Be Prepared for the Building Official or Fire Marshal
The safety codes require periodic testing of fire & smoke dampers. The fire marshal or building official may demand the record required by NFPA 80 (fire) & NFPA 105 (smoke) when inspecting a building.
Chapter 7: Containment Dampers - International Building Code (IBC) and International Fire Code (IFC) require:
- Commissioning and testing at the end of the first year of occupancy
- Required testing every four years (except in hospitals which is every six years)
Chapter 9: Smoke Control System Dampers – IFC requires:
- Dedicated systems are tested at commissioning and then semi-annually
- Non-dedicated systems at commissioning and then annually
The building owner is responsible for keeping a log or other record of periodic testing and any corrective actions taken regarding your fire and smoke dampers.
Types of Fire and Smoke Dampers and Required Testing
Code Compliance
Ensure your building is up-to-code; there are over 100,000 fires in commercial buildings every year. An average of 100 people die, and $3 billion in direct property damage occurs. Replacement fire and smoke damper actuators from Belimo are used on smoke and combination dampers from Siebe, Honeywell, Siemens, MultiProducts, and many other manufacturers. The damper actuators meet all codes for commercial buildings in the U.S., pass UL 555 & UL 555S at 350ºF, and are tested for 30,000 open-closed cycles with approved dampers, exceeding the UL requirement.
Free Online Learning of Life Safety Codes and Standards that Govern Fire Dampers
Free Online Learning of Life Safety Codes and Standards that Govern Fire Dampers
Although life safety codes govern actuated dampers' testing, repair, and replacement, deferred maintenance is a chronic problem. Many defective life safety dampers remain in the system, inoperable, without knowledge of failures or dampers fastened open. As buildings age and systems degrade, more fires will occur. The number one failure point on old dampers is the actuator.
Take this free online training and learn:
- The codes and standards that govern damper actuators
- Common types of dampers
- Replacement processes and additional information on retrofit solutions
This training takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. You can test your knowledge throughout the training and take a quiz at the end.
