HVAC: Focusing on Fire Safety

In January 2022, New York City faced one of the deadliest fires it had seen in decades. Nineteen people were tragically killed in a high-rise apartment building — not from the heat of the fire itself, but primarily due to smoke inhalation that traveled up multiple floors because of a stairwell door that was propped open.

This heartbreaking loss of life is preventable with proper building, maintenance and regular inspections of fire life safety (FLS) systems installed by HVAC mechanical contractors and tested, adjusted and balanced by Testing Adjusting and Balancing (TAB) professionals.

To ensure projects can obtain a certificate of occupancy, new buildings and tenant improvement projects are built in accordance with local code requirements, and are tested, adjusted and balanced to meet required airflows, pressurization differentials and door force opening requirements. Too often, however, they’re not recertified as required by the current codes to ensure the fire life safety systems are still functioning as originally certified. When doors and fire smoke dampers don’t function as originally designed and certified, smoke can travel rapidly throughout the building and safe exits are prevented due to the system not functioning as originally intended.

Our industry is working to make a difference to educate fire departments, municipalities, unions and contractors on the critical need to reinspect and certify buildings as required by current codes to ensure the proper operation of the fire life safety systems.

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