Passive Fire Protection and Tenmat.

Collage showing fire protection systems with the text: The Evolution of Passive Fire Protection.

Explore how Tenmat’s Advanced Intumescent Solutions and Materials have shaped the future of passive fire protection in modern-day construction.

As of 2024, the United States is home to 19,479 cities, towns, and villages – each containing an even greater number of communities. Now, each community can contain a multitude of different structures. Some contain bustling shopping malls, others are developing new multi-family complexes, certain ones include a wide range of various healthcare centers, and a number of them hold all the above and more.

Not one community is the exact same. But every community wants to protect the people and property within theirs. Therefore, whenever a community is getting a “face lift” or expanding internally or externally, life safety is the No.1 priority of the growing community.

To uphold this priority, communities need to prepare its redeveloping or new-construction buildings to withstand all potential disasters – especially the unexcepted ones.

The Beginning of Passive Fire Protection

Fire outbreaks have always been known to negatively impacted communities, especially when it comes to protecting properties and the lives within them. Over hundreds of years, countless safety measures have been put into place to fight off the potential damage of fires. From fire extinguishers to automated sprinkler systems, building code officials, construction professionals, and community members believed that they all their bases were covered.

However, this assumption was incorrect. Before 2006, unprotected openings were an unrecognized life safety hazard in many communities. These openings included openings created from recessed lights, in-ceiling loudspeakers, wires, cables, etc. Without being properly reinforced, these openings acted as a catalyst for the fire. Without these openings being improperly fire-rated, heat, smoke, and flames can spread rapidly throughout the building – endangering the integrity of the building and the lives of its occupants.

As a result of this discovery, the 2006 International Building Code adopted several building codes which required construction professionals to reinstate the fire-resistance rating of a wall, ceiling, or floor assembly. This is where we introduce the concept of passive fire protection.

Passive Fire Protection is the system which slows or prevents the spread of fire within a building – utilizing fire-rated materials and solutions to achieve this.  This system works by using fire-rated solutions, such as intumescent recessed light covers, to contain fire, heat, and smoke, by limiting heat and fire spread to a single compartment within the building.

Causing fires to become smaller and contained, passive fire protection (PFP) systems have the ability to increase the response time for first responders and provide additional evacuation time for the building’s occupants.

Tenmat’s POV: The Importance of Passive Fire Protection

Following the building code adoptions, construction professionals were seeking PFP solutions and materials that can resolve the unprotected openings within their design details. However, construction professionals struggled to find a fire-rated solution, which has been

  1. Properly tested and certified by an accredited third-party testing laboratory,
  2. Fitted to meet the design requirements of the application, and
  3. Engineered to be easily installed into a wide range of building types.

Dedicated to protecting the safety of present and future communities, Tenmat developed an adaptable form of passive fire protection technology, intumescents. With the release of this technology, construction professionals were now able to meet local building codes while simultaneously fulfilling their design concepts.

Through our manufacturing capability to produce intumescents, which offer various expansion rates and char production, Tenmat’s Advanced Intumescents can protect a wide range of unprotected openings.

With this versatility, our intumescents can be specified into a diverse range of unprotected openings. From ventilated air cavities in a rainscreen assembly to recessed fixtures in a fire-rated ceiling assembly, Tenmat’s Advanced Intumescent Materials and Solutions can reinforce the integrity of these fire-resistance rated assemblies.

Intumescents in Passive Fire Protection

As previously mentioned, our Intumescent Solutions and Materials can meet the design requirements + passive fire protection standards of a wide range of building types. To discover our capabilities for each popular building type, please explore our quick overview.

 

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Enforcing Life Safety + Passive Fire Protection

Even though, Tenmat’s Solutions and Materials evolved alongside modern construction – the visibility of passive fire protection in modern construction remains on the lower side. Admittedly, this lack of visibility remains valid, due to the extensive, ongoing list of safety measures code officials and construction professionals are required to memorize and specify.

On top of curating our wide range of Advanced Intumescent Solutions and Materials, Tenmat is dedicated to educating local building code officials and construction professionals about unprotected openings in numerous building types. To encourage these individuals to gain more knowledge about these life safety hazards, we offer free 1-1 educational webinars for anyone who may be interested.

Schedule Your Free Educational Webinar Here.

AIA Course: Intumescent Fire Block for Ventilated Rainscreen Systems

Safety Hazards for Unprotected Ceiling Openings

Final Remarks

As communities across the United States continue to grow and evolve, so too must the strategies used to protect them. Passive fire protection can no longer be a secondary consideration – it is one of key components in the foundation of our future infrastructures.

