Newsletter March
4, 2005
Highlights
- FCIA Education and Committee Action Conference
- Committees
- FCIA at ICC International Building Code Hearings
FCIA Education and Committee Action Conference welcomes
IFC Members - FCIA's Education and Committee Action Conference
returns to the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, NV, April 26
- 29, 2005. The conference, "Effective Compartmentation
& Firestopping Leadership", brings the industry together
through active participation from both FCIA Contractors/Manufacturers,
and the International Firestop Council (IFC) as well.
Some FCIA and IFC Committees are meeting jointly to jumpstart
our efforts as an industry. Join the seminars on Effective
Compartmentation, Legal Issues in Firestopping and Specifications,
UL's "W" & "L" Rating Practical Implications,
and an update on the "Firestopping Quality Process",
Tested & Listed Systems, FM 4991 Contractors, ASTM E 2174
Inspection, Maintained by FCIA Member Contractors. FCIA Member
Manufacturer updates will add value to your business through
industry strategy and product presentations by leaders in
our industry. Plus, the Committee Meetings will have the magic
of FCIA and IFC wrapped all over.
FCIA at MGM Grand Hotel - FCIA returns to the 1999
site, the MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. Hotel Room Rates
per night are: $119 -Tuesday, Wednesday, $149-Thursday, $209
per night-Friday. Reservations - Call 800-929-1111 and identify
that you're with the Firestop Contractors International Association
or “fci006”. Reservations must be made by March
30, 2005 to get the group rate. For Air Travel, call CTMG
- 800.323.3800 - (Diane) FCIA's Travel Partner.
Best ground Transportation is local taxi. And, you will want
to fly out late Friday as our FCIA Golf Tournament for the
Traveling "Firestop Bulk Gun" Trophy kicks off at
the Revere Golf Club, Concord Course.
For Registration info, visit the events
pages. The Preliminary Agenda, Hotel, Golf, FAXBACK Form
and other information are all online. Check out
FCIA MGM Hotel Room Rate Gambling - FCIA has discovered
that there may be internet specials online at MGMGRAND.com
for less than the FCIA Room Block Negotiated prices. When
reserving your room at MGM, check the internet rates first
and ‘play their game' before booking'. FCIA will not
lose anything in attrition penalties if you stay at MGM and
work the MGM internet system for the best price. HINT:Current
(03.04.05) MGM internet rate is $109 for a stay from April
25 - 29, at www.mgmgrand.com . Give it a try.
Hotels and Associations have had this problem as hotel occupancy
rates dropped after 9/11. Room rate fluctuations after association
contract signing for Hotel and Meeting Rooms, Food & Beverage
for Conferences has been a huge problem in the association
industry. Rates can fluctuate higher or lower, depending on
demand, like the airlines pricing schemes. FCIA is lobbying
with Association Forum and ASAE to solve this important industry
problem.
FCIA Committees - FCIA's Committee Pages at https://www.fcia.org
were updated in January by FCIA Committee Chairs. The Committees
play a vital role in how our industry is heard on the outside
world with Architects, Engineers, Code Officials and Fire
Marshals, Building Owners and Managers. Do you want to give
something back to the industry? What about some national exposure?
All it takes is everyone contributing "a little bit",
for our FCIA Members to be recognized as "The Specialty
Firestop Contractor Trade". Look over the committee profiles
on the website. Watch for Committee Agendas, and join in!
Call the chair, and ask what you can do in advance to help,
or lead a committee. Questions, call Bob LeClair (781) 828-9760
or Bill McHugh (630) 690-0682.
FCIA Welcomes New Members - FCIA's Contractor Membership
continues to grow. FCIA welcomes Voting Contractor Members
Building Specialties, Inc., Houston, TX, Ruud Palmer, Inc.,
Amarillo, TX, WW Nash Construction Services, Inc., Richmond,
VA, Lloyd N. Moreau, LLC, Pineville, LA, Associate Members
Turnair Systems, S.J. Hoffman Consulting, Inc. Check them
out on https://www.fcia.org , Member Lists, then and welcome
these firms and people to FCIA.
FCIA Membership Renewal - Thanks to the many FCIA
Members who have renewed their memberships in 2005. Our membership
renewal rate is about 70% to date, ahead of last year's pace.
Plus, we've added 6 new members in the first two months. Remember,
only paid members remain listed on the FCIA Website. With
visits from over 7000 / month looking for Firestopping Contractors
and Manufacturers, you won't want to be left out.
