant within the PSP
panel, but this will hold combustion until around 400oC, at which point the combustion will self-sustain
and involve the material.
A second issue with expanded foam materials such as PSP and PIR is the toxicity of the gasses
emitted during the combustion process. Primary chemicals produced include large amounts of carbon
monoxide (CO) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) both of which are toxic in low levels. A fire in a structure
which includes expanded foams will require the use of breathing apparatus even to those outside the
structure to avoid serious health effects.
Page | 5
A 2011 study of fire toxicity of insulating materials at the University of Central Lancashire's Centre for
Fire and Hazard Science studied PIR and other commonly used materials under more realistic and
wide-ranging conditions representative of a wider range of fire hazard, observing that most fire deaths
resulted from toxic product inhalation. The study evaluated the degree to which toxic products were
released, looking at toxicity, time-release profiles, and lethality of doses released, in a range of
flaming, non-flaming, and poorly ventilated fires, and concluded that PIR generally released a
considerably higher level of toxic products than the other insulating materials studied.1
Because Scott Base is one continuous (and by design, poorly ventilated) structure, the effect of the
toxic fumes from a fire event must be controlled with smoke separations preventing the gasses from
affecting the occupants of the building from being affected by the residual smoke. Given that on
occasions egress outside the complex could place the occupants in more serious danger by exposing
them to some of the harshest weather on the planet, the ‘evacuation within the building’ procedure
then changes the nature of the way the fire design must be viewed, lending this more to be designed
like a hospital than a standard place of work or accommodation.
A third issue is that the external thermal insulation structure is held together almost exclusively with
nylon bolts as suitable for this type of construction in a standard building. In a fire event, the nylon
bolts are likely to fail. Even with fire retardant nylon fittings which have been modified and tested to
achieve a UL94 V-0 rating, the nylon will stop combustion but will be allowed to melt and drip. 2 The
result will be that the structure of the building could fail, with panels literally falling off the steel
skeleton of the base and creating a risk to fire crews.
Additionally nylon bolts have been used to affix other items to the panels – in the Q-Hut corridor link
way, the fire sprinkler main has been suspended from brackets which are not bolted to the steel
structure of the link way, but to steel plates attached by nylon bolts to the PIR panelling. A fire with
any degree of heat to it could cause the entire sprinkler main to lose support and detach from the
ceiling.
The Cosgrove Major Fire report in 2006, reviewed in 2014 appears to identify the fire separations as
we have assumed, and identifies many of the issues we have raised in our inspection – some of
which are marked as resolved under the 2014 comments, but appear not to have been. Particularly
the passive fire protection included fire doors in walls which have limited or in some cases no fire
rating. Unfortunately this report was only uncovered on 23 January 2018 as this report is being
finalised so the findings have not been referred to within the document, but the notes remain highly
relevant as many of the issues raised 12 years ago are still present and in many cases have
deteriorated significantly since.
FENZ will review the current location of fire walls and effectiveness of the design strategy, but the
current situation is that most of the fire walls are only partially useful with many barely offering a
smoke separation as they stand and some offering no protection at all. A revised design should
include sturdy, non-combustible panelling used as external cladding adjacent to fire walls which have
been correctly installed and sealed. These should be allowed to withstand a total loss of one building,
leaving the firecells adjacent to be able to continue to operate.
1 https://firesciencereviews.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40038-016-0012-3 The Fire Toxicity of Polyurethane Foams -

McKenna and Hull 2016; Fire Science Reviews, 5:3, 2016; doi:10.1186/s40038-016-0012-3
2 UL 94, the Standard for Safety of Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances testing
Page | 6
FIRE SYSTEMS
The base is protected by automatic fire sprinkler systems fed from two pumps on two water sources.
The primary supply is from 24m3 of water in the HFC building, and the secondary supply is from the
potable water. The primary supply would only allow up to 10 minutes of fire fighting of an OH3
demand maximum capacity, but it is likely to extend this time in an actual fire. Additionally the water
demand is shared with the layflat firefighting hoses at the fire equipment points used by the base fire
crews.
A fire sprinkler system is effective as it will activate early in the development of a fire and work to
control the fire spread. It is limited by obstructions in the discharge of water, and by rapid
development of fire, particularly in stored goods.
Some areas of the base are not sprinkler protected to the requirements of the New Zealand Standard
4541 with some larger underfloor cavities without coverage, and some over-long spacings within
some of the protected concealed spaces. Unprotected spaces should be protected to comply with the
standard, and sprinkler coverage should be added into the areas where storage of goods exceeds the
current capability of the sprinkler systems.
It would be recommended that the following actions are taken with regard to improvement of sprinkler
coverage on the site:
 Protect the underfloor area under the laundry

