Sept 2023

A5179 & S3516 Smoke Dampers

By Ed San George, MPA, PCAM, INTEGRA Management Corp., AAMC

Michael Blann/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images

A5179 and S3516 are companion bills that require residential multifamily building owners, including common interest communities (CICs), to have their fire door assem blies and smoke damper systems inspected and tested on a regularly scheduled basis. Fire studies indicate that loss of life from a fire event is more likely caused by smoke inhalation than burns. This legislation has passed both the Assembly and Senate. Mechanical Devices and Systems Requiring Testing are: • Fire damper means a device installed in an air distribu tion system, designed to close automatically upon detec tion of heat, to interrupt migratory airflow, and to restrict the passage of flame; and includes devices installed in air conditioning systems to close automatically upon detection of heat, to interrupt migratory airflow, and to restrict the passage of flames. A fire damper shall also include a combination fire and smoke damper system. These devices are often associated with hallway ventila tion systems. • Fire life safety damper means fire dampers, smoke dampers, and combination fire and smoke dampers. • Smoke control system means an engineered system that includes all methods that can be used singly or in combination to modify smoke movement, including engineered systems that use mechanical fans to produce

pressure differences across smoke barriers to inhibit smoke movement, such as fire doors and pressurized stairwells. Fire dampers, smoke dampers, and combination fire and smoke dampers shall be periodically inspected and tested no less than once after the first year of installation and once every four years thereafter. The periodic testing and inspection shall include the visual inspection method in accordance with NFPA 80 concerning fire doors and other protective openings and NFPA 105 concerning smoke door assemblies and other opening protectives. Newly installed smoke con “Fire studies indicate that loss of life from a fire event is more tems that only activate during a fire event. Non-dedicated smoke control systems shall be tested at least annually. Testing of smoke control systems shall include tests to deter mine airflow quantities, and pressure differences are code compliant, including at the following locations: (1) across smoke barrier openings; (2) at the air makeup supplies; and (3) at smoke exhaust equipment. Only qualified inspectors shall be allowed to conduct the inspections and testing. The inspectors are defined as CONTINUES ON PAGE 18 trol system shall be subject to smoke control system testing. Dedicated smoke control sys tems shall be tested at least semiannually. These are sys

likely caused by smoke inhalation than burns.”

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SEPTEMBER 2023