2. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIRESTOPPING AND FIREBLOCKING
Often times firestopping products and fireblocking materials are mistakenly interchanged. However, the purpose and application for using a firestopping product versus a fireblocking material differ as described below.
• Firestopping is a process whereby certain materials, some of them specially manufactured, are used to resist( or stop) the spread of fire and its byproducts through openings made to accommodate penetrations in fire-rated walls, floors and floor / ceiling assemblies.
• Fireblocking is defined as generic materials such as lumber, structural wood panels, gypsum board, cement fiberboard or particleboard, batts or blankets of glass, or mineral wool, installed within concealed spaces to resist or block the migration of fire and hot gases for an undetermined period. Fire blocking is used to subdivide or block off the stud cavity inside a wall, in a soffit over cabinets, between stair stringers at the top and bottom of a run, in an exterior cornice or in the space between the combustible finish materials and the wall itself.
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➊Fireblocking – the use of approved building material to resist or block the migration of fire and hot gases within concealed spaces.
➋Firestopping – a form of fire protection that is used to seal around penetrations( openings) through a fire-rated wall or floor assembly.
Fig. 4: Difference between firestopping and fire blocking
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