Fire stopping in Firth
We carry out fire-rated and intumescent sealing of service penetrations and linear gaps in Firth and the surrounding area. Send details for a fixed quote.
- Improvised or mixed-product fire seals
- Old intumescent sealant that has split away
- Damaged fire seals in risers and voids
Fire stopping in Firth
Send drawings, photos or a joint schedule, or tell us about the site, and we’ll come back with a fixed quote.
About our fire stopping in Firth
The test standards are BS EN 1366-3 for penetration seals and BS EN 1366-4 for linear joints. That classification, such as EI 60 or EI 120, belongs to the product in its tested arrangement. Reproducing the tested arrangement on site is the part we take care of. The enquiries we see most involve hidden openings found during inspections and open linear gaps along the top of fire-resisting walls, across small duct penetrations where the tested detail allows, linear gaps at wall heads and pipe penetrations. Most enquiries from Firth start with one failed joint and grow into a wider look at the building: we look at the rest while we are there and tell you what we find.
Hotels and care homes around smaller places like Firth often have services added during refurbishment. A round of checks after M&E work is good practice, and any gaps found are sealed where fire-rated sealant is specified.
Our workmanship is guaranteed for 12 months. If a joint we sealed fails because of how it was installed, we come back and put it right.
- Place
- Firth (ZE2)
- Region
- Shetland Islands
- Cover
- 12 months on our workmanship
- Quote
- A fixed quote before we start
- Telephone
- 01277 525 020
- Page updated
- 3 November 2026
Service penetrations in Firth buildings
Under the Scottish non-domestic Technical Handbook, clause 2.1.14, penetrations should be fire stopped to at least the wall or floor’s fire resistance duration, with products tested for that end use. Our part is installing the specified fire-rated sealant to its tested detail. Work on Firth has to fit the ferry timetable and the forecast. Photos of each opening and the specification mean the right products make the trip.
For any site around Firth, we work to the specification and the manufacturer’s installation guidance, leaving design and sign-off with the designer. For buildings in and around Firth, fire-rated sealant is installed where it is specified, to the manufacturer’s tested detail.
Firth is in the Shetland Islands. Any commercial site in Firth is covered. Our the Shetland Islands coverage takes in 63 places, large and small.
We cover the ZE2 postcode districts. If your site is on Midlea, Leaside and Sandside or close by, send details and we’ll quote for service penetrations. We also cover Mossbank (1 mile north-east), Scatsta (4 miles west), Vidlin (6 miles south), Sullom (6 miles west) and Burravoe (6 miles north-east). For island and remote sites, we plan travel and materials carefully, so the full address helps from the start.
Around Firth
Green spaces nearby include Loch of Bordigarth.
What the job involves on each surface
Risers and ceiling voids
Risers and ceiling voids hold most of a building’s service penetrations. Access to these areas is planned with you in advance, including keys, permits and any isolations.
Cables and cable bundles
Data cabling added after handover is a regular cause of open service penetrations. Openings around new cables are resealed to the detail.
After the work
Your facilities or cleaning team can help the joints last. Share these points with them:
- Look above ceilings when tiles are lifted for other jobs
- Put resealing into every M&E and fit-out package
- Leave fire sealant to cure fully before covering it
- Have penetrations checked while they can still be seen
During planned inspections, look at seals in risers, cupboards and voids. Look for cracks, unsealed new cables and gaps that have been enlarged, and report them promptly.
The simplest way to keep compartment walls intact is to plan fire stopping into every job that crosses them. Then the seal goes in while the area is open, not months later.
More services for Firth
On site: what to expect
Where the site stays busy, the work is phased so only one area is out of use at a time. Each area is protected, prepared and sealed, then reopened once the sealant allows before we move to the next. Jobs near Firth are often grouped with others in the same area, to make the most of each trip. Let us know if your dates have any give.
- The specification and schedule come first, so we know which details apply.
- We plan the sequence of floors, risers and voids with you.
- Each opening is checked for wall or floor type, service, gap and depth.
- Foam, ordinary sealant and debris come out first.
- The specified backing and sealant go in to depth and are finished neatly.
- Anything outside the detail is reported to you rather than sealed.
Before we start on site
- Tell staff and tenants when we will be in
- Tell us what induction or permit system the site runs
- Clear stock, furniture or equipment away from the joints
Get a fixed quote
The quickest route to a quote is a few photographs and the site postcode. Upload them with the quote form, or phone 01277 525 020 or email a schedule or drawings if you’d rather talk the job through.
Advice
Honest limits
A proper diagnosis includes knowing what sealant can’t do. You will hear from us if the cause turns out to be any of the following:
- Plastic pipes whose detail calls for a collar or wrap
- Issuing fire ratings or certificates for seals
- Designing or specifying fire stopping, which sits with the designer or fire engineer
If in doubt, call the office on 01277 525 020 or email us and we will say what we think.
Where we work in Firth
- Pipe penetrations
- Cable penetrations
- Joints between fire-resisting walls and floors
- Small duct penetrations where the tested detail allows
- Service gaps in risers
- Linear gaps at wall heads
Firth: questions and answers
Do you decide the fire-stopping details for buildings in Firth?
No, that sits with the designer, fire engineer or building control. Our part is installing the specified product to its tested detail, and telling you if the detail calls for something other than sealant.
Will you travel to Firth on the island?
Yes. Islands are part of our area, Firth included. We plan island jobs around the ferry and the forecast, and bring everything the job needs on the first crossing.
How long before the joints can be used?
Curing time varies by product, and we confirm it on the day, and sign any area that should be left alone.
Can you handle several sites?
Yes. Several buildings can share a single quote, with one point of contact across South East England, Greater London and Scotland.
Is it fine to apply new sealant on top of old?
No, never. Overlaying old sealant is a frequent cause of early failure, so everything comes out first.
Are you CHAS accredited and on Constructionline?
Yes. Mastic Doctor is CHAS accredited and a Constructionline member.
What hours do you work?
The office is staffed Monday to Friday, from 8am until 5pm. Let us know your site hours and access windows, and the work will be planned around them.
Commercial clients in Firth
We take on planned maintenance as well as one-off repairs: working through a building or an estate in stages that fit your budget. Sites in Firth can sit alongside others in a wider programme across the Shetland Islands.
Main contractors use us as their sealant subcontractor. Programme, specification and site rules come first, with CSCS-carded applicators on site.
Cost factors for service penetrations
Sealant work doesn’t have a standard rate, because every site is different. What we look at:
- Backing rod, priming and other preparation
- Working within restricted access windows
- How accessible the joints are
- Distance, for remote addresses
We don’t publish prices, since every building and every scope is different. Call for a quote and we’ll price your job on its own details.
Details that help us quote
Good information means a firmer quote. Helpful details to send:
- The type of building and who uses it
- The postcode of the building
- Approximate linear metres or a joint schedule
- Specification clauses that apply
If there’s a specification, drawings or a tender package, send it with your enquiry, and we will price against exactly what is specified. Smaller jobs need nothing more than photos and a few notes.