Part of construction is fire safety. Therefore, knowing the products that are best for preventing or stopping fires is important.
United Tool and Fastener (UTF) has partnered with STI Firestop to bring the construction industry the fire-prevention products and knowledge necessary to complete a job and make it the safest site possible.
UTF carries the STI Firestop brand of firestop products, which encompasses a line of products called EZ Path®.
What makes this line of firestop products different from others?
STI Firestop has been working with the construction industry for more than 25 years to create simple, yet effective solutions to complex firestopping problems that stop the spread of fire, smoke, and hot gases.
According to the STI Firestop website, only EZ-Path® is always compliant. EZ-Path® Rated Pathways are always compliant and exempt from ongoing maintenance requirements because EZ-Path® has no moving parts and requires no action to activate the internal sealing mechanism (thereby making it compliant right out of the box). In comparison, other devices and traditional sleeves require ongoing maintenance.
IFC and NFPA 101 Mandates
Both the International Fire Code® (IFC) and NFPA 101 Life Safety Code® mandate the inspection and maintenance of firestop systems. Any time a fire protection feature is added to a building, it must be continually maintained to ensure compliance with the International Fire Code® and NFPA 101 Life Safety Code® mandate. Furthermore, in structured cabling, continual moves and changes can destabilize fire and smoke barrier integrity, causing significant necessary remediation and maintenance, escalating costs.
According to STI Firestop, an Evaluation Service Report (ESR) was recently issued by UL for its EZ-Path® Fire-Rated Pathways confirming code compliance with the International Building Code® (IBC), International Fire Code® (IFC), and NFPA 101, “Life Safety Code®” (LSC). The report confirms that, when properly installed, the device does not require regular maintenance.
The STI Firestop website states, “The UL Evaluation Service Report (ESR) for EZ-Path® confirms the maintenance-free nature of the product by clearly stating, ‘The EZ-Path® Series 22, 33, and 44+ Fire-Rated Pathways do not require regular maintenance when properly installed. Each device remains maintenance-free following installation, aside from any necessary repairs due to damage or alteration to the device.’”
Time and money are saved using EZ-Path® Fire-Rated Pathways because maintenance is eliminated. EZ-Path® enables cables to be pulled remotely through multiple barriers, thus reducing trips above the drop ceiling.
Downstream costs are also eliminated for facility owners using EZ-Path® products because the continued need for maintenance is removed. Therefore, EZ-Path® products pay for themselves by removing maintenance costs.
To learn more about STI Firestop or any EZ-Path® products, call or visit one of our showrooms in Houston at 713-692-2323; in San Antonio at 210-495-8665; or in College Station at 979-731-8665.