 Protect at least the services area under the Locker Room, to provide protection of the
services which pass from the vehicle workshop to the engineering area.
 Protect underfloor spaces under the Thomson building – the underfloor cavities under the
ablutions blocks
 Protect the difficult storage with a solution to comply with NZS4541 in HFC field equipment
areas. This would include
o Installing a wall of Fire Resistive construction between the back to back racks, so
they are effectively single width racks, from the floor to the top of the rack
o Installing a solid shelf at the very top of every rack, where any material stored on top
of the rack must be 500mm below the plane of the sprinklers. Due to the height of the
knee of the roof / wall, and the racks getting taller as the roof height increases, this
will result in a stepped arrangement
o Installing Scheme A K16 upright sprinklers and pipework, sprinklers spaced at 1m to
1,2m, beneath the very top level of solid shelving, located at the rack uprights and at
midway between rack uprights.
o Removing all other layers of solid shelving and replacing with mesh or slats (Refer
NZS 4541)
o Providing a flue space of at least 150mm wide located either
o 1) at every rack upright, created by installing vertical mesh barriers on each side of
the rack upright supports
o 2) or where uprights are 3.5 m apart, located beneath an in rack sprinkler so that flue
spaces are no more than 2.4 apart (or from the end of the rack)
o Keep all storage in the racks so that there is a 150mm clearance below the sprinkler
o It is likely that the height of the horizontal beams will require adjustment to allow
continued storage of the plastic bins etc while the 150mm clearance is provided.
 Cavity above roof voids in Thomson revise spacings and poor installation practice. This has
been reviewed and a plan has been established for the remedial work to be completed. FFP
are formulating an action plan for this area.
 Refix the areas where mains are currently held in place with nylon bolts in the Q-hut /
Hatherton Lab corridor. These should be affixed to the steel framing of the building and not to
the angle brackets mounted on the ceiling.
The routine inspection of the diesel engines and valvesets needs to be improved to bring this closer in
line to standard practice with NZS 4541 procedures. We would recommend that the diesel log book
Page | 7
currently present at the controller is completed weekly, and the data transferred to the Asset system
electronic records. The book should have the carbon copy filed monthly, and annually should have
the engine overhaul detailed recorded in the pages provided.
FFP will provide a schedule for the inspection of the valvesets for the wet and dry pipe systems for
site staff to complete once the overall schedule has been approved in principle.
The base fire alarm is an analogue addressable system dating from 2008. It remains in good
condition and is well supported by the equipment manufacturers. The detection consists of
photoelectronic smoke detection throughout most of the occupied spaces and some under floor
spaces, where sprinkler coverage is not present – in the laundry and Thomson buildings underfloor
spaces.
A series of LCD display mimics are situated at fire crew reporting points around the site to advise the
location and number of devices operated.
The alarm control unit has a modem fitted that when connected will allow FFP staff to remotely
program the panel, view history and configurations and offer support remotely.
Aspirating smoke detection systems exist in the engineering area and vehicle workshop which allow
local isolation of the detectors in times of smoky or dusty work, and provide a filter-protected smoke
detector. One aspirating detector was replaced on the last FFP visit to site after it was identified it had
failed in 2013
This series of fire detection equipment is tested monthly by the use of a fire drill, but does require
some preventative maintenance testing such as battery load testing to be undertaken by site staff.
The system generally has a full survey every 2 years by FFP, but the last survey was undertaken in
2013 and no device testing, cleaning or maintenance has been completed since.
FFP will provide specific items to be checked monthly once the overall inspection routine is approved
in principle.
Page | 8
FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT
Layflat hoses and fire service waterway equipment is positioned at points around the base from which
firefighting activities can take place. Crews are trained by FENZ prior to deployment and again once
on base. This equipment is checked under the internal Antarctica NZ asset system.
Handheld fire extinguishers are located throughout the site as a mix of ABE dry powder and carbon
dioxide (CO2). These are tested annually with base staff, and require 5-yearly pressure testing. There
is a preference to leasing fire extinguishers to off-set the cost of the 5-yearly service, which is a
service offered by FFP, but as with all leasing arrangements the most economically viable method is
the ownership of the extinguishers. A costed option of leasing will be provided for consideration.
In some older areas, standard 13mm fire hose reels are still present. These provide little benefit given
the other firefighting equipment on site and it is recommended that these are removed from service.
Page | 9
PASSIVE FIRE PROTECTION
As previously outlined, the passive fire protection repair is in a poor state at present. The use of fire
pillows as the primary source of fire retardant is inadequate and we would recommend that all fire
pillows are removed and replaced with suitable fire rated surfaces and penetrations sealed
appropriately with a single new system.
A process is required to outline the repair of fire rated walls in the site. The use of a single system,
using simple materials which can be applied across a wide range of services is strongly
recommended. The current approach taken by the passive fire protection industry is the use of a
mineral fibreboard “batt” which is cut to shape around the services, and then filled with a matching
intumescent (expanding) sealant, sleeves or fire rated seals is a useful and economically viable
method of repairing openings in existing fire walls. The entire surface – and surface of cables arriving
at and leaving the fire wall are then coated with an ablative mix which seals the entire surface. A
single layer of the batt will achieve 60 minute fire rating, a double layer 120 minutes.
Collars should be affixed around PVC or insulated pipes to crush the flexible material and sealed to
prevent smoke transit.
We would recommend the Ryanfire products for this – data sheets and installation methodology
details are attached for reference.
FFP can provide familiarisation with the materials and the training to base staff to undertake the
repairs to the fire rated walls which are required to be retained. It is also recommended that every fire
rated surface is labelled as such in positions where services are likely to be run and that plans are
available showing the location of fire ratings.
It is also recommended that all sub-floor fire walls have two cable transit openings installed within the
fire wall and sealed at the edges. One should be reserved for power services and the other for data to
prevent interference. This will allow future services to be run through the wall without interfering with
the fire rating at all.
All fire walls should be labelled as such in concealed areas where services are likely to be run. FFP
have a self-adhesive label we install at each penetration we protect to prevent other trades from
disturbing this in the future. Identified fire walls are far less likely to be damaged, and tradespeople
who are trained in the correct repairs to fire rated walls are much more likely to use the cable transits
provided, and are able to seal any openings which are created in the running of other services –
maintaining the fire rating of the wall.
Because of the poor state of the fire separations as they are installed, it is recommended that after the
implementation of this report and the improvement works as outlined in the FENZ review, that a re-
inspection and sign-off of the separations is completed. It appears that the follow-up on previous
reports has assumed that passive fire protection works have been completed, but no real confirmation
of this has been put in place. Once complete, it would be anticipated that routine inspections of the
base including fire alarms, emergency lights, egress and fire door operations would include an
inspection of the subfloor fire walls as well.
Page | 10
INCIDENT ROOM ALARM SILENCING
During the evacuation on base, some distraction occurred with the ongoing background noise from
the evacuation alarm sounding throughout the area where the incident control was being managed.
The installation of a module on the wall and rewiring of the speakers in that area will allow the incident
command area and the neighbouring area for evacuated occupants to have the audible alarms
silenced to prevent distraction. A series of visual indicators should be installed to ensure that the
occupants are aware of the audible alarms still sounding throughout the base.
This will involve the addition of a module and modification of cabling by the Scott Base electrician
under direction from FFP in Christchurch. FFP will need to program the unit which can be completed
with the on-board modem.
We would recommend this is also included in the alternate incident command centre, in the HFC AFT
briefing room.
Page | 11
EMERGENCY LIGHTING
Although the base is occupied primarily during periods of 24 hour daylight, the site will experience as
much darkness in the year as any other location and emergency lighting is fitted in corridors and
some operation areas to guide egress. A mixture of illuminated exits signage is spread throughout
with some fittings being ‘sustained’ – lit at all times, operating on battery during power failure – and
‘non-maintained’ – not lit in normal states, but illuminated under battery power in mains failure.
The wayfinding light fittings tend to be a Bardic, Phillips or Thorn fitting, none of which in our
experience would score well if measure for the combination of light output, battery life, or fitting
quality. Battery life is a consistent problem with emergency light fittings as NiCad or NiMH batteries
will generally last only 3-5 years before requiring replacement, and are very costly to maintain. In an
average year for this site, it would be expected that 40 battery packs would fail and be sent to landfill.
New battery packs are best made up fresh and installed quickly as rechargeable batteries have a very
poor shelf life.
Fitting life is not much more with the charger regulators regularly failing after 7-9 years, resulting in
the fitting being replaced in its entirety.
The use of a loner-life fitting will save the cost of the battery and fitting in the longer term and leave
less time without the fitting operational when repairs are required. Lithium batteries will generally give
10 year life spans and LED fittings are more compact, require a smaller battery, more reliable and
give a better light output.
We would recommend that any replacement fittings installed be Clevertronics CLIFE LED fitting with a
lithium battery, which can either be installed surface or recessed. These are a more reliable fitting and
have a longer battery life than the fittings currently used.
Spotlight units should be considered for the environment they are installed in, but spotlight fittings
generally do not fail as often.
For Exit fittings, we would recommend the Ecoglo HYU unit which incorporates no battery, but
provides light onto a photoluminescent surface which emits stored light and allows the sign to remain
illuminated on its own in power failure. This will provide a much longer life fitting with no battery or
charger unit, and not have the environmental effects of the requirement to landfill batteries at all.
Outside pathways and stairs should be considered for illumination in an emergency where external
egress is required. Lighting of stairwells and some external areas and guidance lighting toward the
admin porch would assist an evacuation in periods of low light and/or poor visibility. Because of the
nature of the weather conditions, spotlight fittings would be best installed, with the battery and charger
unit installed inside the building and the lights on the exterior surface. In some cases it may be
preferable to illuminate the outside area from under the buildings.
Page | 12
INSPECTION PROCEDURES
It is recommended that a routine of inspections is set in place to ensure that fire and life safety
systems are checked, records kept and audits undertaken regularly. Under the Building Act 2004, a
system exists where each building must have a schedule of the systems which require inspection, the
standards to which they are measured against, the frequency of the inspection and lists whether the
inspection can be undertaken by the owner or a registered professional contractor. Each year, the
certification provided by the contractor to owner is submitted to the territorial authority with a
certificate declaring all inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures have been adhered with.
This system is known as a building warrant of fitness.
As Scott Base sits outside New Zealand, there is no requirement to comply with the Act and the
necessary inspection procedures, but the system is well-defined and results in excellent outcomes for
compliance and reporting.
FFP requested that the Christchurch City Council consider adopting Scott Base as a building which
would fall under its warrant of fitness administration, but they have responded advising that they
would not wish to take any liability on by adding this site to their network. Because we do not have a
cooperative territorial authority to produce the actual documentation for a warrant of fitness, the
solution is to essentially replicate the process by creating a parallel system based on the same
processes.
We have outlined a proposed inspection programme which would include routine inspections for
many systems including those already undertaken by Scott Base staff and adding an inspection
routine which is closer to the NZ Standards and Building Code routines for those systems. This would
then be audited by qualified FFP staff and, if the systems all meet their standards, have a certificate
issued which identifies that all of the inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures have been
fully complied with, and that the systems are in operational order at the time of the certification.
While this would not be a building warrant of fitness without a territorial authority to administer this, we
would still produce all of the documentation in a parallel format as if it was. This allows a single
certificate to be displayed to identify that the fire safety systems have been inspected and maintained
correctly, providing reassurance to staff and visitors to site.
At present the fire alarm system is checked on a biennial basis by FFP in an inspection on site,
however the last inspection was undertaken in 2013. It is recommended that this becomes a fixed
inspection frame due to the importance of maintenance of this system.
The proposed inspection structure is attached as an Appendix to this report
Page | 13
SCOTT BASE - HATHERTON LAB BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
HA 30 min fire doors to entry, on hold-open

devices. Roller catches on top of both doors.
01
No priority closer required.
3/3 Automatic Fire Doors
Note
This is an observation of a
system which is noted for
comment or for our own record,
No action is required.
HA The separation includes 30 minute timber

framed Georgian wire glass fire doors at the
02 entry, but the doors do not seal correctly,
likely due to timber shrinkage. The Roller
catches do not hold the door in a tight seal
position and allow the door to ‘rattle’ when
closed. Adjustment is required.
Note fire door has opening for fire hose.
Underfloor separation Hath Lab to corridor .

HA
seal provided using collar and mastic.
03 15/3 Fire Separations inappropriate use of products. collar and seals
not applicable for this type of service.
Fire Separations must be maintained to

ensure continuity of the fire ratings. Any
services which pass through the penetration
must be sealed correctly to ensure that the fire
will not pass through the barrier. Openings
must be sealed using approved materials by a
qualified installer. FFP Can assist with this if
required.
FRR Fire separation repair
FFP CANTERBURY LTD Page 1 of 7

HA Underfloor separation Hath Lab to corridor.

04 15/3 Fire Separations Data and comms cables penetrations. These
photos typical of numerous openings.
All are openings which compromise the fire

ratings.
FENZ to review all fire ratings
HA Underfloor separation Hath Lab to corridor

space. Heating pipes unsealed and currently
05 15/3 Fire Separations not providing the fire rating required.
Fire ratings are compromised throughout.

FENZ to review.
Underfloor separation Hath Lab to corridor

HA
space. Heating pipes penetrating wall,
06 15/3 Fire Separations appears to have two linings of gib, with glass
fibre insulation in between. No FRR seals.
Typical of openings throughout.

HA Specified System: Store cupboard outside Hatherton Lab.

07 appears to have been patched with
15/3 Fire Separations chipboard. unclear whether the fire rating
is complete
Fire Separations are designed to prevent

fire spreading from one part of a building to
another. This is completed by building
materials with a fire rating, and sealed to
prevent fire spread. Correct seals must be
applied where materials intersect, and
materials must be installed to the
manufacturers design specifications to
ensure they work correctly in a fire.
FRR Fire Separation - Buildin
HA Specified System: A separation exists between the building

08 15/3 Fire Separations and the corridor with fire doors. The wall is
primarily a 13mm plasterboard lining on
each side of a double rondo wall, with a
gap between. The plasterboard extends
from the subfloor level to the point where
the roof of the corridor meets the wall of
the Lab building.
HA Specified System: View looking down the wall of the fire door
09 to the corridor. Plasterboard linings from
15/3 Fire Separations door to cavity over door. Minimal building
fabric intersections protection.
FENZ to review fire protection and

separation requirements.
Page 4
HA The fire rated wall between the Lab and the

10 15/3 Fire Separations
corridor has a cavity between and is limited in
its fire separation, as the fire rating only
extends to the external panelling. A fire could
bypass the fire wall as the panelling combusts
in the fire event. This is unresolvable.
Egress to north of Hath Lab, restricted area.

HA
consider appropriate egress path direction
11 and wayfinding, particularly in winter months
15/2 Final Exits
or other periods of limited visibility
External egress from Hath Lab corridor South.

