Conquest Firespray, a manufacturer of fire-rated architectural and engineered duct systems, has announced that the State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has issued an official “Declaratory Statement” concerning building code Chapter 7 (“Fire and Smoke Protection Features”) sections 707.3.1, 713.4, 713.14 and 909.21.3. The Department affirmed that fire-rated HVAC duct systems must be tested for vertical and horizontal configurations for “fire inside” and “fire outside” conditions.

The “Declaratory Statement” comes after Conquest Firespray presented the matter of horizontal non-compliance in Broward County, Dade County and others. These jurisdictions recognized the importance of compliance and trained their code officials in the proper enforcement of fire-rated duct systems. This Declaratory Statement is a matter of public record and is now a matter of law in the State of Florida.

Conquest Firespray made the statement that, within Florida and elsewhere, industry-standard, horizontal HVAC fire-rated assemblies are not in compliance with requirements of the International Building Code (IBC).

In response, Conquest and its fully code-compliant Flamebar BW11 solution, has introduced a no-cost/no-obligation online education program to help specifiers, design professionals, and contractors achieve compliance, with education modules in five areas: Architects, Engineers, Building Code Officials, Fire Marshals, and Mechanical Contractors.