Commercial & Industrial Building Applications

Listed Commercial Firestopping Systems for Airdrie & Balzac Buildings

Every pipe, cable tray and duct that passes through a fire-rated wall or floor opens a path for fire and smoke. We seal those openings with mineral wool packing, intumescent sealants, collars and wraps installed exactly to a tested CAN/ULC-S115 listed system, then label and document each one for the inspector.

(825) 475-1869 How the job runs

Metal pipes and cable bundles passing through a concrete block wall, with the gaps packed and sealed with red firestop sealant.

The Problem It Solves

A fire separation only works as a whole. The architect designs a wall or floor to hold back fire for a set time, the drywall or concrete trade builds it to that design, and then the plumbers, electricians, sprinkler fitters and sheet metal trades cut holes through it. Each hole is a gap around a pipe or cable that smoke and hot gases can pass through in minutes, and in a finished building those holes are hidden above ceilings and behind access panels, exactly where no one looks until an inspection or a fire.

The failures are consistent. Holes are cut oversized and packed with whatever is on the truck. Canned expanding foam from the hardware store gets sprayed around a pipe through a two-hour wall. Plastic drain pipe passes through a floor with sealant but no collar, so in a fire the plastic melts away and leaves an open hole. Cables added years after occupancy go through old firestopping that is simply broken and never resealed. Tenant improvements in multi-bay buildings are especially prone to this, because each new tenant brings trades who rarely think about the demising wall above the T-bar ceiling.

The result is a deficiency list at inspection, a delayed occupancy, or a building that performs badly if fire does start. Owners and property managers also carry the problem forward: insurers and fire inspectors may ask for documentation, and an unlabelled penetration with the wrong material has to be cut out and redone.

How It Works

A firestop system is not a product; it is a tested combination. Laboratories build a specific wall or floor, pass a specific pipe or cable through it with a specific annular space, seal it with specific materials at specific depths, and expose it to fire under CAN/ULC-S115. The F rating records how long it stopped flame passing through; the FT rating adds a limit on temperature rise on the unexposed side. The listing that results describes exactly what was tested, and the installation on site has to match that description to carry the rating.

In practice that means mineral wool packed to a stated depth and compression, then intumescent or elastomeric sealant applied at a stated thickness; or a collar that crushes a melting plastic pipe closed; or a wrap strip around an insulated pipe; or putty pads behind electrical boxes in a rated wall. Intumescent materials swell into a char when heated, sealing the opening as other materials burn or melt away. Each location is labelled so the next trade and the next inspector know what system is there and not to disturb it.

At a Glance

Test standard: CAN/ULC-S115, fire tests of firestop systems, giving F and FT ratings
Code context: NBC 2020 Alberta Edition Part 3, Subsection 3.1.9 for firestops at penetrations of fire separations
Components: Mineral wool packing, intumescent or elastomeric sealants, wrap strips, collars for plastic pipe, putty pads
Common penetrants: Copper, steel and plastic pipe, insulated pipe, electrical cable and bundles, conduit, cable tray, ductwork
Joint systems: Head-of-wall, perimeter and floor-to-wall joints, matched to the movement the listing allows
Selection basis: Penetrating item, wall or floor construction, annular space and required rating, all matched to one listing
Documentation: Listing number at each location, identification labels, photographs and a firestop log for closeout

How the Job Runs, Step by Step

Identify rated assemblies and ratings

From the architectural drawings we confirm which walls and floors are fire separations and what rating each needs. Life safety plans and wall type schedules show it; if they do not, the question goes to the architect before work starts, not after. We do not decide what is rated.

Survey and log every penetration

Each opening is recorded by location, assembly type, penetrating item, pipe material and size, insulation and annular space. On an occupied building this survey often uncovers old penetrations with no firestopping, which are added to the log for the owner.

Match each condition to a listed system

Each logged condition is matched to a tested system from the manufacturer’s listings, and the system details are submitted to the general contractor and consultant for review. Where no tested system fits a condition, the manufacturer’s engineering judgement is requested, and its acceptance is up to the authority having jurisdiction.

Install exactly to the detail

Openings are cleaned and sized to the annular space the listing allows. Mineral wool is packed to depth, sealant is applied to the listed thickness and checked, collars and wraps are fastened as detailed. Materials from different manufacturers are not mixed within one system.

Label, photograph and hand over

Each installed system gets an identification label with the system number, and a photo before it is concealed. The firestop log, product data and listing details go to the general contractor or owner for closeout and for use when future trades need to penetrate the assembly.

What Decides the Specification

The penetrating item drives most choices. Metal pipe, which does not burn away, typically uses mineral wool and sealant. Plastic pipe needs an intumescent collar or wrap that closes the void as the pipe melts. Insulated pipe depends on whether the insulation is fibreglass or foam. Cable bundles and trays need systems rated for the cable fill. Ductwork through a rated assembly commonly involves a fire damper where the design calls for one, installed to its own listing as part of the mechanical work.