Here at Tenmat, our Advanced Intumescent Solutions and Materials have not only addressed a once-overlooked life safety hazard but have also redefined how unprotected openings are managed in fire-rated assemblies.

By combining innovation, rigorous testing, and practical design adaptability, Tenmat encourages architects, builders, and building code officials to meet today’s safety standards without compromising on design or functionality.

As we look forward to the future, Tenmat remains committed to advancing passive fire protection technologies and educating industry professionals about relevant building code adoptions – ensuring that every structure, in every community, is built with safety from its core.

Protecting Patients with Passive Fire Protection.

Hospital corridor with text: Passive Fire Protection in Healthcare Facilities and red hexagon graphics.

Discover how Tenmat’s Fire-Rated Light Covers and Through-Penetration Solutions play a core role in protecting our community’s health centers and assisted living facilities.

Ambulance sirens blaring. Intercoms reporting incoming emergencies. Medical monitoring devices beeping and whirling. Medical centers, such as hospitals and assisted living facilities, are always bustling with activity and people.

With its prime functionality of keeping our communities healthy, healthcare facilities are required to be fully operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

However, in rare incidents, there are times when a healthcare center’s operations are compromised. One of those rare incidents would be an active fire outbreak. An active fire has the potential to endanger immobile patients, healthcare professionals, and expensive medical equipment.

In addition to its original endangerment, active fire outbreaks are known to accelerate rapidly within healthcare infrastructures. Why? Simply, unprotected openings.

Diagnosing the Issue: Unprotected Openings.

When analyzing the integrity of a healthcare building’s fire protection, any time a component breaks a barrier, such as a ceiling or floor, the assembly is now compromised. As one can suspect, there are endless unprotected openings in floors, ceilings, and walls.

But why are these openings considered life safety hazards? In short, these openings as a prime pathway for a fire to accelerate throughout a structure. When these fixtures are placed into their applications, often, these fixtures melt under the high temperatures of a fire. With the melted fixture, there is no barrier between the fire and its access to the remainder of the building. The question is “How do you identify these unprotected openings in a redevelopment or new construction project?”

Fixing the Fracture: Specifying Fire-Rated Light Covers.

Whether it’s lighting a surgical operating room or ensuring medical professionals are aware of important announcements, recessed can lights, troffer luminaires, or in-ceiling loudspeakers are common components in healthcare facilities. As previously mentioned, when these recessed fixtures are installed into these assemblies – the assembly now compromised. The main reason why is because these recessed fixtures melt in a matter of minutes.

Once melted, smoke and flames can quickly accelerate upwards and sideways in a building – drastically depleting evacuation and response times. In a structure where many patients are immobile or medically inclined, the non-existent evacuation time puts these individuals in critical danger.

To eliminate this potential scenario, building code officials have adopted building requirements where these unprotected ceiling openings are reinforced with a form of passive fire protection.

Here at Tenmat, we have formulated our Fire-Rated Covers to be applicable in various applications – especially in healthcare-related infrastructures. Explore our fire-rated covers for recessed can lights, troffer luminaires, and in-ceiling loudspeakers below:

Three fire-rated covers for recessed can lights with bulleted features and a red background.

Blue in-ceiling speaker fire cover with key features listed on a red and cream background.Treating the Tumor of Through-Penetration Openings.

In parallel with unprotected ceiling openings, through penetration openings pose as a major threat as well. Even though cables, wires, and optical cables tend to be minor in size; once melted – these openings become anything but minor.

With these components being necessary for building functionality, it is imperative that architects specify proper passive to ensure the highest levels of building functionality and fire protection.

At Tenmat, we offer a wide range of firestopping solutions and materials – applicable in a multitude of through-penetration applications. Explore Tenmat’s Intumescent Through Penetration Solutions below:

Red banner showing fire protection products, a checklist, and text highlighting intumescent firestop solutions.

In Recovery.

In the realm of healthcare, every second counts – and so does every layer of proper passive fire protection. Fires, while rare, can create devasting consequences in facilities filled with vulnerable patients, critical medical equipment, and around the clock operations. Therefore, addressing passive fire protection isn’t just a building code requirement – it’s non-negotiable.

Unprotected openings, whether in the form of ceiling fixtures or through-penetrations, can turn a minor incident into a tragedy in minutes. Our Fire-Rated Light Covers and Through-Penetration Solutions provide essential, code-compliant defense mechanisms that preserve the integrity of fire-rated assembles and buy time in emergencies.

When it comes to protecting healthcare spaces, Tenmat provides peace of mind – preventing smoke and flame spread before they ever have a chance to spread.

Going Back to the Basics: Fire Protection for Recessed Can Lights.