FCIA at ICC Committee Hearings - FCIA Testified with
FCIA Code Consultant, Bill Koffel, Koffel Associates, IFC
and other industry leaders and consultants at the ICC International
Building Code Committee Hearings in Cincinnati, OH from Feb.
23 - 27, 2005. The decisions made by the committee are next
published for public commentary. Then, FINAL ACTION Hearings
where voting members of the ICC ballot, (by show of hands
or standing) occur September 25 - October 2, 2005. Nothing
becomes a code requirement until the Voting Membership takes
FINAL ACTION on the proposals. The resulting changes are published
in the 2006 International Family of Codes. There were several
positive accomplishments for Fire and Life Safety through
Firestopping at the committee hearings. Here's a brief summary.
- "L" - Air Leakage Ratings - Following
FCIA's try 2 years ago, Richard Licht's (IFC) code change
asking for "L" Rating of <5cfm/sf opening area
in smoke barriers passed the committee vote.
- ASTM E 2174 Inspection - Also following FCIA's
move for this a few years ago, IFC's proposal was not successful
at adding a code requirement for ASTM E 2174 Inspection.
Cost to implement was cited as a reason. FCIA believes that
the Quality Process is tested and listed systems, quality
firestopping installation, inspected and maintained. Since
specifications already call for qualified firestopping contractors,
inspected to ASTM E 2174, the cost is built in. It's a 'pay
me now, pay me later' situation, where inspection costs
can increase significantly with inexperienced installation
firms.
- "T" Ratings - Achieving equal "F"
and "T" Ratings has been a 'hot issue' in our
industry. HILTI's code change for limiting “T”
Rating requirements to where penetrating items come in contact
with non-combustibles on the cold side of the assembly was
accepted by the committee. There’s still an exception
when using grout full thickness of the assembly around the
penetrating item, where no “T” Rating is required.
- ASME/ANSI - Standard for Plumbing Installers for
Firestopping - FCIA Code Consultant Bill Koffel led FCIA,
IFC, 3M, Minnesota Building Officials, National Roofing
Contractors Association, and others in supporting FCIA's
objections to this standard that required 4 years plumbing
experience to install firestopping around plumbing pipe
penetrations. The standard, although ANSI Approved, promotes
one trade in code and does not recognize the true driver
of Fire and Life Safety....the Specialty Firestop Contractor
Firm who is qualified to educate employees, has insurance,
has trained personnel and accepts the business risk for
the firestopping performed by the Firm on the project.
- Other Code Proposals - The Committees accepted
the addition of both ASTM E 119 and ASTM E 2307 for Perimeter
Fire Protection Systems, UL 2221 and ASTM E2336 for Grease
Ducts, and the use of firestop systems products in less
than one hour rated assemblies. This protects those 1/2
hour assemblies that are now part of codes in certain occupancies.
For Effective Compartementation to work, Firestopping must
be part of the fire resistance rated assembly regardless
of whether the rating is 4 hours or 15 minutes. FCIA Code
Consultant Bill Koffel led FCIA, IFC and others, as we were
also able to keep the floor fire rating 'continuous' as
required by current codes. The committee did not accept
a program to add labeling requirements for fire resistance
rated assemblies at this time. Code proposals for more compartmentation
and structural protection through reinsertion of Height
and Area Tables from the UBC Codes were not accepted by
committees.
Remember, that each of these proposals voted by the committees
last week is just that, a proposal. It's not part of code
until the full ICC Membership votes in Detroit this September.
Look for FCIA to be active at the next round of hearings to
work on behalf of fire and life safety.
Bill McHugh, FCIA Executive Director
FCIA Firestop Industry Conference & Trade Show - November
9 - 11, 2005 ~ San Diego, CA
©Copyright FCIA 3/4/05 - Permission is hereby granted
to forward, print, circulate, quote with credit to FCIA.
FCIA is a non profit organization of Firestop Contractors,
Contractor Branch Offices, Manufacturers and Associate Members
interested in furthering life safety through the Professional
Specialty Firestop Contractor Concept.
For more information, contact the
FCIA Office
Bill McHugh, Executive Director
1257 Golf Circle
Wheaton, IL 60187
630.690.0682 Phone
630.690.2871 FAX
Email: info@fcia.org
Website: www.fcia.org
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