Fire Strategy and Report for Strawberry Fields Building
Client – South Ribble and Chorley Borough Council
Project value – £9,960
Prosol was appointed by South Ribble and Chorley Borough Council to undertake a comprehensive Fire Strategy and Fire Safety Report for the Strawberry Fields Building.
The commission was initiated following the identification of unauthorised structural works carried out by a previous contractor without due consideration of the building’s fire compartmentation requirements.
Our role was to assess the existing building arrangement, establish a compliant fire strategy, and provide clear justification for fire compartmentation in line with current fire safety legislation and guidance.
The scope included multiple site visits and structured meetings with building users to fully understand the operational use of the building, occupancy patterns, and any constraints affecting fire safety design.
Prosol subcontracted a suitably qualified and competent fire engineer to develop the formal fire strategy and report. This was supported by the production of accurate floor plans for each level of the building, clearly identifying fire compartments, lines of fire resistance, and associated fire safety measures.
Once the strategy was agreed, Prosol undertook a full intrusive and non-intrusive survey of the implemented fire compartmentation using Bolster Systems electronic identification software, providing a robust digital audit trail. The completed survey and supporting documentation were submitted to the client for review, ensuring clarity, traceability, and long-term usability of the fire safety information.
Key Challenges
A key challenge was the absence of reliable original building information, including historic floor plans and records of previous alterations.
his was mitigated through close collaboration with the client and building users, supplemented by site verification and coordination between Prosol’s passive fire protection surveyor and the appointed fire engineer to validate assumptions and findings.
Managing access and minimising disruption within an occupied public building also required careful planning. All site visits were pre-agreed and programmed in advance with the client, ensuring works were undertaken safely and with minimal impact on building users.
To maintain transparency and public sector compliance, Prosol provided regular updates, shared draft outputs for comment, and ensured final fire strategy documentation and compartmentation layouts were fully reviewed and approved by the client.
The use of local, competent fire engineers and surveyors further supported social value objectives while maintaining high technical and professional standards throughout the project.