Exploring Quelfire’s Early Engagement in Firestopping White Paper

Can you talk about the key objectives and messages of Quelfire’s ‘Because it’s your job to know’ campaign?

Our new campaign captures the core messaging behind what we do.

Recognising the change happening in the industry right now, we aim to support and help drive it.

The campaign, alongside our white paper, promotes the shared responsibility we all have to prioritise fire safety.

It promotes early engagement in firestopping, collaboration, and ongoing education to meet regulatory requirements.

Why should the construction industry to adopt a ‘job to know’ mindset when it comes to fire safety?

The ultimate reason service penetration sealing must be compliant is to save lives.

The only way to ensure this is to take responsibility for your work and ensure your competence.

If something is outside of your competence, seek those who can assist.

From designers to contractors, there is a collective duty to make informed decisions and implement tested details in line with best practice and industry regulations.

The safety of both people and property depends on this.

It’s your job to know!

What impact do you hope this campaign and white paper will have on industry practices and fire safety standards?

The industry requires a cultural change, and we understand that this won’t happen overnight.

However, if our campaign and white paper reach the right audience and encourage key decision makers to make changes, this is a win for us.

It’s about taking those steps to ensure that fire safety is at the forefront of every project-based decision: design, then build.

What challenges do you anticipate in promoting this new campaign and how does Quelfire plan to address them?

With a lot of information to digest, we expect the industry to have many questions, and perhaps some resistance from those who have always worked one way.

There also may be apprehension about past work.

As a firm believer in education and collaboration, we aim to meet any concerns and questions by continuing to support key stakeholders from design to installation: making information readily available and providing extensive technical support.

We must all work transparently and collaboratively.

When is the best time to engage with a manufacturer like Quelfire?

From a technical perspective, the simple answer lies in the design stage, particularly RIBA Stage 3.

At Quelfire, we provide an Information Collection Form (ICF), which gathers specific project requirements, enabling us to offer relevant tested solutions.

When it comes to firestopping service penetrations, factors such as service types, floor and wall materials, and required fire ratings determine the best solution.

Once you have this information, you can reach out to us for assistance.

However, we do also support our customers through CPD and product training, as well as educational articles and videos.

Whether you have a firestopping question or are simply looking to educate yourself, it is never too early to engage with us!

Find Quelfire’s Whitepaper here.

This article was originally published in the July 2024 issue of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.