Fire protection covers for recessed can lights installed in a ceiling above a fire, with text on the left.

Discover why unprotected recessed can lights require passive fire protection solutions in multi-family homes.

Life Safety – the main catalyst for the rapid adoption in passive fire protection solutions and materials in the construction landscape. From through-penetration openings to ventilated air cavities, passive fire protection is required in a multitude of applications, environments, structures, and practices.

With the rapid expansion of this demand, passive fire protection specialists, such as Tenmat, have been put to the test in their ability to create the latest innovations in passive fire protection technology while simultaneously meeting the latest in construction practices. Unfortunately, the ever-changing landscape has “dimmed the lights” on certain passive fire protection solutions that aren’t related to the latest building code adoptions. So, let’s get back to the basics – unprotected ceiling openings caused by recessed can lights.

The Origin of Life Safety – Recessed Can Lights

Recessed can lights are commonly installed into the ceilings of both residential and commercial buildings. Often, ceiling/floor assemblies of multi-level buildings must comply with stringent fire regulations, and when necessary, the construction should be fire-rated. But, why?

When recessed lights are specified into these assemblies, the installation of these fixtures creates an unprotected opening. In the event of a fire, the fixture melts aways in minutes. With this opening, heat, smoke, and flames have immediate access to travel from room to room, level to level.

To protect the lives and properties within our communities, the International Building Code addressed in section 714.5.2 of the 2018 IBC:

“Where floor/ceiling assemblies are required to have a fire-resistance rating, recessed fixtures shall be installed such that the required fire resistance will not be reduced.”

With this issue addressed, construction professionals are required to implement appropriate levels of fire protection – especially within ceiling assemblies. Please review the list below of the common applications where these standards may arise: 

  • Multifamily Communities
  • Healthcare Facilities
  • Assisted Living and Rehabilitation Centers
  • Pre-K and Elementary Schools
  • Jr/Sr High Schools
  • Higher-Education Institutions
  • Student Housing
  • Mixed-Use Buildings

The Threats of Tradition

With the newfound demand for a passive fire protection solution and its non-existence, the race to formulate a proper solution commenced. Resulting from this demand, one of the first forms of passive fire protection originated – self-made boxes made out of Type X sheetrock.

Known for its cheap material cost, traditional drywall boxes were ideal to use when resolving the compromised ceilings. However, these solutions had major flaws with their improper fire ratings and costly labor expenses.

For this reason, fire-rated lighting fixtures were introduced. With their ability to fulfill lighting demands and fire protection standards, fire-rated recessed can lights were an optimal solution for both general contractors and electrical contractors.  Often, the material costs of a fire-rated light remain at the higher end – not ideal for projects, who have strict budgets.

Due to this, contractors, architects, and developers were still seeking a fire-rated solution, where the solution can fully meet all the following demands:

  • Stringent Building Code Standards
  • Easy Installation Steps
  • Cost-Efficient

In response, Tenmat developed our line of Fire-Rated Covers – specifically formulated for recessed can lights.

Progression in Protection

Composed of intumescent material, Tenmat introduced the FF109-300, and FF109-350 Fire Rated Recessed Light Covers. With its intumescent composition, the cover allows for 60 minutes of protection from heat, flames, and smoke – allowing for additional evacuation time for the building’s occupants. Another added benefit of using intumescent technology is its flexible and lightweight composure. With the ability to be easily installed, our Fire-Rated Solutions have proven to provide significant labor savings, unlike traditional passive fire protection solutions.

Our Fire-Rated Recessed Can Light Covers are able to be paired with a variety of recessed cans, regardless of make and/or model. With this feature, contractors can easily install these solutions into ceiling assemblies, while meeting the overall building’s aesthetics.

 

 

FF109-300 fire rated recessed can light cover with key features listed on a red background and image of the cover.

Black fire-rated recessed can light cover with benefits listed: 60-min fire protection, easy install, flexible, fits large can lights.

 

To learn more about these products, please visit the following pages:

FF109-300 Fire Rated Recessed Light Cover

FF109-350 Fire Rated Recessed Light Cover

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, ensuring the safety and integrity of multi-family homes and other structures with recessed lighting is important. The evolution of passive fire protection for recessed cans, such as Tenmat’s Fire-Rated Recessed Light Covers, highlights the importance of addressing unprotected ceiling openings. By integrating advanced intumescent solutions and materials, construction professionals can significantly enhance fire protection, providing crucial evacuation time. As we continue to innovate and adhere to developing building codes, we must remember that the goal is to protect the lives and properties within our communities. Get Active About Passive Fire Protection – Specify Tenmat.