HA
Recommend EML for stairs and external
12 15/2 Final Exits wayfinding

Fire sprinklers are installed in the building, but

HA there are superfluous sprinklers still in place
13 from alterations in the past. Sprinklers
1 Fire Sprinkler
positioned too close to each other can cause
the neighbouring head to be cooled and not
react to the spread of a fire.
While no action is required in this case, it

would be better to have these heads removed
and heads correctly positioned in order to
provide adequate and even response to a fire,
however as it is likely that the building is
limited in its life expectancy, this should only
be considered if the building is to remain.
HA The hatch to the upper level area should be

14 kept shut at all times. A fire in the lower level
1 Fire Sprinkler with have the heat escape to the upper level
without activating the lower level sprinklers.
The upper level sprinkler operating may cool
the head underneath and may delay its
response to the fire, allowing the fire to build.
All users of this area should be briefed on this.
HA Underfloor has no fire sprinklers or smoke

detectors – the Underfloor cavity is 625mm
15 15/3 Fire Separations deep and protection is recommended,
although the risk is low. Smoke detection to
the underfloor around the switchboard area
would be beneficial and cost-effective.
Also showing trunking penetrating fire wall.

HA Underfloor corridor side. Multiple services

penetrations.
Repairs will be difficult and expensive. FENZ
to review this fire separation.
Corridor hath lab side od corridor fire door.

HA pillows used on cable trays, misplaced and
17 15/3 Fire Separations poorly maintained . poor fabric intersections

required.
Fire pillows are present in the underfloor

HA
space beneath the fire wall in the corridor
18 15/3 Fire Separations between Q Hut and the Hath lab. These are
poorly installed and are only useful as a
temporary measure. The fire rating is
compromised by openings which are
essentially unprotected.
Fire pillows are a useful temporary measure to

fill a cavity where services are currently being
run to provide an interim passive protection
measure, however this is not a permanent
solution and once the services are installed,
the opening must be permanently sealed with
appropriate fire rated compounds and
sealants.
FRR Fire separations – Fire Pill

HA Specified System: The fire door in the corridor does not close
19 to the latch position, which holds the door
3/3 Automatic Fire Doors closed in a fire event. This requires
adjustment to operate correctly. The door
release button has been installed with a
standard PDL 600 series two position
switch (like a lightswitch) rather than a self-
returning switch. It is recommended this is
changed to match the other fittings
Fire Doors must close to a latch position to

allow them to work correctly to hold back
the pressure of a fire. The door closer must
be checked regularly and adjusted to
ensure that the door pulls itself to the latch
position every time and is not obstructed in
the closing or latching process.
Fire Door must close to a latc
HA Specified System: The corridor fire exit leads to a ladder

20 15/2 Final Exits which allows the occupant to escape by
climbing down externally, although the
ladder is some distance from the door and
would be difficult to access in all but calm
weather.
Recommend wayfinding lighting and flags

to assist occupants to make their way to
HA Specified System: Fire egress as above. No action.

21
15/2 Final Exits
Page 4
SCOTT BASE - Q HUT BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
QH Sprinkler guard so close to the top of the door,

it actually rubs the smoke seal. care should be
01
taken, or a smaller guard installed.
1 Fire Sprinkler
Recommendation
This is an observation of an
improvement which can be
made to a system to increase
efficiency or enhance the way
the system operates.
QH Although the fire door closes correctly to a

seal the doors have no manufacturer tags to
02
15/3 Fire Separations confirm their fire rating. FENZ to review
QH Floor cavity 120mm only

03
Note

QH In the plantroom, services pass through the

04 fire rated wall to the corridor and are encased
15/3 Fire Separations in a chipboard enclosure. Once the chipboard
surface is opened, the fire rating behind is
entirely opened and the services are not
protected. This fire rating requires repair.

required.
As above, shown before the chipboard was

QH
removed. This is not providing any fire rating.

required.
QH The plantroom door is solid core, but has no

06 intumescent strips, no tags, no seals, no
15/3 Fire Separations closer and sits in an aluminium frame. It
appears not to be a fire door as indicated, and
should not be considered as a fire rating. A
fire rating would be expected between a plant
room such as this and the egress path from a
sleeping space. FENZ to review
fire door

QH Specified System: The understair cavity has been used as an

07 air plenum – there is no fire rating between
15/3 Fire Separations the plantroom and the understair cavity.
The stair is not fire rated from the
understair area. FENZ will review this.
Air appears to flow through all rooms.
smoke detection activation should shut
down HVAC to ensure smoke is not
circulated throughout.
QH Specified System: This understair area is accessed via a

08 15/3 Fire Separations screw hatch to Room 9, which has no fire
separation. The plant room shares the
same firecell as room 9. It would be
expected that sleeping spaces and plant
rooms would be fire separated from each
other. FENZ will review this.
QH Specified System: Bedroom doors in Q Hut are solid core, but

09 have no manufacturer tags. Each have
15/3 Fire Separations closers and smoke seals. It is assumed
that these doors are installed as fire doors
to separate each room from the egress
path.
No Action required
Page 4
QH External egress form Q Hut – this needs

10 managing to ensure that ice and snow is kept
15/2 Final Exits clear at all times and doors can open a full 90
degrees. Noted this was subsequently
cleared, but egress should be maintained as a
priority after snow or ice events in areas
where doors swing outwards.
Egress paths must be kept free from

obstructions at all times to ensure that an
evacuation can take place without notice in an
emergency. It is an offence under the Building
Act and the Health and Safety in Employment
Act to obstruct a fire egress within a building.
Egress paths must be checked regularly and
inspections recorded. The Warrant of Fitness
cannot be issued without acceptable clear
egress being maintained.
Egress blocked / obstructed
QH First Floor. cupboard shows "Store no items

11 on top shelf" - good management of sprinkler
1 Fire Sprinkler clearance.
No Action required
QH The fire door in the upper level Corral space is

12 not sealing on the latch side – a gap exists
15/3 Fire Separations between the frame and seal due to timber
shrinkage. There is also signs of the timber
delaminating on the hinge side. Repairs
should be undertaken.
Fire and smoke stop doors must close and

form an effective seal to prevent the heat and
smoke from a fire from passing through the
door. Gaps between the door leaves and
between the door and the frame must be
sealed correctly. Repair is required to allow
the warrant of fitness to be issued.
Fire Door must close to seal

Corral area, store room on First Floor.

QH
Sprinklers for the rooms are fed straight from
13 the floor above, without any fire rating. A risk
1 Fire Sprinkler
of the pipework being stood on or stored on
which could lead to accidental water
discharge. Recommend warning signs
installed. FENZ to review fire ratings
QH Showing lifted air cover on first floor store

14 area, leads through to bedroom below without
9 HVAC Systems separation. arrow shows bedroom space
visible.
First Floor not fire separated from bedrooms

as would be expected. Q Hut appears to be
one single fire cell.
FENZ to review this.
QH Corral area leading back to stairwell. Exit sign

15 not working. Repair is required.
15/4 Evacuation Signs
Illuminated Exit signs run on mains power,

and illuminate when the power is turned off to
them, with power supplied by an internal
backup battery. The battery must last the
same time as the emergency lighting for the
building - typically 30 minutes. Lights which
fail to operate for the correct duration require
repair to comply with NZBC F8/AS1
Exit sign duration

QH Corral area - the big arrow shows air inlet to

16 upper floor from plant room, small arrow
9 HVAC Systems shows air inlet to bedrooms.
Q Hut is one actively pressurised fire cell,

circulating air actively through all areas.
FENZ to review
QH Secondary fire exit from first floor via hatch.

17 Adequately signed and accessible from inside.
15/2 Final Exits
No Action required
Note
External path from first floor. current drift of

QH
snow does not require use of ladder. When
18 15/2 Final Exits the snow level is lower, there would be a risk
of falling from the roof in icy or windy
conditions. Recommend installing a handrail
or barrier to protect against falling.
Recommend wayfinding flags to make the
egress route once occupants are evacuated.

QH Specified System: Penetrations from stair to library first floor.

19 unsealed. The stairwell is designed as a
15/3 Fire Separations fire separation from the first floor to the
stairs, but this is severely compromised in
other areas already.
FENZ to review this separation

requirement.
QH Specified System: External egress form the library direct to

20 15/2 Final Exits the roof of the QHut / bar corridor. Not
signed with an illuminated sign, but is
noted as an emergency exit.
No Action required.
QH Specified System: Egress via window from library to ladder

21 shown orange arrow.
15/2 Final Exits This requires navigation of a steep ramp
with no protection from falling on either
side to Rocky surface below. could easily
become icy and dangerous. Not
recommended as a route unless in life
threatening situation. Recommend barriers
to prevent falling.
Page 4
QH Exit light in library operational.

22
15/4 Evacuation Signs No Action required.
Note
QH Showing vent connecting air supply from store

23 9 HVAC Systems to library across the stairwell.
FENZ to review fire separations in this area

and ventilation systems
QH Base of ladder from Q Hut library. Please

24 keep egress paths clear of snow.
15/2 Final Exits
Egress paths should be kept clear after all
snow/wind events. It is recommended that this
is regularly checked as part of a routine
inspection programme.

evacuation can take place without notice in an
emergency. It is an offence under the Building
Act and the Health and Safety in Employment
Act to obstruct a fire egress within a building.
Egress paths must be checked regularly and
inspections recorded. The Warrant of Fitness
cannot be issued without acceptable clear
egress being maintained.

SCOTT BASE - Q HUT LINK BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
From corridor to corridor outside first aid room

QL west side. poor use of pillows and several
01 openings.
15/3 Fire Separations
Pillows are not considered to be a permanent
solution and are not providing a correct seal.
These should be repaired correctly
FENZ to review all fire separations
QL From corridor to corridor outside medical

02 centre. Pillows in opening with some sealant
15/3 Fire Separations but not forming an adequate fire separation.
Repair is required.
From corridor to bar. 3M cable sleeve, but no

QL
smoke seal.
03
15/3 Fire Separations Noted this wall appears to be PIR so is not fire
rated.
FENZ to review fire separations

QL External exit from corridor. Exit sign works

04 correctly.
15/2 Final Exits
No Action required
QL External egress from corridor. orange arrow is

egress from bar, also to right is egress from
05 15/2 Final Exits library via ladder (not shown).
This area should be kept clear from ice and

snow after weather events.
Fire doors closing from opposing directions do

QL not close to seal. adjustment of closers is
06 3/3 Automatic Fire Doors required.
These doors tagged as 30 minute doors by

manufacturer.


