As a facility manager in the educational arena, you have many different buildings that cater to your students, faculty and staff. Naturally, fire safety is one of your many concerns, and being prepared is critical to all facilities. That’s why it is important to ensure that each building’s passive fire protection system is properly maintained in accordance with fire and life safety codes. And one area you don’t want to overlook is a facilities above ceiling inspections.
Fire safety above ceiling is one of the most common inspections that is required, but may often be overlooked since it is not directly in our line of vision. With mechanical work being performed out of sight, you have no idea what’s going on up there. Unfortunately, contractors will leave work performed above ceilings looking inadequate. This allows for potential fire hazards to just sit right above your head and wait to create issues. So how does above ceiling inspections help prevent fire issues above ceiling from spreading and creating bigger fire issues?
Faulty Wiring
Faulty wiring is one of the top reasons for a fire starting and the wires above ceiling are no exception. Any wires that are wrapped around sprinkler lines and hangers can be a potential fire hazard. In fact, where wires are joined together heat is created, and if too much heat is built up it can cause sparks, which can create a fire.
Cleaning up and replacing those wires with zip-ties to connect will help prevent the risks of a fire starting above ceiling.
Missing Junction Box Covers
The first line of defense against the spread of fire above ceiling is the junction box covers. If the junction box covers are missing, fires started can continue to grow and spread.
Covering the junction box will help prevent a fire that might have started from continuing to grow. This will also prevent the spread of fire and smoke above ceiling and potentially causing unnecessary property damage.
Unsealed Penetrations
Gaps and holes from pipes that penetrated to walls and ceiling allow easy access for both fire and smoke to spread quickly throughout the building. This will put your building and the lives of everyone inside at risk. This is where firestopping comes in handy.
Firestop products work by filling the spaces around penetrating items, such as plastic pipes or wires that would melt or change shape during a fire. Some firestop products will swell up or expand in the presence of heat. This swelling action seals and stops the spread of fire and smoke to other floors and rooms.