The assembly and the gap decide the rest. Concrete floors, concrete block and gypsum-board wall assemblies each have their own listings, and the allowed annular space, the minimum and maximum clearance around the item, is a strict condition. Joints at the head of wall need systems rated for building movement. Rating requirements come from the design; the listing chosen must meet or exceed the F or FT rating the assembly requires.

Alberta Code Notes

Under the National Building Code – 2020 Alberta Edition, fire separations and the firestopping of penetrations through them are addressed in Part 3, principally Subsection 3.1.9. Firestop systems are tested to CAN/ULC-S115, which gives F and FT ratings, and acceptance relies on installing to a listed system that matches the site condition. Part 9 houses have their own fire separation and fireblocking requirements; residential fireblocking in a house is a different thing from a listed commercial firestop system, and the two should not be treated as interchangeable.

Inspections are carried out by the authority having jurisdiction, which may be the City of Airdrie, Rocky View County in Balzac, or the City of Calgary. Some projects also have a consultant or third party reviewing firestopping. They decide what documentation they need; we provide the listing details and labels that make that review straightforward.

General guidance only. The authority having jurisdiction and the product’s own evaluation report decide what applies to your job.

Around Airdrie

The commercial buildings that need this work around Airdrie are mostly multi-tenant: strip retail, office and medical buildings, flex industrial bays in Balzac and Airdrie’s industrial areas, and the multi-family residential buildings going up in Airdrie’s newer communities, where fire separations between suites and at corridors are part of the design. Tenant fit-outs are where we see the most missing firestopping, because the separations between bays were built for the first tenant and every change since has added new cables and pipes through them.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using expanding foam: General-purpose canned foam is not a firestop. Only foam products that are part of a listed firestop system for that condition count.
Mixing manufacturers: Sealant from one maker with collars or packing from another is not a tested system, even if both products are fire-rated.
Ignoring the annular space: A hole cut too large for the listing cannot be fixed with extra sealant. It has to be reduced or reframed to fit a listed condition.
No labels or records: An unlabelled firestop gives the inspector no way to confirm the system, and future trades will not know to reseal after they cut through it.

When to Choose Something Else

If you own a house and are finishing a basement, commercial listed firestopping is not what you need; residential fireblocking and the garage-to-house separation are handled under Part 9 and your permit, and your inspector will tell you what they expect. If the wall rating itself is unknown or the assembly was never built as a rated separation, firestopping will not create a fire separation; an architect or code consultant needs to assess the assembly first. And for grease ducts, rated shaft enclosures or structural fire protection on steel, a specialist trade with those specific listed systems is the right call.

Often Done Alongside

Intumescent Thermal Barrier Coating

Paint-applied intumescent barrier over exposed foam, matched to that foam's listing.

Exterior Continuous Insulation (CI)

Rigid mineral wool and XPS boards outside the framing, behind rainscreen cladding.

Ductwork & HVAC Thermal Wrap

Duct wrap, liner and pipe insulation for sweating ducts and commercial HVAC.

Where We Do This Work

Firestopping: Questions We Get

What is the difference between firestopping and fireblocking?

Fireblocking in a house is material placed in concealed spaces such as stud cavities and soffits to slow fire spreading through hidden voids, and Part 9 describes acceptable materials. Commercial firestopping seals penetrations and joints in rated fire separations and must follow a specific tested and listed system. The first is a building practice; the second is a tested assembly with a rating.

Can existing penetrations be firestopped in an occupied building?

Yes. We survey the rated walls and floors, usually above ceilings and in service rooms, log each penetration, match listed systems and install during agreed hours so tenants keep operating. It often makes sense to do this before a tenant fit-out or an insurance or fire inspection, so the deficiencies are dealt with on your schedule.

What happens when there is no tested system for a penetration?

The firestop manufacturer can issue an engineering judgement based on similar tested systems. It is not a tested listing, so the authority having jurisdiction or the project consultant decides whether to accept it. Often a simpler solution is to modify the condition, such as reducing the hole size, so that an existing listed system applies.

How does an inspector check firestopping?

Inspectors typically compare installed penetrations against submitted listed system details, check labels and look for obvious defects such as missing sealant, wrong materials or oversized openings. Some reviews involve opening a sample to check packing depth and sealant thickness. Photographs taken before concealment and a complete log make the review faster and reduce disputes.

How do I know the work was done properly?

You should be able to see it. Blown attic insulation is installed to depth markers you can read from the hatch. Spray foam thickness is measured as it goes on, and the installer records the site conditions the installation standard asks for. Vapour barrier laps and electrical boxes are visible before drywall. Where the job suits it, before-and-after thermal images show the difference on a cold day.

Considering Firestopping?

Call Airdrie Insulation or send the details. We will look at the job, tell you whether firestopping is the right fix, and price it in writing.

(825) 475-1869 Send the Details