Constructing with confidence: Delivering specialist retrofit systems with Orestone Fire Protection
Iain Hoey
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Orestone Fire Protection’s Operations Director, Jack Bielby, discusses nationwide expansion, specialist retrofit systems and delivering compliance-led solutions for complex building projects
Since its founding in 2018, Orestone Fire Protection has built a reputation for delivering high-standard fire protection work, initially across the West Country and now nationwide.
Founded by Nick Robinson, Managing Director, and Alan Stephenson, Technical Director—both of whom remain actively involved—the company continues to grow from its roots in Devon and now operates offices in Surrey and London, strengthening its regional and national reach.
Expansion accelerated under Operations Director Jack Bielby, who joined in 2022 with 10 years of industry experience, enhancing Orestone’s capacity to deliver complex projects without compromising on compliance, quality, or safety.
With a head office in Basingstoke and new facilities in north and south London, Orestone is improving its ability to serve the capital and Southeast by reducing mobilisation times and expanding regional coverage.
In this interview, Jack shares insights on the company’s services, its relevance to modern safety challenges and how it approaches safeguarding people and property in an evolving environment.
For readers unfamiliar with your work, how would you explain what Orestone Fire Protection does?
Orestone deliver complete passive fire protection solutions, certified across all aspects of the trade – from fire-resistant barriers, fire doors and fireproof sealants to advanced firestop systems.
Our services extend beyond and far to all areas of fire protection and construction to include external works such as SFS lightweight steel framing, rainscreen cladding, EWI & rendering and balcony decking, plus internal works like drylining, screeding, plastering, tape & jointing and suspended ceilings.
By offering such a broad range of services under one roof, we remove the delays and risks of managing multiple contractors, giving clients a seamless, end-to-end compliance package.
Can you explain what some of the fire protection services you provide are, such as fire stopping, Injectaclad, or air sealing?
Our core services cover all aspects of passive fire protection, delivered to the highest compliance standards.
These include the installation and maintenance of fire stopping systems that seal penetrations in walls, floors and ceilings to prevent the spread of fire and smoke between compartments.
We also provide intumescent spraying, carried out both off site and on site through our mobile spraying team.
As one of the first approved UK contractors for Injectaclad, we deliver this innovative cavity barrier retrofit system nationwide.
We hold top 3 Contractor of the Year status, operate the largest Injectaclad-trained workforce in the UK and can guarantee programme delivery while remaining competitive on cost.
We also provide air sealing to improve building energy efficiency and maintain compartmentation by sealing gaps that could allow smoke movement.
Other specialist services include bespoke fire engineer solutions for projects requiring more than a generic approach and bespoke furnace testing where our in-house technical team can design, arrange and carry out custom testing for non-standard applications, ensuring 100% compliance when a pass is achieved.
Our in-house team also handles Building Safety Regulator (BSR) applications for Higher-Risk Buildings, ensuring all submissions meet Gateway 2 requirements.
In addition, we deliver a range of external and internal works: SFS lightweight steel framing, rainscreen cladding, external wall insulation and rendering, balcony decking, drylining, screeding, plastering, tape and jointing and suspended ceilings.
Which industries or client types – such as housing associations, care facilities, or local authorities – do you most often support?
Orestone specialise in providing end to end delivery for Tier 1 contractors, city councils, the NHS, MOD, housing associations, universities and private developers.
Our experience spans everything from major new-build developments to sensitive, high-risk environments such as hospitals and live residential blocks.
How does Orestone manage projects across the UK?
Our central project management team is supported by regional supervisors and managers, ensuring consistent quality and compliance nationwide.
Every project is tracked against a compliance checklist, supported by photographic evidence and digital reporting.
Our location strategy – with offices and teams across the UK – enables rapid mobilisation, while our large, trained workforce allows us to run multiple large-scale projects without compromising on standards.
With over 70 years’ combined experience, how has hands-on knowledge shaped your approach to delivering projects?
Our leadership team’s combined experience allows us to identify risks early, plan practical solutions and execute them efficiently.
We understand the operational pressures our clients face, so we design solutions that are compliant, commercially viable and logistically achievable.
Clear, accurate documentation – from as-built drawings to product certification – is central to our approach, enabling clients to evidence compliance long after we’ve left site.
What steps do you take when assessing a client’s fire protection requirements?
We begin with a comprehensive survey of the back of any third party recommendations , reviewing building plans, existing fire strategy documentation and on-site conditions.
We identify non-compliances, confirm product suitability and consult with all stakeholders to develop a solution that fits the project’s operational constraints.
Where standard systems are insufficient, we can organise bespoke furnace testing / engineering decisions to prove performance and achieve regulatory approval.
What sets your solutions apart from others in terms of quality, documentation, or team expertise?
Our USPs include the ability to deliver all aspects of passive fire protection alongside related external and internal works.
We are one of the largest UK-approved Injectaclad installers, with unmatched scale and programme delivery capability.
We have a fully in-house technical team able to design, test and implement bespoke solutions.
We hold the highest-level third-party accreditations for all fire-stopping works, supported by comprehensive insurance cover.
Every product we use is fully traceable through batch numbers, fire test evidence and photographic proof.
We also have a reputation for working discreetly in sensitive, live environments without disruption.
What are the most common fire safety issues you find when first assessing a site?
The most common issues are breaches in compartmentation caused by unsealed service penetrations, incorrectly installed or maintained fire doors and fire stops and missing or poorly fitted cavity barriers.
In older buildings, we often find that a lack of accurate fire strategy documentation has allowed non-compliant work to go unnoticed.
From Tier 1 contractors delivering major infrastructure to city councils managing large housing portfolios, from the NHS safeguarding critical healthcare environments to housing associations, universities and private developers, Orestone delivers projects of every size and complexity.
Our specialist teams are renowned for working in occupied environments without the need to decant residents or disrupt day-to-day operations.
Even when works require full ceiling removal, we remediate all non compliant factors, reinstate fire protection, complete full decoration and leave the space exactly as it was before – as if we were never there.
This combination of technical precision, respectful working practices, nationwide reach and documented compliance makes Orestone a trusted partner for sensitive, high-stakes projects across multiple sectors.
Where do you see Orestone Fire Protection focusing its efforts next?
With the Building Safety Act driving higher compliance expectations, we’re investing in all aspects of the industry to ensuring an unprecedented delivery, specialist training and retrofit solutions that bring older buildings up to standard with minimal disruption.
The future is about proving compliance as much as delivering it – and that’s where we excel, with an ever-growing work force and client list Orestone is proving to be the go to in the world of fire protection.