FEATURE

For years, the fire-codes - The International Fire Code (IFC), NFPA 1, NFPA 101, The Life Safety Code, have had very specific language about maintaining effective compartmentation and structural fire-resistance to the level of protection that the building was originally constructed. And, the National Building Code of India’s section on Maintenance clearly states responsibility to maintain protection in buildings.

9.1 General – “Any building (including its services) when built has certain objectives and during its total economic life, it has to be maintained in proper condition to meet those objectives. Maintenance is a continuous process requiring a close watch and taking immediate remedial action. It is interwoven with good quality of housekeeping. It is largely governed by the quality of original construction. The owners, engineers, constructors, occupants and the maintenance agency are all deeply involved in this process and share a responsibility….”. [National Building Code of India]

The Building and Fire-Codes speak clearly to the specifier and designer. The building code wants the construction documents to communicate a process to build the effective compartmentation and fire-resistance correctly.

The fire codes – also required for new constructionrequire that the specifier and designer communicate documentation of the built assemblies through an ‘Inventory’ of fire-resistance

The building owner and manager really needs the inventory of built systems as it’s used to base their recordkeeping of existing fire-resistance.

To get to maintenance, the fire-resistance has to be built properly. How? Start with the building codes. First, we need to define ‘fire-resistance’.

From the International Building Code (IBC), Chapter 7, below is the charging language about fire-resistanceratings.

703.2 Fire-resistance ratings. The fire-resistance rating of building elements, components or assemblies shall be determined in accordance with the test procedures set forth in ASTM E119 or UL 263 or in accordance with Section 703.3. The fire-resistance rating of penetrations and fire-resistant joint systems shall be determined in accordance Sections 714 and 715, respectively. [IBC 2018 703.2]

All fire-resistance test standards use the standard time temperature curve as is used in a furnace to test building elements, components or assemblies based on ASTM E 119 and UL 263’s requirements. To determine fireresistance ratings, the element, component or assembly is subject to furnace fire-exposure for a period of time. The testing is either large scale or small scale.

For structural elements, components or assemblies, thermocouples are placed strategically to protect against its temperature rising above the temperature at which the material will lose its structural capabilities.

For walls and horizontal assemblies, thermocouples are used to measure temperature rise on the unexposed side of the assembly allowing for safe egress on the non-fire side of the assembly.

A hose stream test is used after the fire test to assure that there’s enough robustness of the wall assembly after the fire to withstand shock that might occur should ceiling tile, ductwork, piping, cable trays, light fixtures and other services located above the ceiling fall and hit the wall and its penetrating items.

Those service items that carry water, gas, oxygen, communications, air, become the penetrating items at a fire-resistance rated assembly – either floor or wall. The penetrating items consist of ducts, pipes, breaches in assemblies for door openings, joints, windows. These ‘openings’ are treated with the features of fire-resistance.

Firestopping, fire-dampers, fire-rated glazing or fire-doors extend the fire-resistance of the wall, floor or ceiling assembly through the breach.

The wall, floor, ceiling assembly and structural elements are tested for fire-resistance to ASTM E 119 and UL 263. The ASTM E119 standard is past its 100th year as a test standard. It was used to determine fire-resistance for some of the earliest high-rise and super high-rise buildings.

The features of fire-resistance are tested to ASTM E814 or UL1479, (Firestopping) UL555 or UL555S, (Fire Dampers, Smoke Dampers), UL 10B or UL10C, (Swinging FireDoors), ASTM E 119/UL263, UL9, NFPA 252, (Fire-Rated Glazing).

The system fire testing to the above referenced standards produces results published in directories. The results –fire-resistance ratings – become the suitability for use statement for the products in specific assemblies.

Products that get tested to these test standards can be listed in directories such as the UL Fire-Resistance Directory (Print or online) or other testing laboratory publications such as FM Approvals “ApprovalGuide.com” website.

This is where the ‘Listings’ are found for all fire-resistance rated building elements, components and assemblies. More about these test standards and their very specific testing in future issues of Life Safety Digest.

