In Accordance with FM Standards: Constructing Fire Safety for Critical Facilities — Firestopping and Electrical

Following FM Standards to Build Fire Safety for Critical Facilities——A Certified Practice Guide for Firestopping and Cable Protection

In data centers, telecom rooms, high-voltage direct current converter stations (HVDC) and lithium battery energy storage systems, fire safety is critical. FM, as a global leader in risk management and insurance certification, provides clear guidance for fire protection design and control in these high-risk locations through its series of Data Sheets.

This document is based on the latest requirements of FM Data Sheets 5-14, 5-25, 5-31, 5-32, 5-33, and focuses on two key aspects of cable fire protection:

• Firestopping of penetrations through assemblies
• Fire protection of the cable itself (prefer non-propagating cables and FM 3971 coating)

At the same time, it emphasizes the important role of FM 4991 certified installation contractors (such as Shanghai Tengxi Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.) in achieving full fire compliance.

• Firestopping: Key requirements for penetrations through fire-resistance-rated assemblies

The integrity of fire-resistance-rated walls and floors is the first line of defense against fire and smoke spread. It explicitly requires that all openings for cables, cable trays, busbars, ducts, etc., penetrating fire-resistance-rated constructions be sealed with high-standard firestopping:

1.(DS5-14/5-31/5-32/5-33) Certified systems must be used Any cable, pipe or equipment penetrating a fire-resistance-rated wall or floor must be sealed using FM Approved/Listed firestopping systems.

2. The fire-resistance rating of the firestop must match the assembly Firestopping materials must have the same fire-resistance duration as the penetrated assembly. For example:

• Telecommunications/power equipment rooms and lithium battery energy storage rooms: require hour fire-resistance rating (DS 5-145-33)

• UPS rooms, data processing rooms, etc.: require hour fire-resistance rating (DS 5-32)

• Valve hall partitions of HVDC (DS 5-25) converter stations: require hour firestopping

3.(L-Rating) Air leakage control For sensitive areas such as FM equipment rooms, firestopping is further required to have an air leakage rating, with leakage not to exceed: 7 cfm/ft² (2.1m/min/m²) (DS 514/5-32), which helps limit smoke ingress into critical equipment spaces during the early stages of a fire.

4. FM 4991 contractors must have firestopping contractor certification FM 5-31 FM Approved FM4991 data sheet recommends that firestopping work be performed by an installation contractor.

Firestopping contractor certification is a systematic certification of the contractor’s quality management, construction capability and traceability mechanisms.

Shanghai Tengxi Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., as an FM 4991 certified contractor service provider, has professional construction capabilities and extensive case experience, and is an ideal choice to ensure compliant implementation of firestopping and cable fireproof coatings.

• Cable fire protection: Prefer non-propagating cables and passive protection elements and strategies

In addition to structural firestopping, the flame-retardant and fire-resistance properties of the cable itself are also important and are a key component of the fire protection system.

1. Prefer non-propagating cables (DS 5-32) FM recommends using the following compliant cables in critical locations:

FM Approved Class 3972/Group 1 Group 1-4910 cables Plenum UL 910 NFPA 262 level cables passed testing

• Flame propagation distance ≤ 5 feet (1.5 of the cable NFPA 262 test

2. FM 3971 fireproof coating as an alternative/supplemental protection (DS 5-31) When it is not possible to fully use non-propagating cables, or when existing cables need enhanced fire performance, FM Approved FM 3971 cable fireproof coatings that meet the standard can be used.

• Comprehensive certified solutions

FM 4991 + FM Approved FM professional installation of fire products To achieve truly standards-compliant fire protection systems for data centers, telecom rooms, power and energy storage facilities, certified products alone are not enough; they must be combined with high-standard construction quality.

Three major advantages:

1. Standards compliance Firestopping and coating-spray works completed by an FM 4991 certified installation team can fully comply with the various product, method, and construction specifications in the data sheets.

2. Quality and traceability assurance FM 4991 requires contractors to have a complete quality management system and construction record archives, ensuring high transparency and traceability of project processes and results.

3. Integrated protection, enhanced system safety Effectively combining firestopping to block fire spread with cable fire treatments reduces flame propagation, forming a systemic, multi-layered fire barrier.

4. External compliance proof For projects involving insurance applications, participation in international tenders, or meeting owner/regulator requirements, adopting an Approved + FM 4991 product-certification-plus-installation model is the most persuasive path to demonstrate compliance.

Conclusion FM data sheet compliance is the foundation for ensuring fire safety of critical infrastructure.

Through:

FM Approved · adopt firestopping systems

• Prefer non-propagating cables
• Apply FM 3971 certified fireproof coatings

FM 4991 · and implemented by certified contractors such as Shanghai Tengxi Construction Engineering Co., Ltd. through professional construction, a high-level fire protection system that meets international standards can be built, providing stable, reliable, disaster-resistant protection for data centers, telecom, power and energy storage critical facilities.