
Firestops are areas in your home within a rated firewall that can be filled with a material to stop the spread of fire quickly. Basically, if there is a fire, these will contain it or reduce the damage. Because there are occasional openings within a firewall to let pipes, cables or anything else through we look for firestops to fill in these openings.
As we conduct an inspection it's vital we catch any areas where firestops could potentially be missing or found unsuitable. Sometimes, a firestop can be just missing completely in a firewall, and this would greatly reduce the effectiveness of a firewall in stopping and containing a fire.
Another red flag that could be raised when thinking of firestops is if there has been any work done on cables or pipes within a or around a firewall and the firestops, in this case, the plumber or electrician may have removed some of the material without filling the area that was removed. If this is the case in your home, please let us know before conducting the inspection. It is also wise for us to inspect the effectiveness of these firestops to make sure they are suitable and effective.
Firestops are one of the important steps to ensuring fire-prevention in our home.