WHEN:
Tuesday April 16, 2019
starting at 5:00PM
in the fire lab
WHERE:
WPI Gateway Park
50 Prescott Street
Worcester, MA 01609
COST:
Free
Pizza and drinks provided
Spray Fire-Resistant Materials (SFRM) and Intumescent Fire-Resistant Materials (IFRM) are common ways to move a building’s Construction Type from unprotected to protected classification. If you’re an architect or a contractor, you’ve probably been involved on a project where spray fireproofing has been used in some capacity. But what do you really know about its proper design and application? How much do you call for to achieve the rating you need? When is it best to apply it on site? What’s a proper installation supposed to look like, and how will an improper installation affect the performance of the system? Well this month we’ve got answers to questions like that and more, from a couple experts in the field.
This month’s program will be held at WPI’s Fire Protection Engineering building at the Gateway Park Campus, home to one of the premiere FPE programs in the nation. The building includes a unique “fire lab” where construction materials and other assemblies can be burned to determine combustibility, evaluate smoke evacuation designs, and where the behavior of fire can be controlled and studied. We’ll be live-demonstrating the performance of SFRM by burning mock-ups in the lab to illustrate proper performance and
show how installation defects and jobsite damage can compromise the fire rating.
Bill McHugh has been Executive Director of the National Fireproofing Contractors Association for the past 5 years, in the fire-resistance discipline for 20 years and in the construction industry 38 years. He participates in the Code Development processes at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), International Code Council (ICC), State of Illinois and City of Chicago. He has served on the ICC’s ‘Fire Safety’ Code Development Committee, serves on the Fire Protection Features Committee at NFPA, and is a past member of the International Accreditation Services (IAS) Board of Directors. He is also a past Institute Director, Northern Illinois Chapter President and North Central Region President at CSI, the Construction Specifications Institute. Bill can be reached at bill@nfca-online.org.
Ray Ranellone, WPI’s FPE Laboratory Director will provide the demonstration of the fire lab and its capabilities and discuss how lab testing can be a method to explore the code-compliance of deviations from listed assemblies. In addition to being the lab director, Ray is an active firefighter/EMT in Brookfield, and a former research engineer and assistant with a Master’s Degree in Fire Protection Engineering and Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
The program is approved by the AIA for 1 HSW continuing education credit. After participating in this program, attendees will be able to:
1. Understand code requirements and test standards for SFRM/IFRM Fire-Resistance, and common UL Listed Assemblies.
2. Be familiar with the process for lab testing listed SFRM assemblies and also deviations from listed assemblies – and their effects on the fire-resistance.
3. Properly specify the ‘Special Inspection’, QC/QA requirements for SFRM installation, to deliver a code-compliant system.
4. Be able to understand on-site inspection of applied SFRM materials.
There’s not a professional among us who can’t stand to learn something through the April program. So come join Worcester CSI for as much knowledge and pizza as you can stomach! Register at neregcsi@gmail.com.
The mission of CSI is to advance building information management and education of project teams to improve facility performance.
CSI offers various categories of membership … Professional for persons active in the construction industry, Emerging Professional for those new to the industry, Retired, Emeritus and Student.
Our broad and unique diversification of the chapter members offers opportunities for education, communication and networking with a focus on local issues.