Whitepaper shows hospitals how to investigate and resolve fire wall breaches

An award-winning program that rapidly identified and resolved fire and life safety deficiencies during construction and renovation projects at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is detailed in a new whitepaper from EH&E, a leading provider of environmental and engineering consulting services.

Construction, renovation, maintenance and tele/data upgrades are a constant in hospitals across the US. The complexity of these projects and the pace of the schedule can lead to unexpected compromises in fire barrier integrity. To address this broadly recognized challenge, BWH partnered with EH&E to develop a new approach to fire stopping and life safety management.

The resulting program set a “new benchmark” and established “a model of best practices” — winning the 2014 IFMA (International Facility Management Association) Boston Excellence Award for Best Practices in Sustainability. It is now detailed in the new whitepaper, “Ensuring Fire Barrier Integrity for Patients, Staff and First Responders: Continuous Compliance Through Information Management” — presenting each step of the program in case study format.

Topics include: Root Cause Investigation of Fire Barrier Integrity Challenges, Financial Modeling of Fire Barrier Deficiencies, Implementation of an Information Management Solution and Results, and Successful Implementation of Construction Life Safety Information Management (C-LIM) Process.

Download the paper here.

The National Glass Association (NGA) is pleased to announce the publication of a new technical resource, Fire-Rated Glazing 101. This five-page document addresses how to incorporate fire-rated glazing systems in a manner that not only provides protection to building occupants from fire, but also considers other design goals, such as daylight, privacy and security.

Fire safety considerations for cantilevered buildings, One Central Park, Lilker

Fire safety considerations for cantilevered buildings [AIA course]

Bold cantilevered designs are prevalent today, as developers and architects strive to maximize space, views, and natural light in buildings. Cantilevered structures, however, present a host of challenges for building teams, according to José R. Rivera, PE, Associate Principal and Director of Plumbing and Fire Protection with Lilker.

Fire and Life Safety | Jan 9, 2023

Why lithium-ion batteries pose fire safety concerns for buildings

Lithium-ion batteries have become the dominant technology in phones, laptops, scooters, electric bikes, electric vehicles, and large-scale battery energy storage facilities. Here’s what you need to know about the fire safety concerns they pose for building owners and occupants.

Codes and Standards | Dec 29, 2022

New York City multifamily owners concerned over fires caused by e-bikes

In 2022, there have been nearly 200 fires and six deaths in New York City caused by lithium-ion batteries used in mobility devices such as electric bikes and scooters.

Flood protection: What building owners need to know to protect their properties

This course from Walter P Moore examines numerous flood protection approaches and building owner needs before delving into the flood protection process. Determining the flood resilience of a property can provide a good understanding of risk associated costs.