Firestopping inspection software that ties every penetration to the tested system and the photo

Firestopping inspection is the checking of installed firestop systems in fire resistance rated walls and floors, penetration by penetration, against the tested system that was specified. Federal facility specifications require firestop systems tested to ASTM E814 or UL 1479, with the installed work inspected under ASTM E2174 for penetrations and ASTM E2393 for joints. New York City requires periodic special inspection of all through penetration firestopping under Building Code section BC 1704.25. Neurobird holds the penetration, the system number and the photo on one record.

Firestop inspector photographing a sealed cable penetration through a rated wall in a building riser, used to illustrate how each penetration is tied to its tested system number
The one moment the evidence can be made: after the seal, before the ceiling goes back.
1704.25the NYC special inspection section
2174ASTM practice for installed firestops
1479UL test for penetration firestops

Neurobird Firestopping Inspection in short

  • Give every penetration an identity that survives being covered up, tied to the floor, the wall and the shaft
  • Bind the installed work to the tested system number rather than to a tag that gets painted
  • Hold photographs against the penetration they show, not in a folder named by date
  • 1479 Federal facility specifications require penetration firestop systems tested in accordance with ASTM E814 or UL 1479, with certification of compliance provided. US VA, construction specification 07 84 00 firestopping
  • 2174 Installed firestop systems are inspected on site under ASTM E2174, and fire resistive joint systems and perimeter fire barriers under ASTM E2393. US VA, construction specification 07 84 00 firestopping
  • Pricing runs 99 to 699 US dollars per month across 3 tiers. Early access is free.

What firestop inspectors and installers actually deal with

The photographs exist, but nobody can say which penetration in which shaft each one belongs to.
A system number is written on a tag that gets painted over before the next trade arrives.
The deficiency list is a spreadsheet, and the reinspection that closed half of it never made it back onto the sheet.

Why it stays broken

Firestopping is inspected once, buried immediately, and then asked about for the next forty years. The installer works to a tested system, the special inspector works to a standard practice, and the building owner ends up with a PDF. Construction software tracks issues by trade and never by penetration, so the one identifier that matters is the one nothing stores.

New York City requires periodic special inspection of all through penetration firestopping under section BC 1704.25, with both special and progress inspection where disturbed rated construction exceeds 4 square feet in any given area.

Firestopping shall be completed including electrical, plumbing, and mechanical penetrations through the top and bottom wall plates.

City of Fairbanks, building inspections, source

How does Neurobird Firestopping Inspection work?

  1. Log the penetration

    Barrier, rating, location and the tested system specified are recorded before the work is covered, so the identity exists while it is still visible.

  2. Inspect to the practice

    Inspection results follow the standard practice for installed firestop systems, with the photograph attached to that penetration.

  3. Close the deficiency

    Corrections and reinspections attach to the same record, so the closed list can be shown rather than asserted.

Neurobird Firestopping Inspection Compliance Platform

One record per penetration: the barrier and its rating, the tested system number, the installer, the inspector, the photograph, the deficiency and the reinspection that closed it.

  • 1Give every penetration an identity that survives being covered up, tied to the floor, the wall and the shaft
  • 2Bind the installed work to the tested system number rather than to a tag that gets painted
  • 3Hold photographs against the penetration they show, not in a folder named by date
  • 4Track deficiencies through reinspection so the closed list is evidence rather than a claim

What changes with Neurobird Firestopping Inspection?

The same work, read left to right: how it runs today, and how it runs once the record is in one place.

Firestopping inspection: current practice compared with Neurobird Firestopping Inspection
TodayWith Neurobird Firestopping Inspection
The photographs exist, but nobody can say which penetration in which shaft each one belongs toGive every penetration an identity that survives being covered up, tied to the floor, the wall and the shaft
A system number is written on a tag that gets painted over before the next trade arrivesBind the installed work to the tested system number rather than to a tag that gets painted
The deficiency list is a spreadsheet, and the reinspection that closed half of it never made it back onto the sheetHold photographs against the penetration they show, not in a folder named by date

Who is this for?

The same penetration, three different jobs.

