Building Owners and Managers are required by the International Fire Code, NFPA 101, NFPA 1, the National Fire Code of Canada, UAE Fire and Life Safety Code, and other codes to maintain all types of fire-resistance rated and smoke resistant assemblies for the life of the building. The FCIA Passive Fire Protection - Barrier Management Services section provides the building owner and manager resources to survey and solve issues – through repair or replacement – to meet code requirements. Check out the articles in Life Safety Digest to learn more about the importance of Passive Fire Protection - Barrier Management Services in existing buildings.
Passive Fire Protection Barrier Surveys
Passive Fire Protection Barrier Survey companies provide a visual survey by a professional company that understands the system listings and manufacturers’ instructions. All around the world, codes require annual visual inspection – survey – of all fire-resistance-rated assemblies, including walls, floors, firestopping, rolling and swinging fire doors, fire and smoke dampers, fire-rated glazing, and SFRM and IFRM Fireproofing.
Passive Fire Protection Barrier Survey companies help the building owner and manager build the required documentation and inventory needed to comply with code requirements and to maintain the building’s compartmentation and fire- and smoke-resistance-rated assemblies, thereby maximizing safety for both the building and its occupants and minimizing property damage.
Passive Fire Protection Barrier Repairs
When fire-resistance-rated walls and floors are breached by penetrating items such as ducts, pipes, cables, and joints, the fire- and smoke-resistance-rated qualities of these assemblies may be compromised. To ensure continuity of protection, the best practice is to visually survey ALL of these assemblies annually. In fact, some codes require it.
Passive Fire Protection Barrier Repair Contractors schedule and perform all of these required repairs, then document completed repairs in an inventory that the building owner and manager can manage for the building life cycle.
Passive Fire Protection Firestop Systems
Passive Fire Protection Firestop Systems are complex SYSTEMS of firestop system material components installed together as part of a tested and listed system and installed to the Firestop System Manufacturer’s installation instructions. Openings made in walls and horizontal assemblies for new pipe or cable systems, result in an area where fire and smoke can spread, thereby compromising the fire- and smoke-resistance-rated properties of these walls and horizontal assemblies.
Passive Fire Protection Firestop System Manufacturers design and manufacturer fire-resistance-rated and smoke-resistance-rated firestop and effective compartmentation products and systems. Firestop System Contractors service buildings to install and repair new and existing firestopping, as well as provide documentation and inventory records of installed firestop systems.
Passive Fire Protection Fire and Smoke Dampers
Fire, smoke, and combination fire/smoke dampers installed in barriers and fire separations are designed to resist fire and smoke spread through and around the ductwork of heating, ventilation, or air conditioning systems. When correctly installed to the tested and listed system specs and manufacturer’s installation instructions, provide critical compartmentalization as part of a complete passive fire protection system. NFPA 80 specifies that fire, smoke, and fire/smoke dampers be tested at commissioning, then again one-year after service, and then every 6 years in hospitals and every 4 years in all other occupancies.
Passive Fire Protection Fire and Smoke Damper Contractors provide documentation and inventory, inspection, survey, installation, and repair services for this critical piece of passive fire protection systems.
Passive Fire Protection Fire-Rated Rolling & Swinging Doors
NFPA 80 specifies that fire-rated rolling and swinging doors be inspected annually for proper operation. Should a fire occur in a building, fire doors need to work properly to protect people and property.
Passive Fire Protection Fire-Rated Rolling & Swinging Door Contractors can provide annual code required fire-rated door inspections, drop tests, repairs, and replacements of fire doors and doors constructed to resist the passage of smoke.
Passive Fire Protection Fire-Resistance-Rated Glazing
Building compartmentation is a critical component of barrier management. For those buildings where light and view are important factors to consider, fire-resistance-rated glazing is the only material that provides a clear view through a fire-resistance-rated assembly and complies with the codes for fire compartmentation without compromising visibility or daylight.
Passive Fire Protection Fire-Resistance-Rated Glazing Contractors are experts at installing and visually surveying and documenting that the fire-resistance-rated glazing is correctly installed, labeled, and inventoried.
Passive Fire Protection Barrier Management Software
The 2018 International Fire Code requires that an inventory of fire-resistance-rated and smoke-resistant assemblies be maintained by the building owner and manager. To keep fire-resistance-rated and smoke-resistant assemblies maintained and documented on an ongoing basis, manual and automated systems have been developed.
Passive Fire Protection Barrier Management Software companies are experts in the products that utilize software to manage fire-resistance maintenance and records.
Passive Fire Protection SFRM & IFRM Fireproofing Repairs
Spray Fire-Resistive Materials (SFRM) and Intumescent Fire-Resistive Materials (IFRM) are used to provide protection to structural members that lose their structural integrity when exposed to elevated temperatures. Installed SFRM and IFRM’s might be removed to accommodate attachments such as ceilings, piping, cables, and more. To reduce the likelihood of structural collapse and maintain fire-resistance protection, damaged SFRM and IFRM needs to be continuously maintained and patched to the listing and manufacturers’ instructions.
Passive Fire Protection SFRM and IFRM Fireproofing Contractors are experts at keeping installed fireproofing continuously and correctly maintained.