When a fire rages through a building, the way the building is constructed will make a huge difference in how quickly it spreads. While some of the measures taken to halt the fire’s progress, such as fire doors and sprinkler systems are very obvious, there are some that are not as obvious, but still very important.
Firestops can make a big difference in the spread of a fire.
They are made from materials that won’t melt easily, such as firestop mortar or sheet metal, and they are installed to block paths a fire could take through the channels where pipes and wiring run. If there were no firestops, the fire could take a path around fire doors to spread from room to room.
One problem with firestops is that they could be removed when work is done on wiring or plumbing in your building, and then not replaced because the person working on these things doesn’t know their purpose. It is good to check up on work done near firestops to make sure that the firestop was replaced.
