The healthcare construction industry has many specific rules and strict regulations to follow. Firestopping is a crucial component you must not only install correctly, but actively maintain for compliance.
In this post, we’ll cover some basics about firestopping, examine why it’s so crucial for healthcare facility construction, and discuss how digital-based solutions can help.
What is firestopping in construction?
Firestopping is a passive fire protection system used to seal openings in fire-resistance-rated wall and floor assemblies. It includes sealing areas around electrical conduit, plumbing pipes, or ductwork to prevent fire from spreading to other areas.
When it comes to differentiating firestopping vs. fireproofing, these two practices serve distinct yet complementary roles in ensuring effective fire protection:
- Fireproofing focuses on the structural aspect — the application of materials to structural components to prevent their failure during a fire. This ensures that the building’s integrity is maintained, allowing more time for evacuation and emergency response.
- Firestopping addresses the fire containment aspect by sealing gaps to restrict the spread of fire and smoke, protecting both patients and staff.
Together, these practices are integral to the planning and execution of comprehensive fire protection measures.
Why firestopping is essential for healthcare facilities
Firestopping plays an incredibly vital role in healthcare facility construction for these key reasons:
- Safety — Slowing the spread of fire and smoke buys more time for evacuation in case of emergencies.
- Operational continuity — Firestopping helps minimize damage and reduce downtime in the event of a fire incident, which is essential for maintaining operational continuity.
- Compliance with regulations — Healthcare facilities must be compliant to avoid losing Medicaid/CMS accreditation and funding. Loss of accreditation can include potential facility closure or lawsuits, plus reputational damage.
Each of these reasons additionally carries a financial impact. Healthcare facilities can achieve significant cost savings by preventing extensive damage, ensuring compliance with regulations, and protecting against potential financial losses associated with non-compliance and operational disruptions.
How technology can help with firestopping
Adapting digital-based solutions can help construction teams comply with building codes for healthcare facilities, including better fire safety planning, installation, and maintenance. Digital solutions that can help include:
- Cloud-based platforms
Cloud-based platforms transform the way construction teams collaborate by ensuring that all firestopping components are systematically archived and digitally mapped to the facility’s floor plan. This allows every team member to access, review, and update information in near real-time, reducing the likelihood of oversight during the project lifecycle.
- Cloud-based platforms
- Building information modeling (BIM)
Building information modeling revolutionizes fire safety by enabling the identification of potential fire risks during the initial planning stages. Once the building is occupied, it can also serve as a reference point for ongoing maintenance and safety audits, highlighting where firestopping measures are installed.
- Building information modeling (BIM)
- Artificial intelligence (AI) analysis solutions
AI-based analysis solutions can significantly reduce the time, budget, and resources traditionally required to identify and rectify unsealed gaps, keeping construction projects on schedule and within budget.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) analysis solutions
For example, Multivista’s Firestopping solution is trained to analyze 2D or 360-degree images to detect thousands of above-ceiling unsealed penetration types with over 95% accuracy. Post-analysis, the solution generates a punch list for the contractor team to streamline the process of finding and correcting potential issues.
Conclusion
Firestopping is a vital part of healthcare construction for ensuring patient safety, operational continuity, and regulatory compliance. It doesn’t just protect the lives of patients and staff — it also safeguards the financial and operational continuity of the healthcare facility.
Regularly updating your knowledge on the ever-changing healthcare building codes and firestopping regulations, investing in effective building materials and maintenance training, and using digital technology can streamline facility operations and help ensure safety compliance, including firestopping measures, to the fullest.
