According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there have been 103,000 non-residential fires between 2009 and 2018.
These fires resulted in 85 deaths. Not only that, but there were 1,025 injuries and over $2.6 billion in damages. This statistic would be far lower had many of these businesses practiced proper fire barrier management.
If you are concerned that your business needs to improve its fire barrier management plan, keep reading. This article will go over five key lessons you should always keep in mind.
Just because your business was once code-compliant doesn’t mean it still is. This is why the employment of fire inspectors and investigators is up by over 3%. Passive fire protection, which includes systems like a fire barrier sealant around doors or fire barrier panels on walls, requires upgrading every few years.
As certain building elements change for a business, you may need to change the barrier penetration management. For example, it isn’t uncommon for low-voltage cabling to be moved. When this happens, you will need to make sure that the new area meets barrier compliance.
Now, more than ever, there is access to purpose-made firestop pass-through devices. Such devices are able to remove specific problems, like an overfilled sleeve. This type of product is able to improve the stopping of fires in direct relation to low-voltage cabling.
It is in your best interest to remain in-the-know for the latest best practices of code compliance. When adding onto a building, you want to partner with a company that can offer you support in the form of input on construction plans and more. Compartmentalization of a building is the leading way to help contain fire and smoke from spreading beyond where it started.
The first step to having your facility be fully code-compliant is standardizing products and making use of the latest firestop systems. However, to stay up-to-date in the long term, you want to ensure all employees understand the importance of remaining compliant.
One way to achieve this is to have any contractors who work for you pass a training exam and follow your pre-set procedures. This helps ensure that contractors understand the importance of being serious while restoring fire ratings and re-sealing penetrations. The contractor will understand any firestop installations done will be reviewed.
It is essential that fire barrier management be practiced in any non-residential building. The difference between your facility having something like a fire barrier slab and not could mean the difference between lives lost or not. When you keep fire barrier management and code-compliance in the forefront of plans when updating a facility, this helps ensure structures are built to better accommodate safety regulations.
We hope you found this article helpful on how to help ensure you have a good approach to fire barrier management and meet code-compliance. If you found what you read to be insightful, please take a moment to browse our site for other informative posts.