Firestopping – Filling the Gaps Makes a Difference Poole Fire Protection Brian Griffin & Jack Poole, PE 2007 DOE Contractor Fire Protection Workshop Argonne.

Firestopping – Filling the Gaps Makes a Difference

Poole Fire ProtectionBrian Griffin & Jack Poole, PE

2007 DOE Contractor Fire Protection Workshop

Argonne National Laboroatory

Objective

• What is Firestopping • Benefits of Firestopping• Why is Firestopping required• Where is Firestopping required• How is Firestopping accomplished

• More than red caulking material in the hole!!!

What is Firestopping?

• Definition– Properly installed, tested materials utilized to

prevent passage of fire, smoke and toxic gases (penetrations and joints)

Benefits of FirestoppingLife Safety

Compartmentalization Suppression


• Through-Penetration Test - Before


• Through-Penetration Test - During


• Through-Penetration Test - After


• Example of Successful Testing

Before After

Why do We Firestop?

• …to safeguard against the spread of fire and smoke within a building…

• …safeguards which are required by code shall be maintained in conformance with the code edition under which installed

• The owner or the owner’s designated agent shall be responsible for the maintenance of buildings and structures

Why do We Firestop?

• MGM Grand Hotel

Las Vegas, 1980– 84 Died – 679 Injured

• First Interstate Bank Building

Los Angeles, 1988

Why do We Firestop?

Why do We Firestop?• Beverly Hills Supper Club,

1977– Cause of fire - Short circuit in

wiring– Smoke and toxic gases killed

165– Litigation completed in 2001

• Ostankino Tower, Moscow, 2000– Cause of fire - Short circuit in

wiring– Automatic sprinklers failed

• Taipei Office Building, 2001– Fire started on third Floor– Spread and jumped to 26th

Floor

Drivers for Firestopping?

• DOE O 420.1B

• DOE-STD-1066-99

• IBC (most local jurisdiction)

• UFC 3-600-01 (some locations)

DOE O 420.1B

• Minimize the potential for:– Unacceptable interruption of vital DOE

programs as a result of fire and related hazards;

– Property loss from fire exceeding limits established by DOE;

– Fire damage to critical process controls and safety class systems structures and components.

DOE-STD-1066-99

• Section 9.2 – Fire Barriers– Wall, floor and ceiling, and roof and ceiling

assemblies should be tested and rated for their fire resistance by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or similar nationally recognized testing laboratories, or should be approved by FM or similar organizations.

• Section 9.5 – Penetrations– Penetration seal materials and assemblies should be

tested for their fire resistance and listed by UL or similar nationally recognized testing laboratories, or should be approved by FM.

IBC• Sections 711.3.1.2 & 711.4.1.2: Through-Penetrations

– “Through-penetrations shall be protected by an approved penetration firestop system installed as tested in accordance with ASTM E814, with a minimum positive pressure differential of 0.01 inch of water and shall have:

- an F-rating of not less than the required fire resistance rating of the wall penetrated.”

- an F-rating and a T-rating of not less than 1 hour but not less than the required rating of the floor penetrated.”

- Section 712.1: Fire Resistive Joint Systems– “Joints installed in or between fire resistance rated assemblies shall be

protected by an approved fire-resistant joint system designed to resist the passage of fire for a time period not less than the required fire-resistance rating of the assembly in which it is installed.”

UFC 3-600-01

• 2-4.1 – Door Openings– Must be protected in accordance with NFPA 80, Fire

Doors and Fire Windows.

• 2-4.2 – Penetrations– Ducts at point of passage through firewalls must be in

accordance with NFPA 90A, Installation of Air-Conditioning and Ventilating Systems and/or NFPA 90B, Installation of Warm Air Heating and Air-Conditioning Systems.

– All other penetrations must be protected with UL, FM or NRTL tested and approved material or system.

Where is firestop required?

Where is Firestopping Required?

• Fire walls

• Fire barriers

• Shaft enclosures

• Fire partitions

• Horizontal assemblies– Floor assemblies– Roof assemblies

Through-penetrations


Membrane-penetrations


Construction joints


Perimeter containment



• Duct and Air Transfer Openings


Who is Involved in Firestopping?

• Architect or Engineer

• Contractor

• Building Official

When is Firestopping Installed?