QL Specified System: Above doors, noting the problem

07 preventing the doors from sealing:
3/3 Automatic Fire Doors intumescent strip on the top of the door
has lifted causing the door to jam. This
needs simple repairs.
Page 4
SCOTT BASE - LAUNDRY BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
LA Laundry corridor side. red cables unsealed,

01 blue plastic pipes without collars. otherwise
reasonable seal using Firepro M707.
Appears to be inadequate training to
personnel fitting fire rated materials.
Repairs required to fit collars to pipes and seal

cables correctly

required.
LA Egress at rear of laundry should have Exit

02 sign with direction indication for egress to
15/3 Fire Separations drying room as it is easy to take the wrong
turn into the plant room.
Light faulty in Exit fitting and requires repair.
Exit Signage is required to direct occupants to

the exit points in a building, and locations are
defined by NZBC F8/AS1. These include each
Final Exit, any door subdividing an egress
route where the exit is not immediately
obvious, and any point in the open path which
would indicate the direction of an exit path.
This is designed to allow occupants and
visitors to the building a clear direction of
egress.
Exit sign required here
Exit light above drying room faulty. Flickering.

LA
03 15/4 Evacuation Signs Repair is required.

Exit sign duration

SCOTT BASE - LAUNDRY BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
LA Drying room to exterior. Door functions

04 correctly and is well-signed. No action
15/2 Final Exits required.
LA External stairs from Drying room. Recommend

05 wayfinding lighting for dark or weather where
15/2 Final Exits visibility is limited.
Corridor doors closed to seal correctly. No

LA
action is required.
06 3/3 Automatic Fire Doors

SCOTT BASE - KITCHEN / DINING / BAR BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
KI in roofspace of Thompson building corridor

looking down into the wall cavity toward the
01
bar. Showing external wall linings (green) from
side of corridor cavity ending, and openings
into space between.
There is no fire rating in place between the

bar and the corridor.
The kitchen / dining / bar area was shown on

the plans as fire rating from the corridor and
the doors are signed as fire doors, but it
appears that the fire ratings have either been
poorly installed or have been so subsequently
damaged as to be irreparable without major
work. The corridor and the kitchen / dining /
bar area should be considered as one firecell.
KI Above corridor. left side is bar. showing HVAC

02 through fire wall. No fire separations on the
15/3 Fire Separations flexible pipework passing through the
openings. No seals to the top of the wall,
allowing open cavities in the wall.
No fire rating in place.
Above kitchen store. Left wall leads into

KI
accommodation - no damper on HVAC Duct.
A damper is required as the accommodation
must remain separated from the rest of the
site. The building fabric intersections shall
also be sealed.

KI Above ceiling in kitchen office, this is shown

04 on the plans to be a fire separation. old
15/3 Fire Separations polypanel wall, this is the chiller from the
kitchen and offers no fire rating.
The wall from the chiller to the kitchen should

be considered unrated.
KI Egress from kitchen store/office to the outside.

This is clear and accessible. No action is
05 15/2 Final Exits required.
Showing the external egress from mess hall

KI as a secondary egress route. Clear and
06 15/2 Final Exits accessible - no action is required.

KI Specified System: Outside - external egress from mess hall,

07 showing stairs to the ground level to allow
15/2 Final Exits egress to the admin building. Recommend
external lighting in periods of darkness
and/or poor visibility to aid wayfinding.
KI Specified System: LPG enclosure outside kitchen, sprinkler

08 15/3 Fire Separations protected and insulated, but no fire
separation to building.
FENZ to review action to be taken.
KI Specified System: Inside LPG enclosure, showing typical

09 sprinkler. sidewall-mounted from rear wall.
1 Fire Sprinkler
No action required
Page 4
KI Fire wall into bar. 30 min door with tags, not

10 sealing on latch side.
Note HVAC ducts above.
Door has been regularly wedged open during

observations on base.
As previously noted this wall is shown as a fire

wall and the fire doors are fitted, but has so
many deficiencies that it should not be
considered as fire rated at all.
FENZ will review fire rating requirements in

this area.
External egress from bar. me sets egress from

KI corridor and from library secondary egress.
11 15/2 Final Exits
Clear and accessible. No action is required.
30 minute fire rated door to dining area from

KI
corridor. The closer requires adjustment to
12 15/3 Fire Separations close the door more quickly.
However it is noted that the fire wall is

severely compromised as a rated wall and this
shall be reviewed by FENZ to maintain
effectiveness.

SCOTT BASE - THOMSON BUILDING BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
Floor under first aid room - no sprinkler

TH protection. it exceeds 800mm, but has no
01 combustible materials. Base layer is not
1 Fire Sprinkler
ground but is thermal protection layer.
Smoke detection has been installed here, but

sprinkler coverage should be considered.
FENZ to review.
TH Area under bathrooms, ground level. HV

02 cables and waste pipes. no sprinkler
1 Fire Sprinkler protection. Area varies from 1700mm to
650mm in height.
Area is covered with smoke detection but no

sprinklers. FENZ to review and consider
coverage.
Fire wall at rear of Thomson Building leading

TH to accommodation areas appears intact. no
03 15/3 Fire Separations services.
No Action required.

TH Cleaners cupboard upper level. Fire Rated

04 wall behind cleaners sink has large opening in
15/3 Fire Separations the plasterboard. This requires reinstatement
to maintain the 30 minute fire rating for the
sleeping area.

required.
Cleaners cupboard upper level. Small

TH services penetration, now empty. requires
05 15/3 Fire Separations filling with appropriate fire rated product.
TH Upper level Accommodation- gap in fire doors,

06 smoke seal does not meet the opposing leaf.
Likely due to timber shrinkage in the dry
environment. Recommend doors are adjusted
to suit.


TH Specified System: External egress from upper level of the

07 Accommodation area, west. keep egress
15/2 Final Exits clear of snow to allow the door to fully
open.
Egress must be maintained at all times and

care should be taken after snowfall to
protect the egress routes and ensure they
are able to be opened at all times.

evacuation can take place without notice in
an emergency. It is an offence under the
Building Act and the Health and Safety in
Employment Act to obstruct a fire egress
within a building. Egress paths must be
checked regularly and inspections
recorded. The Warrant of Fitness cannot
be issued without acceptable clear egress
being maintained.
TH Specified System: Linen cupboard, upper level. opening in

08 15/3 Fire Separations plasterboard linings around HVAC duct.
This penetrates the fire separations and
requires repair to maintain a seal. It shall
be confirmed that the damper in the duct
operates correctly.
TH Specified System: Underfloor upper level. Fire wall appears

09 intact, minimal services.
No action required.
Page 4
TH Hatch from under linen cupboard. marked as

part of fire separation and closed at the time
10 15/3 Fire Separations of inspection.
No Action required
Upper level. 3x emergency lights , one

TH
sustained (on constantly, with battery backup),
11 4 EML Systems 2x non-maintained (off normally, turns on with
power failure)
No Action required.
TH Concealed void above corridor outside mess

area, sprinklers installed but baffled by
12 1 Fire Sprinkler trusses. Some heads are extended with
10mm and 15mm pipe which adversely affects
the hydraulic capabilities of the system.
This appears to be the result of off-site

pre-fabrication of the pipework which was then
refitted on site to suit the framework of the
building. This provides a less than effective
sprinkler coverage as the trusses and frames
will shelter the fire from the water discharge
and allow the fire to build.
Re-engineering of the sprinkler system is

required, if the building is to retain effective
coverage.

View from the void above the kitchen store, no

TH stopping of fire rated wall with plaster, a duct
13 running through wall with no damper, and the
steel building structure passing through
firewall without protection.
This essentially provides no fire rating.
Fire Separations are designed to prevent fire

spreading from one part of a building to
manufacturers design specifications to ensure
they work correctly in a fire.
FRR Fire Separation - Building
TH View from the void above corridor on upper

14 level accommodation area. Fresh air supply
15/3 Fire Separations shown to the bedrooms. The area above is
sprinkler protected, but the distance between
sprinklers is large ~6m which would exceed
the NZS 4541 allowances.
Additional heads should be installed where

shortfalls exist to comply with NZS 4541
TH Fire wall underfloor in the corridor, from the

base of the IV stairs, facing west under the fire
15 15/3 Fire Separations doors.
Poor use of fire pillows as firewall
construction. Fire pillows are not designed for
use in entire cavities and this wall will likely fail
as the intumescent product expands and the
wall collapses.
The Firepro B235 Fire Pillow is designed for

use in temporary situations up to 0.3m3, and
is not suitable as a complete wall structure.
This fire rated wall needs to be refitted with a

plasterboard wall and sealed appropriately.
Refer the Winstone Wallboards GIb Fire rated
linings manual.

TH As above the same situation applies under the

16 eastern set of fire doors from the IV rooms.
15/3 Fire Separations Fire Pillows being used as a complete
construction of fire wall.
These should be removed and a fire rated

plasterboard wall installed in place.
TH Underfloor from the base of the IV stairs, this

is showing the fire rated wall to the kitchen
17 15/3 Fire Separations area. The wall is constructed of unrated
plywood and the seals are made with fire
pillows. Appropriate linings and fire ratings are
required to be installed
Stair to IV bunkroom. plan changes exist. door

TH
at top of stairs and hinged doors to bunkroom
18 15/3 Fire Separations are aluminium frame MDF, door to east room
is cavity slider (right wall as viewed). EML
installed in lobby and stairs. thorn LED.
This area is shown on the plans held as a set

of fire rated walls between the rooms and the
stairwell, but this has changed and the walls
are no longer fire rated as they include cavity
sliders. It is possible that this is considered as
a single firecell, this shall be reviewed by
FENZ in the overall design

TH Specified System: Fire Doors - west doors from IV bunkroom,

19 gap between the leaves, likely form the
3/3 Automatic Fire Doors same timber shrinkage issue which exists
throughout the site. The doors need to be
eased to ensure an adequate seal is
maintained around the entire door and
frame.

form an effective seal to prevent the heat
and smoke from a fire from passing
through the door. Gaps between the door
leaves and between the door and the
frame must be sealed correctly. Repair is
required to allow the warrant of fitness to
be issued.
TH Specified System: IV Room base of stairs, east doors, one is

20 bowed at the bottom, 12mm difference in
alignment at base. This is likely to be either
damage during shipping or a result of the
timber shrinkage from the dry environment.
The door leaf will require replacement if
the seal cannot be maintained.
TH Specified System: East of and under IV bunkroom . wall to left

21 is fire wall to corridor, note penetrations as
15/3 Fire Separations shown. wall at end is fire rated wall to
stairwell, not rated, services pass under
without protection.
These services will require correct

protection to prevent fire spread. At
present this does not constitute a fire rated

services which pass through the
penetration must be sealed correctly to
ensure that the fire will not pass through
the barrier. Openings must be sealed using
approved materials by a qualified installer.
FFP Can assist with this if required.
Page 4
TH Sprinkler control valves set 3 in plant room off

corridor. Test records are held on the Asset
22 1 Fire Sprinkler
system, but better record keeping is required.
A set of testing procedures shall be developed

for testing all systems.
TH This penetration unsealed in east wall of

plantroom to the west of the IV rooms.
This requires sealing with appropriate
products to maintain the fire rating of the wall.
TH Plantroom west of IV bunkrooms - Damper in

HVAC vent from plantroom to bunkroom
24 15/3 Fire Separations correctly installed (green)
Opening in plasterboard linings around

building fabric intersections (red). This
requires sealing to maintain the fire rating of
the wall.

