Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1081695
56 I ICT TODAY A Firestopping Primer for Today's Buildings If fire safety in the built environment were a football team, the sprinkler system might be considered the quarterback, and the passive fire protection features, such as fire-rated barriers, firestopping, doors, and dampers, would be analogous to the offensive line quietly doing its work in the background. The offensive line is essential! A team with a bad offensive line cannot win a championship even with a star quarterback. Fire sprinklers are highly identifiable safety features in any building. Often overlooked, however, are the fire-rated floors and walls that work in combination with the sprinkler system to provide life safety and property protection. Building and safety codes prescribe the use of both active (e.g., sprinklers) and passive (e.g., fire-rated barriers, firestopping) fire protection systems. Such redundancy is sometimes referred to as safety-layering. Should one system fail, there is an added level of safety. It is much like seat belts and air bags in vehicles; both are vital in a catastrophic event. By Justin Pine, RCDD