Fire Safety

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Fire Safety

Steel is noncombustible, so it does not contribute to the ignition of fires, the spread of fires, or the size and severity of fires, thus reducing risks to occupants, firefighters and property/business owners.
Unprotected steel frames can be used in a wide range of building occupancies and sizes in accordance with building codes.
For larger and higher buildings, fire resistance rated designs for steel building elements and systems are available with fire resistance ratings of up to four hours using a broad variety of fire protection materials, including concrete, masonry, gypsum board, mineral and ceramic fire boards and blankets, sprayed fire resistant materials (SFRM) and intumescent coatings.
Fire resistance rated designs are available for unprotected steel deck with concrete topping floor systems.
Fire resistance rated designs are available for unprotected concrete-filled hollow steel section (HSS) columns.
Detailed design guidance for the selection of fire resistance rated designs is available from:
The same fire protection thickness for structural steel-framed deck/concrete floor ratings as found in UL Design No. D982 is now available in either restrained or unrestrained conditions, according to tests performed at Underwriters Laboratories in 2013. Read more at"Restrained or Unrestrained?" Modern Steel Construction, Sept. 2013.
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) in Canada has implemented load restrictions on structural steel beams in its fire tests for several years. However, the UL has not provided clear load restriction guidelines that are applicable to the U.S. marketplace. Clarification on how to apply load restrictions in the U.S. and suggested solutions for using UL Designs for fire protection with today's steel design codes are available. Read more at"UL Design Considerations," Modern Steel Construction, October 2015.

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The webinar will be held on August 15, 2018 at 3:00 pm EDT and awards 1.5 PDHs.

CFSEI Announces 2018-2019 Executive Committee Members

August 2, 2018

The committee is responsible for developing and maintaining the technology transfer activities related to cold-formed steel design through seminars, webinars and the publication of Technical Notes.

CFSEI to Host Webinar on Construction-Grade Thumbtacks on August 23, 2018

July 24, 2018

The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) will host a webinar on “Construction-Grade Thumbtacks: Anchorage of Cold-Formed Steel Framing to Precast, Post-Tensioned and Hollow-Core Concrete Structures” on Thursday, August 23, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

CFSEI Names Recipient of the 2018 CFSEI John P. Matsen Award for Distinguished Service

July 10, 2018

The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute has named Jennifer Zabik, P.E., S.E., president of Zabik-Turner Engineering, LLC as the recipient of the 2018 CFSEI John P. Matsen Award for Distinguished Service.