All healthcare facilities, universities, nursing homes and extended living facilities need to have the fire Damper inspected yearly. With recent fire tragedies involving senior citizen care facilities, it is crucial to make sure these facilities are able to protect those who can no longer protect themselves.

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According to FEMA, in 2011 alone there were 85,400 fires in nonresidential buildings, including nursing homes. As a result of these fires there were 80 deaths, 1,100 injuries, and around 2.5 million dollars’ worth of damage. If your passive fire protection system isn’t properly maintained, fire and smoke can quickly spread and consume neighboring rooms or hallways in your facility.

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Here are passive fire protection system codes that you need to be aware of:

• Fire doors - NFPA 80 requires annual inspections of fire doors.

• Firestopping - Several Building codes (ICC, ICBO, SBCCI, BOCA) require firestop as well as NFPA 101 and 70.

• One Year Damper Inspections - Both NFPA 80 and 105 require fire and smoke dampers to be tested one year after installation.

• If it’s broken or not working, fix it!- NFPA requires repairs to begin without delay in all of these instances.