ASFP expands guidance documents range with Advisory Notes 27, 28 and 29

The new Advisory Notes 27, 28 and 29 offer advice on particular issues of concern to the industry. Advisory Note 27, for example, delivers key advice on the structural fire protection of steel beams with corrugated webs.

Recently introduced to the market, these fabricated sections offer a thinner steel plate than can be used in traditional webs. While this saves on weight and cost, the fire-resisting performance of these sections is not fully understood. The Advisory Note warns against the use of plain section data in support of a corrugated web section without extra testing.

Advisory Note 28 covers the firestopping of metal pipes where flanges are located close to service penetration seals. It encourages earlier involvement of passive fire protection specialists to prevent the construction of untested service penetration arrangements, particularly so in the presence of flanges within the secondary insulation zone (typically within 500 mm of the wall).

Arrangements of flanges can be covered within the scope of BS EN 1366-3: Fire Resistance Tests for Service Installations – Penetration Seals, although this isn’t commonplace. For the avoidance of issues with certification and installation, it’s simplest to keep the flanges more than 500 mm away from the wall. Such detail isn’t always considered during the spatial co-ordination of services.

The final new publication, Advisory Note 29 covers planned maintenance. This draws upon advice from within the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, BS 9999: Code of Practice for Fire Safety in the Design, Management and Use of Buildings and BS 8524: Active Fire Curtain Barrier Assemblies to ensure that a competent person conducts such maintenance.

Updated Advisory Notes

Meanwhile, Advisory Note 21 has been updated. This covers coatback to secondary structural steel. It highlights that this can prevent conduction of heat into a primary structural member and its consequent early failure. As new evidence becomes available, it’s likely that this document will be updated once again.

Technical Guidance Documents 15 and 20 have also been revised. Technical Guidance Document 15 provides advice on the installation and inspection of spray-applied passive fire protection. The document has been updated to align the film thickness measurement criteria for these materials to ASTM E805. The document has also been updated to take the implications of Brexit into account and the consequent changes to the UK Construction Products Regulation.

Changes to the latter combined with the introduction of the UKCA mark also prompted the revision of Technical Guidance Document 20, which covers the CE marking of fire-resisting and smoke control duct sections.

All of the above documents are available for download from the publications area of the ASFP’s website at www.asfp.org.uk

ASFP Pavilion returns to FIREX International

The ASFP is hosting the ASFP Pavilion on Stand FI1224 at FIREX International, with the show running at London’s ExCeL from Tuesday 17 until Thursday 19 May.

Featuring a Learning Zone, the ASFP Pavilion aims to help visitors gain a greater understanding of the essential role of passive fire protection within today’s built environment. The ASFP is showcasing its range of training courses, guidance documents and membership services and offering advice for practitioners including designers, specifiers and contractors through to building owners, risk assessors and facilities managers.

The ASFP Pavilion also brings together in one location a number of ASFP member companies, representing a cross-section of the passive fire protection sector. Sector experts are on hand to answer all passive fire protection queries, discuss the latest regulatory requirements and explain how the ASFP’s training courses can help today’s professionals demonstrate competency.

As an organisation, the ASFP offers a range of courses, enabling learners to study towards attainment of the Institution of Fire Engineers’ Level 2 and Level 3 certificates in passive fire protection.

The Learning Zone is the location for the Passive Fire Protection Conference, which features expert speakers discussing key issues of concern. Conference is free to attend for anyone visiting FIREX International, with the sessions accredited for Continuing Professional Development.

*Visit the website at www.asfp.org.uk to access full programme details for the ASFP’s Passive Fire Protection Conference and also to register for attendance at FIREX International 2022