Firestopping holds an important position in repairing and maintaining your fire barriers. The untreated penetrations can result in deadly in the case of a fire break out if the proper firestopping is not done. There are several opinions regarding passive fire protection, but they are not based on any type of code or facts. In this situation, don’t let your facility fall short on compliance by giving value to others’ opinions rather than actually knowing the facts.
To make sure that your facility’s fire barriers are code compliant, then follow dos and don’ts written below for proper firestop installation:
Never ever mix manufacturer products
The setup of firestop UL systems made by fire compartmentation manufacturers are according to their other products and cannot be mixed with other manufacturer’s products. If different products get used on the same penetration, the UL is then considered to be non-compliant. If this happens, you fire barriers gets compromised and no longer considered to be protected and secured. If you are going to do firestop maintenance in your home, then make sure that you are buying stuff from only 1 manufacturer which matches the specific UL needs and rules.
Make a plan for Addressing Open Penetrations
Create a plan to protect your building using the firestop products as it is important for implementing your facility. Over the past few years, it is possible to complete projects and maintenance at any time. This means that penetrations can be made in your fire barriers and walls by running cables to different rooms, construct something new, etc. If you have not prepared to maintain these penetrations and staying aware of areas that need firestop, then your facility will definitely fall short on compliance and will be unsafe from fire. If you lack manpower for putting a plan in place, then hire a professional firestop contractor to make a maintenance plan for taking care of fire barriers in your building.
Don’t let your contractor go without providing documentation
Thorough documentation having before and after images of firestop maintenance done in your building is required. Without any document from your contractor, you will not be able to know which region has been completed and what, if anything, is still incomplete. If documents are not available, then it is possible that people may discredit your facility for not being code-compliant. If you have documents available to show that a program is working to maintain fire problems, then it will be considered that you are following rules and standards of business.
Do enforce the documents of which UL System was into work in your building
After getting documents from your firestop contractor, make sure that the documentation is deep and consist of everything about fire retardant products that were used on each penetration. This is the main thing that will be looked for at the time of a survey in your facility. If UL systems are not mentioned in the documents, even if the penetration has been sealed by using the right UL system, your facility will have to face several consequences. Ensure that information of each UL system that is used in your building is written in the documents to avoid any type of problems in the future.
