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Latest Information to Assist the Firestop Community

UL Launches Technical Evaluation Developer Program
Each company obtaining the UL TEDP accreditation will decide which of the four modules they wish to seek accreditation for. Each company obtaining the UL TEDP accreditation will decide which of the four modules they wish to seek accreditation for.
Technical Evaluations, commonly referred to as Engineering Judgments (EJs), are used in the fire protection industry to address situations where the as-built condition of a particular assembly does not match any tested and qualified systems. The acceptance process for EJs by Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) can vary across North America. This variation may result from instances where additional project requirements must be met when utilizing an EJ. Examples of these additional requirements are provided in the next section. One reason for these additional requirements in the acceptance process is the lack of guidance on how to verify the competency of service providers who issue EJs.
UL Solutions’ Technical Evaluation Developer Program seeks to address this area of lacking guidance. This program will help to verify the competency of service providers who are manufacturers of Fire Protection products by having them demonstrate their knowledge of Fire Protection standards, principles, and products.
The program accomplishes this through three major requirements:
- Technical Personnel Competency – each Technical Evaluation Developer must meet minimum levels of educational and experience-based competency, including industry experience, knowledge of specific systems, testing, and knowledge of the specified standards. To demonstrate their competency, each Technical Evaluation Developer must pass a written exam and receive a score of 80% or greater on each relevant module. There are four possible modules covered within the examination process. These include a general exam which is mandatory, and modules covering penetrations & joints, perimeter fire barrier, and ducts. Each company obtaining the UL TEDP accreditation will decide which of the four modules they wish to seek accreditation for.
- Audits – audits are conducted by UL Solutions staff members by selecting at random a portion of EJs issued by a service provider. The audits focus on assessing a manufacturer’s management system (MS), ensuring adherence to the MS, and evaluating the MS regarding the program’s requirements.
- Certification Testing – UL will randomly select one EJ for every 1,000 issued by a service provider to test. These certification tests will not exceed 15 tests per year. These tests will serve to verify that EJs developed by program participants are compliant with relevant life safety requirements. This testing will also serve to increase the overall testing efforts in the industry to ensure conditions that commonly require EJs are tested and qualified.
By providing a structured framework and defined qualifications that assure the acceptance of EJs, UL seeks to reduce the number of low-quality EJs in the market and increase the testing and certification efforts within the fire protection industry.
AHJs and installing contractors can feel confident that service providers who are part of this program will provide solutions that meet the specified life safety requirements. This will help to create consistency in the solutions provided by EJs across the industry.
New Online Firestop Product Training
The ‘IFC Firestop 204: Multi-manufacturer Firestop product familiarization’ course was created by multiple firestop manufacturer’s. In this 4-hr self-paced course, you will see various products from top manufacturers close up, learn how to identify them, understand how they should be installed correctly, and what to look for to identify incorrect installations. Enroll today to learn about the following topics:
- Fire resistive Joint systems
- Expansion Joints
- Perimeter Fire Containment
- Penetration firestop
- Full-line firestop manufacturers
If you’re looking to obtain or renew your IFC Premier Certificate, this course is one of the requirements. It also qualifies towards the IFC’s Continuing Education Program and is accredited by the ICC. Click Here to Enroll

Don’t let this happen to the CPVC piping on your project!
The IFC recommends not using a firestop product in contact with CPVC unless their compatibility is documented.
Read this IFC position statement to learn more:
Click Here for IFC Position Statement
