Firestopping Special Inspections

Since the 2012 edition, the International Building Code has required special inspection of firestopping for buildings over 75 feet in height, and category III and IV buildings.  OC III is assigned to structures that have large numbers of occupants and are designed for public assembly.  The code states that the inspections are to be performed in accordance with two ASTM Standards; ASTM E2174 governs penetration firestop systems and ASTM E2393 applies to joint systems. Some highlights on how the inspections are to be performed include:  Inspector is to witness the installation of 10% of each type of firestop system or perform destructive testing of 2% of each type of firestop system per floor or for each area of a floor when a floor is larger than 10,000 ft2.  Complete submittals showing all listed firestop assemblies are required to be provided to the inspector before they perform their inspections. This includes any engineering judgements that may be needed for assemblies which don’t meet all the details of a listed assembly.  There are four categories of Firestop materials:
Fill, Void or Cavity Materials (e.g. sealants/caulks, putties, pillows/bags, sheets/boards/blocks, mortars, intumescent wrap, silicone foams, coatings/sprays); Factory and Field Assembled Devices (e.g. sleeves/collars, mechanical joint systems); Forming/Backing Materials (e.g. mineral wool batts, blankets/boards, packing/backer rod) and Duct and pipe covering materials.