Why barriers fail

Rated walls are built right and then opened up for years. IT pulls new cable. Plumbers reroute pipe. HVAC crews add duct. Each trade cuts a hole above the ceiling, and few of them seal it with a listed system. The tile goes back, and the hole stays hidden until a surveyor lifts it.

What we look for

• Open penetrations from cable, conduit, pipe and duct

• Firestop that is cracked, missing, or not a listed system

• Unsealed joints at the top of walls and between floors

• Damaged or missing gypsum, and walls that stop at the ceiling instead of the deck

• Missing barrier labels ("Fire and smoke barrier, protect all openings")

What the code requires

NFPA 101 Section 8.3 requires fire barriers to keep their rating, including every opening and penetration. IBC 714 requires penetrations in rated walls and floors to be sealed with tested systems. IFC 703 requires owners to maintain rated construction once the building is occupied. In healthcare, CMS cites smoke barrier breaches under K372, and The Joint Commission scores barrier findings under PE.03.01.01.

How the survey works

1. Start with your drawings. We use your life safety drawings to find every rated barrier and split the building into zones.

2. Open the ceiling. We lift tiles along each barrier and look at both sides where we can.

3. Photograph and locate. Every finding is photographed and marked on your drawings.

4. Fix or price. Small breaches are sealed as we go. The rest are priced line by line.

Two ways to run the survey

• Full survey. Every rated barrier, every floor. You get a complete inventory.

• Risk-first survey. We survey everything, then fix the barriers your surveyor is most likely to check first: smoke compartments, exits and hazardous rooms. The rest goes into a phased plan.

Fixed on the spot

On most surveys, our techs seal small penetrations as they find them with listed systems and photograph each one. Larger work gets priced line by line and handed to our firestopping installation and repair crew.

What you get

A barrier-by-barrier report with photos, locations on your life safety drawings, the fix for each finding and its price.

Our firestop and above-ceiling inspection guide explains how breaches happen and how to find them. We run these surveys for hospital fire barrier compliance and for surgery centers and medical offices. Found holes above the ceiling? Get a firestop inspection quote.