TH Fire lobby at base of stairs from IV rooms. Fire

25 Rated above the ceiling in the void above. No
action is required on this side.
TH East of the IV rooms corridor, fire rated Gib

26 lining has been cut. A whole panel is exposed
15/3 Fire Separations and requires reinstatement with a new
replacement layer of Fyreline.
Fire wall from void to stairwell by IV rooms- 2x

TH
layers 13mm plasterboard, but has been
27 15/3 Fire Separations opened. a new layer of Fyreline is required to
seal this area. This shall be installed in
accordance with the Gib Fire rating manual

TH View from void above corridor to stairwell of IV

28 rooms - repair openings where steel pipes
15/3 Fire Separations pass through and seal with non-intumescent
sealant.
TH Shown in void above corridor to IV Stairwell-

29 seal structure intersections with firewall and
15/3 Fire Separations seal hole as shown with appropriate products
to maintain the fire rating of the wall.

SCOTT BASE - ENGINEERS DRYING ROOM BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
Drying room, corridor side. recommend

EN removing this hanging line to avoid possible
01 clashes with sprinkler discharge of hanging
1 Fire Sprinkler
garments.
Suggest improve signage to avoid garments

etc. being hung on sprinkler heads.
recommend cages on sprinkler heads to avoid
coat hanger use.
EN Cold side of drying room. Recommend

02 removing this line to avoid clashes with
1 Fire Sprinkler sprinkler discharge being baffled by hanging
garments.
The Drying room is not fire separated from

EN corridor at present. is possible to complete,
03 15/3 Fire Separations but the underfloor services would be more
challenging as the hatch is some distance
from the door.
No action required

SCOTT BASE - ENGINEERS DRYING ROOM BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
Underfloor cavity showing no fire ratings

EN
between the drying room and the corridor. No
04 15/3 Fire Separations action required.

SCOTT BASE - RADIO WORKSHOP BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
Show is the gap between external wall of the

RA powerhouse (left) and internal wall of the
01 admin corridor (right) as viewed from the
Drying room side of the corridor fire door. This
area is open around the fire door in the
corridor, eliminating the fire separation.
FENZ will review the fire separations in this

area, but at present it should be considered
that this is not a fire separation as it offers no
protection at all.
RA Shown is the hatch as per the last item, the

02 last picture was taken looking down the
15/3 Fire Separations opening from the hatch. The fire door to the
right is compromised by the fire being able to
pass unimpeded around it.
Fire doors in corridor outside Radio Workshop

RA have a gap between leaves, adjustment
03 3/3 Automatic Fire Doors required to seal correctly and maintain a
smoke separation.
FENZ will review the fire separation in this

area.

RA External egress from corridor adjacent Radio

04 Workshop. This leads outside and no action is
15/2 Final Exits required.
RA From underfloor outside Radio Workshop

05 showing opening past fire doors in corridor
15/3 Fire Separations above fire wall as shown. The arrow leads up
to the hatch in the wall on the other side of the
fire door - it is possible to crawl from one side
to the other.
Radio Workshop. Underfloor to admin area. a

RA
few holes in the separation where services
06 15/3 Fire Separations have been removed. These will need to be
sealed and reinstated to maintain the fire
separation.
This is important as the Radio workshop is not

protected with fire sprinklers to control a fire.

RA Specified System: Radio Workshop to corridor underfloor.

07 some damage to the separation, repair and
15/3 Fire Separations reinstate.

services which pass through the
penetration must be sealed correctly to
ensure that the fire will not pass through
the barrier. Openings must be sealed using
approved materials by a qualified installer.
FFP Can assist with this if required.
RA Specified System: Underfloor South end of radio workshop.

08 one hole in the plasterboard (red) requires
repair to maintain the fire separation, one
correctly sealed cable transit (green)
requires no action.
RA Specified System: Radio Workshop. unsprinkler protected.

09 wall between has a small amount of
15/3 Fire Separations damage, fire door is not tagged but is a
substantial solid core 47mm thick door with
25mm timber rebates on the jamb with a
steel frame. Possibly a 60 minute door, but
the wall is 2x 13mm standard Gib, ~60
minutes.
NZS 4541 would require a 120 minute fire

rating to separate fire sprinklered areas
from unsprinkled areas.
Strongly recommend sprinklers are

extended to the radio workshop area as
the risk of a fire getting out of control in this
area and risking the entire base would far
outweigh any risk of an accidental
discharge of water in the room.
Page 4
RA Above ceiling in radio room. 3x fusible link

10 dampers to corridor.
No action is required, but these should be
checked annually to ensure they are in good
order.
RA Radio Workshop to admin and corridor. One

good cable transit (green), one hole in the wall
requiring sealing (red).
Again, important to maintain the protection

where no sprinklers are installed.

required.
RA Building framing in Gib linings, recessed

12 through the lining. recommend fire rated
15/3 Fire Separations materials to seal the building fabric
intersections.

FRR Fire Separation - Building

SCOTT BASE - ADMIN & POWERHOUSE BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
Lobby side of Powerhouse fire door maultiple

AD openings in firewall all require remedial action
01 to seal these correctly.
All areas where services pass through a fire
wall must be sealed with intumescent sealant
to maintain the integrity of the fire rating.
AD Fire door. Powerhouse side. Many openings

02 in plasterboard linings for fire rating. repairs
15/3 Fire Separations required.
Care must also be taken whenever trades

staff are working in the areas that they are
able to identify fire walls and understand how
to repair them.
Fire door to the plant room is not closing to

AD the latch position. This requires adjustment to
03 15/3 Fire Separations ensure it seals adequately on its own.

allow them to work correctly to hold back the
pressure of a fire. The door closer must be
checked regularly and adjusted to ensure that
the door pulls itself to the latch position every
time and is not obstructed in the closing or
latching process.
Fire Door must close to a latch

AD Underfloor to powerhouse. Plywood barrier,

04 no fire rating. Many openings exist where
15/3 Fire Separations services pass, but also allow fire to pass
easily risking the admin area adjacent.
This should be considered to offer no
protection at present and requires a new fire
rated wall to be constructed using Fyreline
and seals to the services which pass through.
FENZ will review fire ratings, but it is

envisaged that this will remain as an essential
fire separation.
AD More underfloor opening to powerhouse. no

fire separation in place with plywood wall and
05 15/3 Fire Separations open services. To have new wall constructed.
AD External egress from powerhouse. Exit light

shown as working correctly.
06 15/2 Final Exits
Recommend external wayfinding pathway
assistance, in times of dark and/or poor
visibility.

AD Specified System: Admin external egress. Internal exit sign is

07 illuminated, external porch sign is
15/4 Evacuation Signs non-maintained. No action is required, but
standardisation of signage is
recommended.
AD Specified System: External egress from admin. clear and

08 unobstructed. No action required.
15/2 Final Exits
Recommend wayfinding lighting in times of
darkness and/or poor visibility to allow
occupants from other areas to find the
admin building.
AD Specified System: Corridor fire door from admin to HFC

09 junction. The door seals are not meeting
15/3 Fire Separations the frame. Adjustment required to door to
seal.
This is likely the same issue as fire doors

throughout with timber shrinkage.
Page 4
AD Corridor door from admin to HFC junction.

10 latch missing on door. This must be reinstated

latching process.
AD Fire door in corridor from HFC junction to

11 admin, fire separation is fire pillows in the
15/3 Fire Separations opening of a PSP/PIR wall. Essentially no fire
separation in place. Under the FENZ review
this will become a 90 minute fire cell and new
fire ratings will be installed in this wall.
AD HFC junction side of the same wall, same

12 PSP/PIR panelling and lots of fire pillows.
15/3 Fire Separations Under the FENZ review, this needs to become
90 minute fire separation.

SCOTT BASE - LOCKER ROOM & ENGINEERING BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
Locker room underfloor cavity is 1080mm

LO
deep in the centre where services run, but has
01 no fire sprinklers installed.
1 Fire Sprinkler
Recommend extending the fire sprinkler
system to the underfloor area, at least to
cover the area where services run.
FENZ will review and outline the fire sprinkler

coverage in the area.
LO Underfloor in locker room. Cable tray has

openings in the separation through to the
02 engineering services corridor unprotected.
repair openings and seal accordingly.
LO Locker room fire wall underfloor to the

engineering services corridor does not
03 15/3 Fire Separations extend to the fire door. 350mm overlap where
the fire wall sits to the position of the fire door.
.
Either the underside of the floor requires fire

rating for the extent of the gap between the
wall (shown in orange) and the position of the
fire door, or a new fire wall should be
constructed in line with the fire door
underfloor.

