Recently Mark Nunn, Catherine Burgoyne-Clifford (Burgoyne Sales) and I gave life safety and code compliance seminars at the NYC SCA (School Construction Authority). It was awesome to be able to educate and/or reinforce the importance of firestopping on construction projects, particularly those involving schools and children.
The audience participation was great, we received answers about how to firestop a control joint and as well as basic penetrations such as metallic pipe or HVAC duct through fire rated assemblies. However, the audience was tripped up when it came to data-cable bundles loads. It seems that most were not aware of the fact that most UL tested systems, whether it be ours, Hilti, or 3M, there is always a maximum cable fill specified, usually less than 50%.
A question was then raised… “How can we expect a first year apprentice to calculate the 48% cable fill in your UL System?”
“A great question!” I remarked as I clicked to the next slide… EZ Path.
I explained that in the 21st Century, things seem to change with the weather, and nothing stays the same for long. No where is this more evident than in the world of low voltage data cabling. MAC’s (Moves, Adds and Changes) are a constant problem in regards to firestopping. Many times when cables are moved or changed, firestop products are not re-installed. And in the event that they are, it is quite possible that the additional cable fill in the sleeve exceeds the maximum load per the UL detail.
The fact that our EZ Path solution, where the firestopping is built in, making it 100% compliant, 100% of the time, up to 100% filled really hit home with the crowd. Everyone in the room began to see the value in a product that not only saves money after the 2nd or 3rd change/move, but could very well save the lives of our children in the event of a fire.
After our presentation Mark, Catherine and I were in the hallway leaving when som
eone who wasn’t even in the seminar stopped us to get a closer look at what Mark Nunn built (see picture, right). There we were again explaining the benefits of our EZ Path solution and the importance of it in regards to life safety and code compliance. The gentleman loved how with no materials to remove or reinstall, EZ-Path takes the human element away. He asked us to come back to present to his group right away.
Just another example of how STI is the leading global provider of innovative and cost-effective firestop solutions.
Let me hear you say it… “STI, STI, STI!”
Firestop Spotlight 