Exterior Insulation Foam System (EIFS) - Fire Testing · Exterior Insulation Foam System (EIFS) -...

February 20, 2009

Exterior Insulation Foam System (EIFS) -Fire Testing

Monte Carlo Casino Fire

Item 6.2

Dwayne Sloan

February 20, 2009p/2

Monte Carlo Casino, Las Vegas - Fire Event

OVERVIEW

• January 25, 2008• 3 Alarm Fire • Estimated $100 million damages• No injuries or deaths associated with this fire event



REPORTED CAUSE (based on Clark County, NV Incident Report)

• Fire initiated at the roof surface• Initial investigation revealed that welding and cutting

activities initiated sparks and flames at roof top• Fire involved exterior polystyrene decorative molding• Cause still under investigation



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (based on EIMA Investigation)

• Fire involved areas of special shapes & flat wall sections • Fire then involved adjoining EIFS sections

NOTE – The identity of the special shaped material has not yet been determined and made public


What Is EIFS?

EIF systems (EIFS) consist of:• an adhesive and/or mechanical

attachment of the insulation board to a substrate

• foam insulation board• a base coat on the face of the

insulation• a glass fiber reinforcing mesh • a textured, protective finish coat

Source: EIMA


UL Standards and Certifications for EIFSExterior• UL 790 (ASTM E108, NFPA 256) - When EIFS used in a

Roofing Assembly and evaluated for External Fire

Interior• UL 723 (ASTM E84, NFPA 255) – Surface Burning

Characteristics• UL1715 (similar to NFPA 286) – Room Corner• UL1256 – When EIFS used in a Roofing Assembly and

evaluated for Internal Fire

Fire Containment• UL 263 (ASTM E119, NFPA 251) – When EIFS Used in

Fire Resistance Assembly


Primary Standards for Exterior Walls

• NFPA 285, Standard Fire Test Method for Evaluation of Fire Propagation Characteristics of Exterior Non-Load-Bearing Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible Components, 2006 Edition

• NFPA 268, Standard Test Method for Determining Ignitibility of Exterior Wall Assemblies Using a Radiant Heat Energy Source, 2007 Edition


NFPA 285 – FIRE PROPAGATION (Brief History)

• Use of foamed plastics in exterior application was proposed (late 1970s)

• Full Scale Test - 26 ft high, two-story wall – Became UBC Test Standard 17-6 in UBC (1988)

• Same test was called UBC Test Standard 26-4 in UBC (1994)

• Reduced-scale multistory was developed. Became UBC Test Standard 26-9 in UBC (1997)

• NFPA 285 published in 1998• Current Edition 2006• NFPA 285 – Referenced in NFPA 5000, International

Building Code, and ICC-ES AC219 for Exterior Walls


NFPA 285 – FIRE PROPAGATION

• Test Specimen – Non-load bearing wall assembly with combustible components; 17.5 ft high by 13.3 ft wide

• Two-story Test Apparatus – test room @ each story• Two gas-fired burners

One inside the first story roomOne inside the first story window opening of the wall assembly

• Burners are ignited to deliver specified temperatures and heat fluxes over a 30 minute test duration

• Conditions of Acceptance – flame propagation and maximum temperature limits


NFPA 268 - IGNITIBILITY (Brief History)

• Concerns of fire spreading from building to building & ignition of exterior facades was raised

• Commonly accepted piloted ignition of wood – 12 kW/m2

• Early 1990s Ignitibility Research was conducted – Large-Scale & Laboratory-Scale testing sponsored by EIMA

• NFPA 268 published in 1996• Current Edition 2007• NFPA 268 – Also referenced in NFPA 5000, International

Building Code, and ICC-ES AC219 for Exterior Walls


NFPA 268 - IGNITIBILITY

• Test Specimen – Minimum 4 ft by 8 ft test specimen• Propane-fired radiant panel (3 ft by 3 ft)• Radiant panel calibrated to deliver a heat flux of 12.5

kW/m2 and 1600 degrees F• 20 minute test duration• Observations for ignition of the test specimen


Summary

• Monte Carlo Casino fire involved EIFS. • True EIFS is defined by a very specific assembly of

components • The material of the decorative shapes at the top of the

structure has not been determined and made public• There are key code referenced Standards for exterior wall

assemblies – NFPA 285 & NFPA 268• UL has performed tests to NFPA 285• UL does not currently have a certification category for

EIFS to these NFPA Standards• Other fire Standards and UL certification categories exist

for evaluating EIFS for Roofing systems, Surface Burning Characteristics


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