In the fall of 2007, CFSEI reactivated the Fire and Acoustic Task Group. Months of preparation paved the way for a formal re-launch meeting at METALCON International in Las Vegas, Nev. last October. The CFSEI Fire and Acoustic Task Group never looked back and is nearing completion of a new Technical Note on “Cost-Effective Cold-Formed Steel Fire and Acoustic-Rated Wall and Floor/Ceiling Assemblies for Multi-Unit Structures.”

The new Technical Note, developed under the auspices and through the efforts of Task Group volunteers, is a tangible product of Task Group efforts that will benefit all CFSEI members.

“There are hundreds of rated assemblies in many different sources out there,” said Matthew Saari, Task Group member and Associate Project Engineer-Structural with Opus Architects & Engineers in Minnetonka, Minn. “The new Tech Note is intended to help designers narrow down their search for floor/ceiling and wall assemblies that meet the code requirements for fire and sound performance.”

The Technical Note represents just one of the issues the Fire and Acoustic Task Group has been addressing, and is the first installment in a planned succession of resources the Task Group has identified as “needed resources.”

Formerly the Fire Sound and Thermal Task Group, the Thermal Task Group was spun off as a separate entity in 2007 to focus on the very specific issues dealing with steel framing and heat transfer. The remaining issues relating to fire resistance, steel-framed fire rated assemblies, sound transfer, and acoustic rating and testing were assigned to the CFSEI Fire and Acoustic Task Group at that time.

To spearhead the Fire and Acoustic Task Group, CFSEI tapped Ray Frobosilo Sr., president of Super Stud Building Products in Astoria, N.Y., to chair the new group. With more than 35 years experience in the steel framing industry, Frobosilo’s strong interest in growing the industry has helped focus the Task Group on setting a realistic agenda to accomplish its strategic objections. In addition, the technical expertise and market experiences of Task Group volunteers has also been instrumental in developing accurate data and practical analysis vital for technical resource development.

Fire & Acoustic Task Group members have been researching assemblies and identifying which assemblies best meet code requirements. The research has precipitated cost-effective solutions for floor and wall framing, and triggered recommendations on areas where more testing might be beneficial.

“Growth for the industry in this market climate will be difficult at best,” Frobosilo said, “but our focus on a huge virtually untapped wood market is still there no matter how slow our economy is.”

“As building codes evolve and as new construction materials and methods are used, there will always be a need to keep the cold-formed steel industry abreast of fire & acoustic issues,” Saari added.

The Fire and Acoustic Task Group is scheduled to meet again at METALCON International in Baltimore, Md., on Oct. 2 at 8 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center, Room 334. All interested individuals are invited to attend the meeting.

Anyone interested in participating in this task group, but cannot attend the Oct. 2nd meeting, contact CFSEI Manager Brian Berger at (910) 431-3115 or bberger@cfsei.org.

Source: Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute, September 2008