STARC Systems, a manufacturer of temporary modular wall containment solutions used for occupied renovations, says its one-hour fire-rated system, FireblockWall™, now offers a ceiling to create a fully fire-rated enclosure.
This will eliminate the hassle of building through the spaghetti in the ceiling or a soffit that extends to the deck during renovations in occupied healthcare environments.
In 2021, STARC introduced FireblockWall, the first modular reusable one-hour fire rated temporary containment system. Some of the benefits of FireblockWall include, it effectively stops fires, installs four times faster than drywall and has superior noise-blocking. These features solve some of the biggest challenges in temporary containment and FireblockWall has been well-received by the industry and state safety regulators.
Although FireblockWall alleviated some of the biggest temporary containment obstacles at launch, STARC continued to partner with customers and industry leaders to innovate in response to market feedback.
This approach has enabled the company to tackle a time-consuming and labor-intensive challenge for facility managers and contractors – the need to build through the ceiling, or create a soffit to the deck, in order to meet building requirements. Additionally, alternative HVAC, sprinklers, alarms, signage and the like often have to be installed behind the fire barrier. Over the past 12 months, STARC developed the FireblockCap to negate these issues.
“FireblockCap is a game-changer in the fire protection world of NFPA 101, enabling full compliance to building and fire codes to create a one-hour rated assembly quickly and very cost effectively, without the disruption of traditional construction activities,” said Bruce Bickford, vice president of product development at STARC Systems.
“Projects will be able to phase much more quickly with this new capability, while meeting the new ICRA 2.0 standards to the letter.”
- Stops fires, keeping patients, staff, and visitors safe in healthcare environments.
- Simple and fast installation, a 12 ft run of FireblockWall panels with the FireblockCap can be set up in as little as two hours with only two people.
- Meets NFPA 101 or IBC code, a fire-rated wall must be constructed from the floor to the deck above. FireblockCap meets this requirement and can be constructed on any FireblockWall panel or extension, therefore fitting under an 8 ft ceiling (96″ minimum). The panels are 2″ thick and create an assembly 2 ft deep from the wall. This allows a 20″ deep space behind FireblockWallTM, and preserves the requirement for a 6 ft passage in an 8 ft corridor.
- Meets ICRA Class IV & V standards (infection control), exceeds ASTM E119 and ASTM E84 requirements.
- Superior noise-blocking, with an STC rating of 40, this is 65% quieter than any other temporary containment system.
- Cost effective, the panels and FireblockCap are durable and can be used job after job, it typically pays for itself after just 3-5 uses and generates on-going cost savings.
- Lower carbon footprint, the sleek, reusable walls and FireblockCap save on the waste and debris normally created by building and tearing down drywall.
- Easy air management, includes a negative air panel to discharge air, keeping dangerous dust off the ground, and automatically closes the damper when temperatures exceed 165 degrees. Also includes an air monitor panel that’s compatible with all common manometers and has a 2″ rated pass through for wiring.
Two other common scenarios that the FireblockCap can be used for include: protecting a wall that has been partially penetrated to preserve the desired rating of the wall during renovation, and using the FireblockCap to simplify door replacement projects. It’s easy to include the FireblockCap and create a temporary fire-rated door outside an existing door frame.
To learn more visit www.starcsystems.com.
