Field & trade terms
Firestopping
Firestopping is the material and detail that closes a hole in a fire-rated wall or floor back up after a trade has run something through it. A rated assembly only holds its rating if it stays continuous, and every penetration cuts a path for fire and smoke. Firestopping is the sealant, wrap, collar or mortar that fills that path. It's tested as a whole system: the specific materials, the size of the opening and what passes through it all have to match a listed assembly.
Run it with the Photo Gate
Firestopping inspection checklist
13 items · 27 photos required
Why it matters
A single unsealed penetration can defeat the fire separation an entire wall was built to provide. It's also one of the most commonly missed items, because the trade that made the hole often isn't the one responsible for sealing it, and the work gets buried behind finishes fast.
What an inspector looks at
The check is whether every penetration in a rated assembly is sealed with a firestop that matches a listed system for that condition: right material, right depth, annular space filled, nothing left open. Mixed penetrations and oversized openings get the closest look because they're the easiest to detail wrong.
RTI is photo gated, so the proof is a close shot of each sealed penetration before it's covered, ideally showing the firestop material and the rated wall together. Once the ceiling or finish goes on, that photo is the record that the seal was ever there.
Guides that use it
- How to inspect firestoppingInspect firestopping at every rated penetration and joint before cover: right listed system, right materials, full seal, documented photo-by-photo against the assembly.
- How to inspect an expansion jointInspect an expansion joint as a system that has to move (substrate and gap, the joint assembly, anchorage, fire and water continuity, and transitions) before it's closed in.
Checklists that put firestopping to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- PenetrationAny point where a pipe, conduit, duct or cable passes through a wall, floor or roof, leaving a hole that has to be sealed back to match the assembly it crosses.
- MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing)The mechanical, electrical and plumbing trades: the systems run through a building's structure that get inspected at rough-in and again at final.
- Above-ceiling inspectionThe inspection of everything routed in the ceiling space before the ceiling is closed, confirming all trades are complete and released.
- MEP coordinationThe process of laying out mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire-protection systems together so their routes fit the available space without clashing.
- FlashingThin sheet material lapped into an assembly to direct water back out at joints, edges and openings before it can get behind the finish.
- Vapor barrierA sheet material that limits how much water vapor diffuses through an assembly, placed to keep condensation from forming inside the wall or floor.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.
30-day trial · No card required