LO Line of underfloor fire separation as shown

04 from the corridor side of locker room. The
15/3 Fire Separations orange line shows the position of the fire wall
under floor, the green line shows the position
of the closed fire doors.
LO Underfloor separation locker rooms to corridor

(viewed from corridor side), separation is one
05 15/3 Fire Separations layer of 13mm fireline one one side of rondo
only. Note exposed internal linings for PSP
panelling.
New fire rated linings are required to provide a

fire wall, and all penetrations will need to be
sealed.

PSP panels must have the core sealed to

protect against exposure to a fire, even where
fire retardant material is used.
LO Above ceiling in locker room. Fire separations

sealed, but with questionable products.
All seals should be undertaken with uniform
products correctly applies and installed.

LO Specified System: Destructive inspection of cable penetration.

07 appears to be filled with unidentified white
15/3 Fire Separations sealant, appears to be a putty for use with
a cable transit or similar product. Applied
by fingers.
Unsuitable for the installation.
LO Specified System: Same penetration after destructive

08 15/3 Fire Separations inspection - open penetration. 6-7mm
depth of product, adhered to less than half
of the applied surface, 8mm coverage on
live side of the cable.
Insufficient to consider a fire separation

repair and not suitable for use.
This repair was then resealed using Hilti

CP611A intumescent sealant - see
attached fore separation certificate.
LO Specified System: Fire doors locker room to Vehicle

09 workshop not sealing to close. These
15/3 Fire Separations doors require adjustment to maintain a full
seal.
This fire wall not shown on plans, FENZ to

review the position and location of fire
walls.
Page 4
LO Vehicle workshop mezzanine level, goods

10 stored close to sprinklers. goods shall be
1 Fire Sprinkler stored to allow sprinkler discharge.
While most of the goods stores are

non-combustible, the best location of the
shelving would be directly under the sprinkler
pipes, with one row of shelves half-way
between the sprinkler ranges. This would
ensure that discharge is not baffled by the
shelving and would prevent obstruction.
Goods should not be stored within 500mm of
the ceiling. Signage should be installed to
ensure adequate clearance is maintained.
LO Vehicle workshop mezzanine level - items

11 stored on sprinkler pipe, obstructing sprinkler
1 Fire Sprinkler discharge.
No goods or services shall be hung on or

attached to sprinkler pipe to ensure that no
additional weight is placed on the supports,
and that water from the sprinklers shall be
able to spray without being baffled.
LO Vehicle workshop to UFC corridor, exit light

12 failed. This shall be repaired
15/4 Evacuation Signs
Exit light vehicle workshop to locker room also
failed - repair is also required.

Exit sign duration

LO Underfloor corridor from HFC intersection to

13 engineering . Floor has 2 sub levels. this is the
upper of those levels with 13mm standard Gib
and 13mm Fyreline only to the extent of the
edge of the building with no edge separation
sealing.
The edges shall be sealed to maintain the

integrity of the separation.
LO This is the lower sub level of the above

14 separation. Many services protected with
15/3 Fire Separations pillows from the other side, and edges.
The fire pillows have been installed poorly and

do not sit in the opening, but only on one side.
This will cause the separation to fail.
Pillows should all be removed and the seals

completed with appropriate fire rated
products.
FENZ will review the location and requirement

to maintain fire separations.
LO Viewing the same junction of HFC to

15 engineering corridor, but from the other side.
15/3 Fire Separations entire separation is made from fire pillows.
These pillows are not rated for the

construction of an entire fire wall and only
rated to 0.3m3 openings as a temporary
measure.
The wall would require re-construction to

comply as a separation if required in the
FENZ review.

LO Under HFC junction on lobby side, this wall to

16 locker room and green wall to engineering
15/3 Fire Separations corridor. penetrations and edges appear to be
sealed with putty, not the correct product for
the application.
Penetrations shall be sealed with intumescent

products suitable for the use, and
plasterboard shall be sealed in accordance
with the Gib Fire Rated manual instructions.
under UFC junction corridor on lobby side

LO
toward UFC. 13mm Fyreline but not stopped
17 15/3 Fire Separations at edges or junctions, and penetrations not
sealed.
Interestingly there is a 3M fire rated cable

sleeve behind this picture in the PSP on the
cables from the bottom cable tray running
through a non-fire rated wall.
We would recommend training for all base

staff on the application and installation of
passive fire protection systems.
LO Same intersection (Engineering corridor to

18 HFC Corridor) from the HFC corridor, another
15/3 Fire Separations 13mm lining if fire line, but not screwed in
place - appears only glued, and not sealed at
edges. no sealing of penetrations.
FENZ will review fire ratings, but if this is to be

retained as a fire rated surface, this will need
screwing and sealing as laid out in the Gib
Fire Rated Manual, and penetrations sealed.

LO Specified System: Above the Fire door looking from the

19 Engineering lobby to the HFC corridor,
15/3 Fire Separations penetrations above fire door require
sealing.
LO Specified System: Same wall. Fire door is bowed, a 15mm

20 3/3 Automatic Fire Doors gap at the base of the door, comprising the
seal. The door should have a new leaf
made (check frame is straight first) note
frame is cracked at top edge.
Mainland Doors, FRR -/30/-sm 2009 S/N

13657
Note that this is likely caused by the timber

shrinkage phenomenon seen through the
rest of the site, and care should be taken
when arranging new materials to take this
into account.
LO Specified System: HFC corridor to corridor outside vehicle

21 workshop. 13mm Fyreline sealed but left
15/3 Fire Separations the timber structure exposed. Requires
sealing
A cable transit has been installed, but no

sealant installed within the transit to
maintain a smoke separation, fire alarm
cables run adjacent, not sealed at all.
Smoke sealant will be required to fill the

transit, and the fire alarm cables shall be
sealed with an intumescent solution.
Page 4
LO Under door from HFC corridor to Vehicle

22 workshop, no separation. Line of wall shown
15/3 Fire Separations in orange. If FENZ consider this to be a fire
rated wall, then a new wall will need to be
constructed under floor to maintain fire
separation integrity.
Cable transits from HFC corridor fire door

shown in blue, notes from above.
FENZ to review locations of fire separations.
LO Above door from vehicle workshop to HFC

corridor. Shown as fire wall, 13mm standard
23 15/3 Fire Separations Gib on rondo, with PSP/PIR wall.
The corridor and stairwell from HFC to the

vehicle workshop and the workshop itself
should be considered one firecell.
FENZ to review the location of fire walls.
LO Above door, workshop side. MDF around

sprinkler pipe, pipe and cable transits to right
24 15/3 Fire Separations unprotected against fire.
This wall should not be considered to offer

any protection against fire.

LO Oil store in vehicle workshop. 60 minute rated

25 door making the oil store a stand-alone
firecell.
LO Oil store door. appears handle and latch have

26 been replaced, please check with
15/3 Fire Separations manufacturer that these fittings are approved.
The latch is not correctly fitted, allowing 7mm

opening of the door while latched. 7mm of
"rattle". This requires adjustment to ensure the
door seals tight.

latching process.
LO Oil store. several places where services

penetrate the fire walls unsealed. these
require sealing from the inside to ensure that
the 60 minute, one-way fire rating is
maintained

required.

LO East exit from vehicle workshop. Clear and

accessible. No action required
28 15/2 Final Exits
Door from vehicle workshop to HFC corridor

LO
29 3/3 Automatic Fire Doors Does not close due to air pressure differential
between spaces. even when forced closed,
the roller latch does not hold the door in the
fully closed position.
Adjust door closer, and replace roller latch

with handle and tongue latch.
FENZ will review fire ratings throughout for

requirement.

SCOTT BASE - ENGINEERING PLANTROOM BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
Engineering plantroom underfloor fire

EP
separations appear to be adequately sealed.
01 No action is required
EP Fire rated wall cable duct and ventilation

02 appears to be penetrating the wall without
15/3 Fire Separations protection. Seals will be required with the
cable services, including intumescent material
in the duct and dampers in the HVAC ducts.
EP In the Fire wall at the back of the workshop a

few minor holes to be repaired. Sealing
03 15/3 Fire Separations services penetrations is required to maintain
the integrity of the fire separations.

SCOTT BASE - ENGINEERING PLANTROOM BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
EP The Plantroom door is solid core in steel

04 frame. is not labelled fire door, although it will
15/3 Fire Separations probably rate for 60 minutes.
FENZ will review fire ratings and requirements

in this area.

SCOTT BASE - HILLARY FIELDS CENTRE BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
HI Door at top of stairs to HFC. does not close to

seal with the large leaf roller not closing.
01
(orange arrow) Adjust closer to pull door
correctly.
Door also does not seal with gaps between
smoke seal and frame on all sides and
between leaves. Requires repair - consult with
supplier as to warranty
Pacific Door 2015 30 min s/n 593645
This is likely to be another casualty of timber

shrinkage in the site, but is a serious
impediment to fire separation integrity. The
FENZ review will propose to make this a
90-minute fire separation so it is likely that this
doorset will be removed, so no action should
be taken until the FENZ review is complete.
HI Underfloor separation of above door, from

02 stairway side. 13mm fire line on each side on
15/3 Fire Separations Rondo. sealed at edges with Firepro M707,
filled with pillows.
Red - open penetration
Blue - plastic pipe without intumescent collar
Purple, lack of smoke seal between PSP and
steel framing.
With the FENZ review this fie separation will

require upgrading, best practice should be
followed and ensure penetrations are sealed
and edges of building fabric are also sealed.
From the HFC side of the same door. Use of

HI pillows stacked on cables, not used in the
03 15/3 Fire Separations opening. open with active flow of air through
the holes.
This is typical of the use of fire pillows around

the site - these are not even set into the
opening, but sat on cable trays or laid on the
side of the fire wall, outside of the opening
providing no seal whatsoever in a fire.
We recommend fire pillows are all removed

from the site and used only as a temporary
measure in an active construction task.

Under plant room door at HFC fire door.

