Fire Stopping


Print Fire-Stopping Insulation information sheet.

Life-Preserving Insulation



The Insulation Professionals of Ohio provide customers with peace of mind by expertly crafting and properly installing the most modern fire-protection technology available - that is why we are strong proponents of enforcing building codes that greatly reflect fire-stopping capabilities realized with proper insulation.



Industry wide, the Insulation Professionals of Ohio is at the forefront of an increased focus on the importance of properly installing firestopping insulation materials through standardized and proper design, installation, inspection and maintenance.



The Importance of Firestopping Examined



At its core, firestopping is part of effective compartmentation: "boxes" built within a building or other structure to keep fire from spreading from the room of origin to other parts of the building or other structure.



Compartmentation is complete when doors, hardware and glass are fire and smoke resistance-rated; penetrations, head-of-wall and perimeter and expansion joints are sealed with firestopping; and ductwork has fire, smoke, or fire-smoke dampers installed in walls.



Most importantly, compartmentation protects people who cannot move quickly, or at all, in buildings.



A True Disaster: The Station Night Club Fire



In February 2003, a fire broke out at the Station Night Club in West Warwick, Rhode Island. One hundred people died — most from fire injury, smoke inhalation, or being trampled. Many news stories at the time reported that the acoustical insulation caught fire from the band's pyrotechnics, and the fire spread so quickly that people did not have time to escape. The subsequent investigation revealed that the soundproofing consisted of exposed foam insulation containing no flame retardants. Was this simply a case of some construction manager not reading the fine print on a box of foam insulation? Why did this happen when there are codes and standards to address this sort of thing? While results of a laboratory test may not match events in a real-world setting, if the soundproofing insulation at the Station Night Club had met the building code requirements, the fire likely would have spread more slowly or not at all, giving music fans time to escape.



From "Fire Safety and Thermal Insulation: Sorting Out the Details" National Insulation Association (NIA)

Insulation Professionals of Ohio

A professional coalition of the region's finest heat and frost insulation contractors and their highly skilled workforce - specializing in INDUSTRIAL, COMMERCIAL and RESIDENTIAL insulation.