Perfect Raceway Program aims to increase public safety.

BUILDING OWNERS TODAY are focusing more than ever on the safety and security of their properties. Not only are they installing the latest security features in new construction, but they are upgrading security in existing structures.

This often means installing sophisticated monitoring equipment--access controls and electrified hardware--at points of ingress and egress, which in turn requires drilling raceways in existing doors. But under NFPA requirements, such a field modification to a factory original door or frame voids the fire rating. So installers have to remove the door, take it to the shop, drill the raceway and then bring it back, reinstall it, and have it re-inspected.

The process is tedious, time-consuming and inconvenient. The situation has tempted some to cut corners, doing these modifications on-site without the proper tools or certifications. The result: the doors may no longer meet fire rating codes because improper drilling has compromised their performance. Ironically, the building may be more secure in terms of monitoring comings and goings, but occupants' lives are in greater danger if the building catches on fire.

NFPA 80 recognizes that on site work, without any guidelines, can void a fire door. They, in turn, state that any modifications not specified in NFPA 80 must be done under the auspices of a "label service" program if done at the site of the door installation--or "in the field." Intertek, a leading fire door testing and certification organization, understands that the current practice of making changes in the field can be a dangerous solution. This process can, in fact, endanger public safety for all of us. Their solution is the launch of The Perfect Raceway Program. This four hour training course, combined with several auditing aspects, falls under the guidelines of the NFPA 80 label service requirements.

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"Not only does this program help to promote building safety but it also promotes life safety," says Jeff Turcotte, vice president, Intertek. "We are confident that this program will allow modified fire doors to remain in compliance with NFPA 80 and continue to function as they were designed."

This program will be taught throughout the United States and Canada, and will train and certify installers to perform raceway modifications in the field without voiding the fire rating of the door. Conducted by independent training company Product Certification Consultants LLC, the class teaches installers how to use the patented Marray Inc. DOR-COR[TM] drilling tool. This tool fits along the door frame and helps guide the drill without having to remove the door. This is so the installer can drill a 3/8th inch raceway exactly through the center of a wooden door without voiding the fire rating.

The Perfect Raceway Program is the first of several programs that Intertek plans to offer that will certify installers to make specific field modifications. Now, in addition to the product certification and audits performed by Intertek, they are expanding to programs that certify personnel. Installers, and/or inspectors, will be trained to do a particular procedure and then, through an auditing and tracking process, Intertek will review their work. The programs will not only increase public safety, but will also make many modifications easier for contractors, building owners and Authorities Having Jurisdiction. (AHJs).

John Goen, an installer with LaForce Inc., attended the first class, which was held in July. "It took the guesswork out of drilling the hole through the door," he says. About 50 percent of his work is in retrofitting existing doors, and Goen notes that the training should save him and his customers a lot of time and effort. "This way, the customer doesn't have to get the door reinspected," he says, which can be time-consuming and inconvenient. "You have to get three or four people at the same location at the same time on the same day."

Intertek's Perfect Raceway Program gives contractors and installers a strong competitive edge in today's marketplace. First of all, having certified installers demonstrates a contractor's attention to safety and high quality, and thereby increases the company's reputation and brand equity. Second, by enabling contractors to modify doors in the field, the program cuts the amount of time it takes to modify doors by at least 30 percent.

To estimate how much time it would save for any given project, tally the number of doors to be modified in any one project, and then estimate the amount of time consumed by uninstalling the doors, loading them onto a truck, transporting them to a shop for modification, re-scheduling your workflow to accommodate the modification project, shipping the doors back to the site, unloading the truck, carrying the doors back to its original location, re-installing them and, finally, getting them re-inspected. Having certified installers not only makes life easier for all involved, it also gives contractors a tremendous advantage when bidding on projects because they factor in much less time for these retrofits.

The program also gives individuals a competitive edge in the job market. Because of the advantages of having certified installers on staff, contractors will seek to hire workers who've received this training. Installers with official certification to install such raceways may well be able to command higher wages than installers who lack the training.

These advantages will become even more pronounced this year because the 2007 version of NFPA 80 requires annual inspection of all types of fire-rated door assemblies. These inspections are likely to uncover problems with incorrect drilling in current doors and will prompt building contractors to correct the problems and make sure any new retrofits are done properly.

In addition, the program will help contractors avoid potential liability. Although liability for maintenance and care of fire-rated doors is primarily the building owner's, there is always the possibility that the building owner will sue the contractor. With Perfect Raceway, the installer and contractor have documented that they know how to modify doors and have remained compliant with NFPA 80.

The program is designed for anyone who installs doors as part of their job, including machining distributors, electrical contractors, locksmith contractors, building maintenance staff, security systems integrators and safety/security personnel.

The half-day class features hands-on training on correct drilling procedures as well as education on applicable code requirements, how to label the door, how to use Intertek's dedicated Web site SpecDirect[TM] under the program requirements and how to properly identify the door for Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). The instructor of the class has two decades of experience at a leading certification and listing agency, specializing in fire-related inspections. Once the installer passes an exam (with a score of at least 80 percent) and demonstrates proper use of the raceway drilling tool without voiding the fire rating, he will be issued a certified personnel authorization that is good for three years.

About the Author: Bob Davison works as the Certification Manager for Intertek.

For more information on the Perfect Raceway Program, contact Chris Bonanno at 800-800-7344 or chris.bonanno@intertek.com. To register for a class, visit the dedicated program Web site--www.whmark.com/raceway.

RELATED ARTICLE

Perfect Raceway Training Components

* Overview of Perfect Raceway Program

* Education on Relevant Codes

* Overview of Fire Door Assembly Components

* Twelve Steps for Installation

* Hands-on Drilling of the Raceway

* Explanation and Training on Intertek's SpecDirect[TM] System

* Written Exam

Relevant NFPA 80 2007 Requirements

* Fire door assemblies shall be inspected and tested not less than annually, and a written record of the inspection shall be signed and kept for inspection by the Authorities Having Jurisdiction. Among items to be verified is that no field modifications have been made to the door that would void the label.

* Jobsite modifications, specifically preparation of doors for hardware such as drilling a raceway, must be performed under a label service program.