Special inspection agency

You inspect for many contractors

Your report is the deliverable. You need penetration level records that produce it without a night of collating photographs.

Firestop installer

You install and document

You are asked to prove which tested system went into which hole. That is a record, and it has to be made at the wall.

Building owner or facilities team

You inherit the barriers

Every future cable pull opens a rated barrier again. You need a register that says what was there and what closed it.

What the rules say about firestopping and its inspection

The test standards, the inspection practices and the special inspection requirement behind the paperwork.

1479

Federal facility specifications require penetration firestop systems tested in accordance with ASTM E814 or UL 1479, with certification of compliance provided.

US VA, construction specification 07 84 00 firestopping
2174

Installed firestop systems are inspected on site under ASTM E2174, and fire resistive joint systems and perimeter fire barriers under ASTM E2393.

US VA, construction specification 07 84 00 firestopping
1704.25

New York City requires periodic special inspection of all through penetration firestopping, draftstopping and fireblocking.

NYC Buildings, bulletin 2010-020
4 square feet

Where work disturbs fire resistance rated construction beyond the area immediately around a penetration, above 4 square feet in any given area, both special inspection and progress inspection apply.

NYC Buildings, bulletin 2010-020
3-hour

In nuclear plants, redundant trains may be separated by a fire barrier with a 3-hour rating, and penetration seals must pass a fire endurance test and a hose stream test to qualify.

eCFR, 10 CFR part 50 appendix R

A penetration, as your inspector would work it

Tick a step to move a penetration from logged to closed and watch the deficiency list shrink.

neurobird / penetrations
3 / 5
requirements current
RequirementStatusNext due
Level 3 riser, cable bundle through slabcurrentin 42d
Level 4 electrical room, sleeve, deficientdue soonin 9d
Level 12 corridor, ductwork, damper adjacentcurrentin 120d
Stair 2 enclosure, conduit penetrationoverdue3d late
Level 4 electrical room, sleeve, deficientcurrentin 64d

Tick a requirement to file evidence against it.

Firestopping inspection software questions, answered

Key terms

What is a firestopping inspection?
It is the on site check that an installed firestop system matches the tested system specified for that barrier. Federal facility specifications call for systems tested to ASTM E814 or UL 1479 and for the installed work to be inspected under ASTM E2174 for penetrations and ASTM E2393 for joints and perimeter barriers.

When is special inspection required?

That depends on the jurisdiction. New York City requires periodic special inspection of all through penetration firestopping, and where disturbed rated construction exceeds 4 square feet in any given area, both special inspection and progress inspection apply.

Does this replace our punch list software?

No. It sits beside it. Punch list tools track issues by trade and location. This tracks penetrations, which are permanent building features that outlive the project and get opened again every time somebody pulls cable.

How does it handle photographs?

A photograph belongs to a penetration, not to a date. The record keeps the image, the system number and the inspector together, which is what makes the photograph worth anything two years later.

Can a building owner use it after handover?

Yes. That is the point of a penetration register: the next contractor who opens a rated barrier can see what was there, and the reinstatement can be recorded against the same identity.

Why we are building this

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Neurobird Team neurobird.com

Where the requirement comes from

Primary sources, straight from the regulators.

How much does Neurobird Firestopping Inspection cost?

Priced per inspector, because the report and the qualification belong to a person. Projects, penetrations and photographs are unlimited on every tier.

Single inspector
$99
per month
  • One inspector
  • Unlimited penetrations
  • Photo capture
  • Report output
Request early access
Agency
$299
per month
  • Up to 10 inspectors
  • Deficiency and reinspection tracking
  • Per project evidence packs
  • Tested system library
Request early access
Portfolio
$699
per month
  • Unlimited projects and buildings
  • Owner handover register
  • Barrier by barrier reporting
  • Priority support
Request early access
Opening 12 early access places for firestop inspectors and installers.

Get free early access

Early access means we build the tested system library and report format around the jurisdictions you actually work in, and you keep the account free while we do it.

Straight answer on where this is: The software is in development. Nothing is purchasable today. Early access means you shape it and pay nothing while we build.

Prefer email? Write to office@neurobird.com and a person will reply. No autoresponder.