Fire and smoke barriers in buildings are there to protect building occupants, staff, and first responders when called upon for horizontal evacuations or defend-in-place strategies behind fire- or smoke-resistant barriers. In order for these fire and smoke barriers to function as designed and intended, including firestopping, fire dampers, fire-rated glazing, and fire doors, they need to be continuous, intact, and maintained as a critical piece of effective compartmentation.
Hosted around North America by ASHE Regions and Chapters, APPA Chapters, and ICC Chapters, the programs feature technical education from industry experts on the various elements of Barrier Management. This empowers Facility Management staff to make and implement changes which reduce Survey violations and improve installed fire- and life-safety systems in their facilities.