Fire Life Safety Impact to the Forefront
In January 2022, New York City faced one of the deadliest fires it had seen in decades. Nineteen people were tragically killed in a high-rise apartment building — not from the heat of the fire itself, but primarily due to smoke inhalation that traveled up multiple floors because of a stairwell door that was propped open.
This heartbreaking loss of life is preventable with proper building, maintenance and regular inspections of fire life safety (FLS) systems installed by HVAC mechanical contractors and tested, adjusted and balanced by Testing Adjusting and Balancing (TAB) professionals.
To ensure projects can obtain a certificate of occupancy, new buildings and tenant improvement projects are built in accordance with local code requirements, and are tested, adjusted and balanced to meet required airflows, pressurization differentials and door force opening requirements. Too often, however, they’re not recertified as required by the current codes to ensure the fire life safety systems are still functioning as originally certified. When doors and fire smoke dampers don’t function as originally designed and certified, smoke can travel rapidly throughout the building and safe exits are prevented due to the system not functioning as originally intended.
Our industry is working to make a difference to educate fire departments, municipalities, unions and contractors on the critical need to reinspect and certify buildings as required by current codes to ensure the proper operation of the fire life safety systems.
To that end, a portable training unit (funded and built by the Western States Council and other industry experts) is being used to demonstrate how a vestibule and stairwell should protect building occupants in the event of a fire. This training unit is utilized to educate fire inspectors, authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), contractors and other stakeholders on how the systems are required to work and the importance of re-certifying the mechanism. Leaders from the National Energy Management Institute (NEMI), CAL SMACNA, National Air Balance (NABCO) and the Western States Council (SMART) are bringing the visualization and impact of FLS to the forefront. Demonstrations started in Fresno and have since taken place in L.A. and Sacramento.Duane Davies, CEO/Chairman of NABCO called this “a great collaboration between the sheet metal workers union and SMACNA.”
The exhibitions presented by Chris Ruch of NEMI, Dion Abril of Western States, Chris Walker of CAL SMANCA, Local 104, Duane Davies and many other dedicated professionals have proven illuminating to participants. Their investment of time and materials reinforces the need for the skilled and trained workforce of Local 104 and other union sheet metal/TAB professionals to do the exacting work to save lives and ensure all existing buildings continue to meet the code requirements in the FLS arena.
Contractors are encouraged to learn more about this expanding business opportunity leveraging Local 104’s trained and certified FLS technicians. When contractors advocate the importance of FLS recertification compliance with owners, GCs and engineers, our industry — and more importantly, our coworkers, families, friends and the public — all are have the comfort of knowing they’re in a safe environment.
A Fire Life Safety demonstration for contractors and other key stakeholders will be scheduled for April 13, 2022 at the Local 104 Main Office in Livermore.