Fire-Resistance is specified in the sections where the discipline occurs. For instance, Firestopping is specified in 07-84-00 – and we at FCIA recommend a single specification to avoid confusion, eliminate duplication and assure that requirements are consistent.

Specifications then need to focus on both product performance in the environment that the product is to be used (indoor, outdoor, exposed to water, chemicals, germs, smoke, etc.).

The resistance to the environment is not part of the fire test. The movement resistance is proven through other ASTM Standards for firestopping such as ASTM E3037, as well as the manufacturers technical declarations, on product data sheets.

In addition to the manufacturer’s installation instructions, the listing that proves the product is suitable as fireresistance for the time period expected is required before an installation can begin.

The firestop installation contractor chooses the listings before installation. because the type of penetrating items, annular space sizes, and gap widths are not yet selected at design phase of the project, making it difficult for design professionals to choose.

The IBC requires that the firestop products be installed in accordance with the system listing and the manufacturers installation instructions – then the fire-code requires that the documentation that proves the products were installed be inspected annually.

The Fire Code also states the building owner and manager keep an ‘Inventory’ of fire-resistance-rated assemblies –the life safety drawings.

The life safety drawings provide the areas where fireresistance-rated assemblies exist. The inventory of the rated walls are a start. The rest of the fire-resistance-rated ‘features’ – firestopping, fire doors, fire rated glazing, fire dampers, smoke dampers, fire/smoke dampers, also have documentation associated with it.

The documentation or inventory consists of the listings, manufacturers instructions, product data sheets and safety data sheets.

The Construction Specifications Institute and Construction Specifications Canada partnered to develop the “MasterFormat” numbering system for project manuals, or ‘specs’. This numbering system has Divisions that organize the work results.

Division 1 of MasterFormat is where the direction needs to be communicated to the General Contractor to get the inventory communicated from the contractors –wallboard, concrete and concrete block, SFRM/IFRM, firestop, fire and smoke damper, fire-rated glazing contractors.

Also in Division 1, the Specifier needs to reference the appropriate specification sections so they can pass the information on to the Building Owner and Manager.

The inventory of fire-resistance can be gathered either through paper files or electronic methods. Many Firestop Contractors and Barrier Management Services Contractors offer electronic fire-resistance inventory programs to their clients for maintaining and reporting on visual inspections and repairs used to keep continuous service of this important discipline.

According to industry experts, the best place to get this documentation or inventory rolling is in section 01-7800, Closeout Submittals. This is where operations and maintenance manuals, project record documents and general requirements can be required.

Specifically, Section 01-78-39 is where Project Record Documents are organized. The Project Record Documents are the fire-resistance ‘Inventory’. Section 01-78-23.13, Operation Data and 01-78-23.16, Maintenance Data, provide the sections where communication to the building owner and manager from subcontractor (installer) through the General Contractor is accomplished.

Also, this section needs to reference back to the individual specification sections and describe how repairs are to be performed, along with a maintenance schedule.

Check out the Sidebar for possible reference sections. Why is fire - resistance maintenance important? Based on the performance of buildings – that they are safe – is related to the performance of the fire-resistance, sprinkler, detection and alarm, egress systems and also the education of the occupants.

Yes, Total Fire Protection is needed – not just ‘balanced’. Leaks happen in roofs and are identifiable very quickly. Sprinkler systems can be turned off.

While sprinklers might extinguish fires, they are designed to control them and limit size development in one area. Should two areas have fires, and put demand on the system, what happens?

The alarm system needs to activate. If it doesn’t, the building is now defending people in the place they are using fire-resistance features that make an egress system -- to protect them.

Thankfully, fires occur very infrequently. But when they do, we want everything to work.

That’s why the NFPA 1, The Fire Code, NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, and the International Fire Code have a lot of direction to the building owner and manager on the subject.

Maintain continuous fire-resistance. Build a procedure for it like there might be for sprinklers, alarm/detection systems.

BILL MCHUGH is Executive Director, Firestop Contractors International Association (FCIA), and the National Fireproofing Contractors Association.

He can be reached at bill@FCIA.org and bill@NFCA-online.org