• At time of construction

• Whenever an existing fire rated assembly is modified– Additional penetrating item is added to an

existing penetration– New data cable penetration– New sprinkler piping

• Non-licensed contractors

• Usually installed by trades

• Firestop considered beneath them

• Most users are untrained

How is Firestopping Generally Accomplished?

How is Firestopping Generally Accomplished?

• The RED RING Syndrome

• Rarely installed correctly

Visual Inspection Quiz What’s wrong with these installations?

Dissimilar products in the same opening is not allowed


Drywall mud is never an acceptable firestop material

Collar should be flush with ceiling surface & securely attached

Visual Inspection Quiz What’s wrong with this installation?

Head of wall joint is firestopped, but penetrations are not

Is there firestopping behind the drywall mud?

Penetrant opening at top of wall must be firestopped with same product as head of wall


Visually … Nothing

Does number and type of wrap strip match design?

Is there sealant in the void?

Does thickness and overlap of coating match design?

What type and amount of backing material is behind coating?


There are no tested assemblies for penetrants through joints.

Mineral wool alone is never an acceptable firestop material.


The firestop material is not applied 360°.










How Should Firestopping be Accomplished?

• Designed by a licensed design professional

• Firestop Installation Permit Program– Same concept as a Hot Work Permit– Administered in conjunction with other access

control processes– Can be tied to Code Footprint

• Installed by Certified Contractors

Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

Omega Point Laboratories

Factory Mutual Standards Laboratories

Intertek (Warnock Hersey) Listings

Third Party Testing Labs

American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM)

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL)

Labs Test to Standards

Firestopping: A Systematic Approach

• UL Approved No such thing - only AHJ approves products or systems

• UL Classified Lab has used the country requirements to evaluate the

product for specific hazards orproperties

• UL Listed Passes the standard test and is in the lab’s directory

Firestopping: A Systematic Approach

• Appropriate firestopping is only achieved when applied in accordance with the system to which it was tested or an Engineered Judgment, which is established by the manufacturer or a licensed design professional.

What is a UL Listed Assembly

SYSTEM No. C-AJ-1379

F Ratings – 3 HrT Ratings – 0 Hr

1A. Floor or Wall Assembly – Min 4-1/2 in. thick reinforced normal weight (150 pcf) concrete.Wall may also be constructed of any UL classified Concrete Blocks*. Max diam of opening is26-1/2 in.

See Concrete Blocks (CAZT) category in the Fire Resistance Rating Directory for namesof manufacturers.

1B. Metallic Sleeve (optional) – Nom 16 in. (or smaller), Schedule 10 (or heavier) steel pipesleeve, cast or grouted into floor or wall assembly.

2. Through Penetrants – One metallic pipe or tubing to be installed concentrically oreccentrically into opening such that the annular space between the pipe and the periphery of theopening is min 0 in. (point of contact) to max 2-1/2 in. Pipe to be firmly supported on both sides ofopening. The following types and sizes of pipes may be used:

(a) Nom. 24 in. diam (or smaller) Schedule 30 (or heavier) steel or iron pipe.(b) Nom. 4 in. diam (or smaller) electrical metallic tubing.

3. Packing Material – Mineral wool insulation of min 4 pcf firmly pressed into opening as apermanent form. Insulation material to be recessed by min depth of 1/2 in. from top surface offloor or both surfaces of wall.

4. Fill, Void, or Cavity Materials* – Caulk – Min 1/2 in. thickness of fill material appliedwithin the annulus, flush with top surface of floor or both surfaces of wall. A min 1/4 in. crown ofthe caulking material shall be applied around the entire circumference of the pipe at the level ofthe floor surface or both wall surfaces.

W. R. GRACE & CO. – CONN. – FlameSafe® FS900+

* Bearing the UL Classification Marking.

Company ABC – SuperDuper Sealant

Firestopping – Filling the Gaps Makes a Difference

Thank You!

Poole Fire ProtectionBrian Griffin and Jack Poole, PE

Firestopping – Filling the Gaps Makes a Difference Poole Fire Protection Brian Griffin & Jack Poole, PE 2007 DOE Contractor Fire Protection Workshop Argonne.

Documents

floor slide

injured slide

required rating

resistance rating

doe contractor

penetration test

b doestd

floor spread