Fire Stopping Penetrations

The correct application of fire stopping prevents unprotected horizontal and vertical penetrations in a fire rated wall or floor assembly from creating a route by which fire and smoke can spread - that would otherwise have been fire resisting construction, e.g. where a pipe passes through a firewall or a structural floor.

Fire stopping is also to seal around gaps between fire resisting constructions - the linear gap between a wall and the floor above, in order for construction to form a complete barrier to fire and smoke spread.

It should be noted that firestop materials are not rated per se. They receive a fire rating by combining materials in an arrangement specific to the item (a pipe or cable, for example) penetrating the fire rated wall or floor and the construction arrangement of the fire-rated wall or floor.

Fire stopping is typically used in the following instances:

• Electrical, mechanical, and structural penetrations (cable trays, conduit, pipes, wires, ducting etc…).
• Unpenetrated openings (potential openings created for intended future use).
• Re-entries of existing firestops (removal and replacement of defective service materials).
• Control or sway joints in fire rated wall and floor assemblies.
• Junctions between fire rated wall and floor assemblies.
• Head of wall (HOW) joints, where non-load-bearing wall assemblies meet floor assemblies.