HI opening has had pillow stacked on top of
04 15/3 Fire Separations cable tray on one side, no seal within the
opening. Pillow completely ineffective.
Fire pillows are a useful temporary measure to

fill a cavity where services are currently being
run to provide an interim passive protection
measure, however this is not a permanent
solution and once the services are installed,
the opening must be permanently sealed with
appropriate fire rated compounds and
sealants.
FRR Fire separations – Fire Pill
HI Under plantroom again. intumescent grille in

the underfloor fire separation, breaching
05 15/3 Fire Separations smoke rating of wall. FENZ to review the
requirement for smoke separations.
Pillow laid on top of cable tray, providing no

protection to the opening.
This area will be covered by the FENZ review

and may not require fire rating to this room. If
the fire rating is to be retained, correct sealing
practice will be required around the cable tray
and the damper will need to be changed to a
motorised damper linked to smoke detectors
on either side.
HI Egress from HFC corridor outside

No action.
06 15/2 Final Exits

HI Specified System: New Container bay. containers have

07 connections to allow interconnection with
1 Fire Sprinkler the dry fire sprinkler and alarm systems
from outlets for both on the walls.
SOP required for interconnection to the

sprinkler system to prevent accidental
operation of the water fill.
Noted that the container in the bay was not

connected to the fire alarm or fire sprinkler
with the connections provided. It appears
that Scott Base staff were not familiar with
the practice or the requirement to have the
containers connected.
(No map available)
HI Specified System: New Container bay connection for the

08 2 Fire Alarm containers to the fire alarm system.
Conventional inputs and extensions to the
alerting device circuits with resistors set
into the plugs shown.
Note the container in place was not

connected to the system.
The connection of the container to the fire

alarm is a simple procedure where the
container alarm plugs are inserted into the
respective plug points on this board. The
detections system automatically finds and
connects the devices.
Disconnecting is a matter of unplugging

the container and re-installing the plugs as
shown.
(No map available) All containers should be connected as

soon as they arrive in the building.
HI Specified System: Connection for the dry fire sprinkler system

09 for containers. Not connected at the time of
1 Fire Sprinkler inspection.
Standard Operating Procedure is provided

for connection and disconnection of
containers.
(No map available)
Page 4
HI Fire door to corridor from New Container bay

10 Door seals and latches correctly.
HI Sliding fire door from container bay to corridor,

11 closes from hold open device from fire alarm,
3/3 Automatic Fire Doors but does not create a smoke seal.
The option may be to consider standard

double leaf fire doors on catherdal hinges to
maintain smoke separation. FENZ to review
these separations
HI Container bay
Looking at UFC. bottom wall, is fire rated,
12 15/3 Fire Separations green wall is original external wall of UFC with
window above, not fire rated. both walls open
into the same space - the stairwell and
corridor.
The sliding fire door is defeated by the window
above.
FENZ will need to review the fire separations

in this area, but at present the effort put into
fire rating this corridor extension appears to
have not achieved anything other than
protection of the immediate occupants of the
corridor.

HI Fire door bottom of stairs beside Margaret

Bradshaw Lab.
13 Penetrations above on stairwell side. green is
good seal on PVC pipe, correctly collared and
sealed. both cable trays unprotected. poor use
of pillows sitting on top of cable tray.
Fire separations around cable trays are poorly

protected with pillows. Correct intumescent
seals are required and removal of pillows.
HI Fire door base of same stairs - the secondary

14 leaf has had no catch installed and does not
3/3 Automatic Fire Doors latch in the closed position
Install approved catch to hold the door in the

closed position. consult the manufacturer for
approved catches.
Pacific Door 2003 S/N 14500
Understair cupboard. Unsealed penetrations

HI
and building fabric intersections. not offering a
15 15/3 Fire Separations smoke separation at present.
FENZ to make a decision on whether a fire or

smoke separation is required to ascertain
remedial work.

HI Margaret Bradshaw Lab.

16 Smoke control door is bowed on right
15/5 Smoke Separation (primary) leaf by 15mm at the bottom.
Requires repair or replacement. Pacific 2014
S/N 587220
Replace Fire Door... label with Smoke Door...

label.
This is likely to be another issue with the

drying out of timber products. care will be
required to ensure future products maintain
their shape in the dry environment
HI From smoke lobby to ground floor. smoke

lobby compromised by cable trays unsealed,
17 15/5 Smoke Separation some pillows in place, but no seals.
As this is a smoke lobby, pillows have no
place at all. The seals need to provide only a
smoke seal and not a fire rating. Correct seals
required.
Pamela Young Lab. Another bowed smoke

HI door. 10mm at top.
18 15/5 Smoke Separation
Pacific Door 587221 2014
Door may be able to be adjusted to maintain a

smoke seal. Consult with the manufacturer to
ascertain a best course of action

HI Specified System: Dry pipe system valves in Fire valvehouse.

19
1 Fire Sprinkler Testing procedures to be brought into line
with NZS 4541. Inspection records and
instructions to be provided by FFP.
HI Specified System: Primary water supply, 4cyl diesel engine

20 1 Fire Sprinkler
Engine running and overhaul records to be
maintained in the logbook at the engine
and also in the Asset system
Specified System: System 2 valves. alarm valve J-1, check

HI
valve G-1
21 1 Fire Sprinkler
Noted for information purposes only. No
action required.
Inspection procedures to be developed for

staff to complete testing. FFP to arrange
test procedures.
Page 4
HI Strainer and Main stop valve for pump (3)

22
1 Fire Sprinkler Note for information only, no action required.
Water supply 2x 24m tanks.

HI
23 Tank isolate valves 1,2
Note for information only, no action required
HI Compressed air supply, orange from vehicle

workshop to tank in valvehouse, then to this
24 1 Fire Sprinkler intersection. green from the compressor
below.
Note for information only, no action required.

Egress from load bay to cold bay.

HI
25 Hydrant outlet adjacent but no fire fighting
6 Riser Mains
equipment fitted. Nearest fire fighting
equipment is located at the stairwell to the
vehicle workshop corridor. Recommend
installing fire fighting equipment here.
HI Egress from cold bay. level on the outside,

which has ice building up. a slight drop to a
26
15/2 Final Exits grille would have served better as the surface
is slick with ice and has a buildup of snow. in
a substantial snow event, this egress would
be obstructed
this could be considered for future

improvement, but should be managed
carefully in snow or ice events to ensure
egress is available at all times.
HI Fire Door at base of stairs by Cargo office not

closing correctly to seal. door appears to have
27 15/3 Fire Separations dropped slightly from the top. this can be fixed
with some adjustment.
Fire wall is plywood, no protection to electrical

switches.
FENZ will review the fire ratings, but it

appears that the fire doors and walls around
this stairwell serve no purpose as the upper
level is essentially a mezzanine floor and the
stairwell discharges into the ground floor fire
cell.

HI Understair cupboard by Cargo office, above

28 fire door open to structure and unprotected
15/3 Fire Separations services.
Again this will be reviewed as the fire rating

may not be required. refer the FENZ report.
Field training office to stairwell. Unsealed

HI sprinkler pipe and flexible duct to stairwell in
29 15/3 Fire Separations firewall. Similar at other end.
Again this will be reviewed as the fire rating

may not be required. refer the FENZ report.
Boiler room west wall, two cable trays and fire

HI
alarm speaker comprising fire separation, plus
30 15/3 Fire Separations unsealed at roof.
The boiler room will need a fire rating as this

protects the site from the significant risk a
boiler poses. these openings all need to be
sealed with correct products to maintain the
fire rating of the room.

HI Specified System: Boiler room north wall, ducts, multistrut,

31 sprinkler pipe, RSJ, conduits and building
15/3 Fire Separations fabric intersections unprotected.
All of these will need to be protected.
Services will need intumescent seals as

they pass through the walls and grilles will
either need mechanical dampers if the
smoke rating is required to be maintained,
or intumescent grilles if to maintain only a
fire rating.
Building fabric requires adequate sealing.
HI Specified System: East wall boiler room. cable trays, pipes,

32 15/3 Fire Separations ducts, fabric intersection all requires
sealing
Specified System: Boiler room door is held open with timber

HI
to aid ventilation. Either keep closed or
33 15/3 Fire Separations install a hold open device to automatically
close the door in a fire. 2x smoke detector
would be required if a hold open device is
installed.
This fire door is likely to be held open,

preventing the door from stopping a fire
spreading and obstructing egress in an
emergency. An approved device can be
installed to hold the door in the open
position, linked to smoke detectors on both
sides of the door which will trigger it to
close in a fire.
Page 4
HI Above ceiling looking at boiler room north

34 wall. unsealed and untapped, open around
15/3 Fire Separations ducts and vents.
Stopping and sealing of the wall is required to

maintain the required fire rating of the room.
HI As above, different angle but more of the

35 same.
On the left - large heavy fire rated doors on

HI
hold-open devices, but the wall they are
36 3/3 Automatic Fire Doors installed in is not a fire rated wall, and they are
open at the top where the gantry passes
through the door. These are present, but need
only be replaced with standard doors should
they ever need maintenance.

HI Fire door top of stairs in break room next to

37 computer room. door doesn't quite close to
the latch position. Small adjustment required
to the closer.
right hand edge of secondary leaf is not

smoke sealing- seals too far from frame.
HI stairwell west end. 2 unsealed conduits. no

38 sealant applied to ceiling across the entire
enclosure.

ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OF COMPLIANCE SYSTEMS (DRAFT)
Scott Base and outlying buildings
Ross Island, Antarctica
System Frequency Responsibility Purpose Standard Action

Fire Weekly Electrician Ensure operational NZS 4541 Run fire pump set, following instructions in log book
Sprinkler capacity of fire pump sets provided. Open bypass valve to flow water through
bypass while engine operating, ensure bypass is shut and
locked once complete
Record findings in log book then transfer these to the
Asset System.
Monthly Electrician Ensure operation of the NZS4541 Complete basic operation tests monthly. Activate
valvesets, check pressure drop to signal defect and fire pressures, check
pressures and check anti-interference switch, check for leaks and check
alarm interface interface with the main fire alarm system.
Monthly Carpenter Check storage heights NZS 4541, Check storage heights of goods in HFC Field Support
adhered to modified for Scott cages meet requirements for sprinkler capacity
Base (FFP to establish storage height rules)
Quarterly Electrician Check water delivery and NZS 4541 In addition to the monthly test above, operate the water
pump performance flow capacity of the fire pump by operating a flow back to
capacity. the tank.
(*need to see if this is possible with the potable water
supply interface*)
Annual Base Proactive maintenance of NZS 4541 Mechanical overhaul of the fire pump, as per the
Mechanic the fire pump (Part 1) procedures laid out in the diesel pup logbook including
replacement of lubricants and coolants. Record the
checks on the pump logbook, and transfer the results to
the Asset System.
Annual Water Ensure uninterrupted NZS 4541 Check Strainer on water supply for blockages,
Engineer water supply obstructions and corrosion. Record and reinstate.
Annual FFP (on site) Issue IQP Certification for Building Act IQP to verify that all correct test procedures have been
WOF 2004, S108 completed and any remedial action identified has been
rectified. This will include verification of any issues raised
in the biennial inspection every second year
SCOTT BASE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME (DRAFT)

Page | 1
Biennial Base Proactive maintenance of NZS 4541 In addition to the annual mechanical overhaul of the fire
Mechanic fire pump (part 2) pump, replacement of necessary belts and batteries as
laid onto at the back of the diesel pump logbook. Record
in logbook and transfer results into the asset system.
Biennial ISO 17020 On site survey of facility NZS 4541 Full biennial survey as per NZS 4541.
accredited to ensure full compliance
body
Quadrennial Water Proactive maintenance of NZS 4541 Replace valve rubbers through system as per the
Engineer the valveset and requirements of NZS 4541. Follow checklist to be
protection of the water provided and record results in Asset System.
supply
12-Yearly Water Check tank condition NZS 4541 Undertake internal tank inspection to ensure anti-vortex
Engineer plate in place and in good condition, check internal tank
condition.
Fire Alarm Monthly Base Operational test of the fire NZS 4512, with In conjunction with the monthly trial evacuation, complete
& VESDA Electrician alarm system control additional an operational test of the fire alarm. Conduct defect
systems units in each building inspections monitoring tests, check battery capacity, check operation
of device and (during evacuation) operate alerting devices
– have wardens report correct operation of alerting
devices. (*test sheet to be provided detailing specific
inspections*)
6 monthly Base Function test of Xtralis VESDA Check of power supplies and test of operation of VESDA
Electrician Aspirating smoke manual system using test facility on each unit. Record results in
systems Asset System
Annual FFP (on site) Full function test and NZS 4512, Xtralis Full survey of all fire systems to NZS 4512 and Vesda
maintenance of the fire VESDA Manual Manual. Active Test 20% smoke detectors, 100% MCPs
alarm systems and 2% heat detectors on each circuit. Label tested
devices with FFP year label. Full test of amplifier loadings
and operation of alerting devices. Full check of ancillary
shutdowns. Record all results per NZS 4512 and FP
Annual Fire Alarm Survey. Undertake what repairs can be
completed in time available. Audit testing regime and
procedures.
Annual FFP (on site) Issue IQP Certification for Building Act IQP to verify that all correct test procedures have been
WOF 2004, S108 completed and any remedial action identified has been
rectified. This will include verification of any issues raised
in the biennial inspection every second year

Page | 2
Automatic Monthly Carpenter Check function of fire and NZ Building Code Undertake a test of all Automatic fire and smoke control
and manual smoke control doors for Compliance doors. Check each doorset for:
Fire and adequacy Schedule Check Hold Open devices are secured to the floor/wall
Smoke Handbook, Check Anvil secured to the door
Doors modified as Check hinges screwed tight
appropriate for Release door and ensure doors close:
the site  In correct order (if priority required)
 Seal to the latch position
 Do not “rattle” once closed
 Door is straight and not bowed
 Check no visibility around doors where smoke
seals are fitted.
Check damage to door leaf
Check SSDPKC sign in place and in good condition.
Record in Asset System

Annually FFP (on site) Audit check on doors, to Building Act IQP to verify above checks and inspect each door. Check
allow sign off for WOF 2004, S108 each door operates from operation of smoke detectors
adjacent and check programming of the interfaces.
Emergency Monthly Base Audit check of signage NZ Building Code Monthly check of the signage installed throughout the
Lighting Electrician Handbook, base. Check illuminated signs are correctly operating
adapted for this using local test switch on the light, check non-maintained
site signs illuminate when test facility is pressed. Note any
faults or damage to units and undertake repairs as
required.
Record results in Asset System
6-monthly Base Operational test of AS 2293:2005 Undertake full discharge test of Emergency Lighting
Electrician Emergency Lighting System. Operate test facilities and undertake lamp test
systems immediately to identify any lights not operating. Leave
lights operating for required 90 minute period and
complete return check of each light to verify correct
operation at end of discharge time.
Record results, undertake reparative maintenance and
record action in Asset System.
Annual FFP (on site) Audit check on lighting to Building Act Audit lighting inspections by electrician, and if possible
allow sign-off for WOF 2004, S108 undertake full discharge test to verify correct procedures.

Page | 3
Egress Monthly Carpenter Check availability of NZ Building Code Ensure all external doors open adequately and have no
Paths (and after egress paths for Compliance ice build-up. Check operation of handles from both inside
each emergency access Schedule and outside and check landings and stairs are clear of
significant outside Handbook, snow and other debris to allow doors to open unimpeded
snowfall) modified as for a full 90 degrees.
necessary for the Check internal egress routes for obstructions and
specifics of this unnecessary storage. Confirm correct storage outside
site designated walkways in HFC and workshops.
Annual FFP (on site) Audit check of all egress Building Act Check all egress paths and confirm acceptance for IQP
paths 2004, S108 Certification
Fire Each time a Carpenter Ensure separation is Repair to penetration to be completed by trade staff
separations separation adequately repaired when whenever any work is undertaken. Complete repair in
is worked disturbed accordance with instruction to be provided by FFP.
on Photograph completed repair and record
Annual FFP (on site) Audit of all Fire Building Act Check all fire separations and confirm acceptance for IQP
Separations 2004, S108 Certification
Fire Monthly Carpenter Check of readiness for NZS 4510, NZS Complete routine check of presence of fire fighting
Fighting fire hydrants and layflat 4503 as equipment in each station, check condition and ensure all
Equipment fire fighting equipment applicable present and ready for use.
Monthly Carpenter Check Fire Extinguishers NZS 4503 Complete basic check of extinguisher – check
 Extinguisher in place,
 Accessibility
 Seal intact
 Bracket not loose
 Sign in place
Monthly Carpenter Fire Hose Reels NZS 4503 Complete basic check to ensure
 Cabinet door undamaged and accessible
 Check reel in place and nozzle in place.
 Check arm swings freely
 Check no leaks
Annual Carpenter Fire Extinguishers NZS 4503 Complete full annual check:
 Weight
 Nozzle
 Handle

Page | 4
 Bracket
 Hose / Horn
 Cylinder for damage / corrosion
 Pressure test date
 Clip tag
 Record details of each unit in NZS 4503 logbook
Annual Carpenter Fire Hose Reels NZS 4503 Complete full annual check.
 Cabinet
 Nozzle
 Tap
 Sign
 Run out hose under pressure,
 Check for leaks
 Check discharge pressure
 Turn off tap, release pressure, roll up

Page | 5

Scott Base Fire Report

Enviado por

Dados do documento

Título original

Direitos autorais

Formatos disponíveis

Compartilhar este documento

Compartilhar ou incorporar documento

Opções de compartilhamento

Você considera este documento útil?

Este conteúdo é inapropriado?

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

Scott Base Fire Report

Enviado por

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

REPORT ON FIRE SAFETY SYSTEMS AT

A Building inspection reports

B Firepro B235 datasheet

C Ryanfire Data sheets

D Clevertronics CLIFE data sheet

E Ecoglo HYU datasheet

G Cosgrove Major Fire Report 2006, Reviewed 2014

1 https://firesciencereviews.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40038-016-0012-3 The Fire Toxicity of Polyurethane Foams -

 Protect the underfloor area under the laundry

The proposed inspection structure is attached as an Appendix to this report

HA 30 min fire doors to entry, on hold-open

HA The separation includes 30 minute timber

Underfloor separation Hath Lab to corridor .

Fire Separations must be maintained to

FRR Fire separation repair

FFP CANTERBURY LTD Page 1 of 7

HA Underfloor separation Hath Lab to corridor.

All are openings which compromise the fire

FENZ to review all fire ratings

HA Underfloor separation Hath Lab to corridor

Fire ratings are compromised throughout.

Underfloor separation Hath Lab to corridor

Typical of openings throughout.

FFP CANTERBURY LTD Page 2 of 7

HA Specified System: Store cupboard outside Hatherton Lab.

Fire Separations are designed to prevent

FRR Fire Separation - Buildin

HA Specified System: A separation exists between the building

FENZ to review fire protection and

FFP CANTERBURY LTD Page 3 of 7

HA The fire rated wall between the Lab and the

Egress to north of Hath Lab, restricted area.

External egress from Hath Lab corridor South.

FFP CANTERBURY LTD Page 4 of 7

Fire sprinklers are installed in the building, but

While no action is required in this case, it

HA The hatch to the upper level area should be

HA Underfloor has no fire sprinklers or smoke

Also showing trunking penetrating fire wall.

FFP CANTERBURY LTD Page 5 of 7

HA Underfloor corridor side. Multiple services

Corridor hath lab side od corridor fire door.

Fire Separations must be maintained to

FRR Fire separation repair

Fire pillows are present in the underfloor

Fire pillows are a useful temporary measure to

FRR Fire separations – Fire Pill

FFP CANTERBURY LTD Page 6 of 7

Fire Doors must close to a latch position to

Fire Door must close to a latc

HA Specified System: The corridor fire exit leads to a ladder

Recommend wayfinding lighting and flags

HA Specified System: Fire egress as above. No action.

FFP CANTERBURY LTD Page 7 of 7

QH Sprinkler guard so close to the top of the door,

QH Although the fire door closes correctly to a

QH Floor cavity 120mm only

FFP CANTERBURY LTD Page 1 of 8

QH In the plantroom, services pass through the

Fire Separations must be maintained to

FRR Fire separation repair

As above, shown before the chipboard was

Fire Separations must be maintained to