Hilti Firestop range of products - filling the gap

I regularly visit the annual security exhibition IFSEC based in the UK. It is one of the few I consider worth investing a day's time plus the travel expense. Much of it is endless rows of CCTV cameras and door locks, but there are some gems of information. One of those nuggets of information was the Hilti range of fire stop products. They were actually part of the associated FIREX exhibition in the  same Excel hall.

The Firestop system is a range of putties, mastic, blocks which can be used to build intumescent seals for the wall penetrations of power cables, data cables and pipes. If a fire occurs outside of a data centre room the compounds swell into a smoke, fire and heat resistant foam. If the system is used around a pipe as a fire collar it will swell and seal the pipe preventing access by the fire. There's a pdf copy of the technical manual here.

The Firestop putty-like block systems are easily re-penetrable. This allows you to run extra data/power cables through the fire barrier after the original construction without compromising the fire protection. When we audit data centres we often find the fire protection has been compromised during operational life by subsequent installations and upgrades. The Hilti system would appear to facilitate later installations.

Here's a Youtube video showing installation.

If you have 10 minutes to spare here's a video which demonstrates the need to use appropriate fire stop measures.