When contractors come in to work on the plumbing, HVAC, electrical, or IT equipment they are creating penetrations through a building’s fire rated walls and fire barriers. Unfortunately, they are not firestopping, or are incorrectly firestopping, the penetrations in the wall they make. This leaves various sizes of gaps and spaces, which make an easy path for flames and smoke to travel throughout the building. Often, like fire and smoke dampers, through-penetrations are “out of sight, out of mind”. If you don’t regularly check above the ceilings, you won’t know about the penetrations in the fire walls above the ceiling, and you’ll never think about having your fire rated walls maintained.
Firestopping has become a very important component to a facilities passive fire protection system. So what exactly is firestopping? The International Firestop Council defines firestopping as “A process whereby certain materials, some of them specially manufactured, are used to resist or stop the spread of fire and its byproducts through openings made to accommodate penetrations in fire-rated walls, floors and floor ceiling assemblies.” Firestop products work by filling the spaces around penetrating items, such as plastic pipes or wires, that would melt or change shape during a fire. Some firestop products will swell up or expand in the presence of heat. This swelling action seals and stops the spread of fire and smoke to other floors and rooms in a building.
Preventing the spread of fire and smoke is crucial to the integrity of the building and the survival of those who may be occupying it in the event of a fire. Keeping the fire contained through the use of passive fire protection allows occupants to safely exit the building, and keeps the building’s structure from becoming unstable. This is why it is important to keep your fire rated walls maintained and up to date with the code. The Joint Commission is cracking down on facilities with unsealed penetrations and joints in fire-rated walls. In fact, The Joint Commission lists that unsealed penetrations are one of the top causes for recommendation for their Environment of Care (EOC).
According to the 2009 International Fire Code, Section 703.1 Maintenance: The required fire-resistance rating of fire-resistance-rated barriers including walls, firestop, shaft enclosures, partitions, smoke barriers, floors, fire-resistant coatings and sprayed fire-resistant materials applied to structural members and fire-resistant joint systems must be maintained. Barriers should be visually inspected annually and properly repaired, restored or replaced when damaged, altered, breached or penetrated. Openings made therein for the passage of pipes, electrical conduit, wires, ducts, air transfer opening and holes made for any reason have to be protected with approved methods capable of resisting the passage of smoke and fire.
Model Building Codes That Require Firestopping:
– International Building Code (IBC)
– Uniform Building Code (ICBO)
– Standard Building Code (SBCCI)
– National Building Code (BOCA)
– Life Safety Code (NFPA 101)
– National Electrical Code (NFPA 70)
– NFPA 5000 (NFPA Building Code)
