The Firestop Contractors International Association is holding the 2015 Annual Firestop Industry Conference & Trade Show this November 2-7. The event will be held at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club in Florida.

The FCIA is celebrating its 15th Anniversary, is strongly focused on promoting knowledge and awareness of the importance of Life Safety and Firestopping and Effective Compartmentation within the healthcare and building occupancies.

FCIA holds two industry conferences and several educational symposiums each year.

This year, the cornerstone Annual Firestop Industry Conference & Trade Show (FIC) will take place in Naples, Fla., and will be celebrating its 15th Anniversary.

Life Safety affects everyone, whether aware or not. It is a universal concern, and Firestopping and Effective Compartmentation are the tools to ensure Life Safety by restricting fire from spreading and structural collapse in buildings.

Healthcare building occupancies are some of the most compartmented, regulated occupancies. Staff and Patients in healthcare occupancies need many services from water to gasses. The large amounts of piping, cables and air handling ductwork needed to bring those services to patients mean holes in walls—which means holes in the fire and smoke Barriers intended to protect the occupants and stop the spread of fire and smoke. Constant changes and new piping penetrate walls and floors, making managing fire and smoke barriers a monumental task.

In order for Firestopping and Effective Compartmentation to work, the holes need to become fire resistance rated and smoke resistant, just like the walls. Specific Design standards, rigorous FM 4991 and UL Qualified Contractor Program Installation protocols, systematic and thorough Inspections and comprehensive ongoing Maintenance (DIIM) are required to keep a tested and listed firestop system working for the life cycle of the building. One detail missed, one step skipped and the system is voided and the occupancy has the potential for breach.

The FIC is a week-long educational conference focusing on educating contractors, healthcare building professionals, as well as specifiers, building code officials, special inspection agencies, architects, general contractors and building owners on several critical aspects of the Firestop and Effective Compartmentation industry, including the essential need for the SYSTEM protocol to be strictly adhered to.

The Conference kicks off Tuesday, November 4, 2014 and wraps up Friday, November 7, 2014. The Draft Agenda is as follows:

Tuesday

• FM and UL/ULC Accreditation Firestop Exams and Prep Courses    

Wednesday

• Session with the International Accreditation Services (IAS) on Special Inspection Agency Accreditation and Firestopping
• Annual Ray Usher Golf Outing, benefitting the Bob LeClair scholarship fund which funds scholarships for Fire Protection Engineering Students

Thursday

• Education sessions led by The Joint Commission, the American Society of Healthcare Engineers, the University of Minnesota and others, covering a range of topics from FM and UL/ULC Accreditation updates to code updates, ICC/NFPA codes and standards to infection control in buildings
• Newly-formatted Awards Luncheon
• 15th Anniversary Beach Party

Friday

• Sessions covering Effective Compartmentation and Firestopping's role in smoke control from the National Research Center of Canada & Fire Testing and social media strategies and what it means for contractors
• Open mic session where attendees can ask questions of, voice concerns to and express interest for future Conference topics with current and past Board Members

The Firestop Contractors International Association is a worldwide professional trade association of contractors, manufacturers, consultants, distributors and manufacturer’s representatives dedicated to the installation and maintenance of life safety firestop systems. Through active participation in the FCIA and related forums, members contribute to the advancement of the Firestop and Effective Compartmentation industry, as well as maintain exceptional knowledge of this specialized trade.