contego

Passive Fire Protection Update

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 01:36:11 GMT

Intumescent Coating Code of Practice Rev 2.0. A revision 2.0 of the Intumescent Coatings Code of Practice is about to be released.

As I sit here and write this Revision 2.0 of the Intumescent Coatings Code of Practice is about to be released. I’ve sighted a draft & only minor edits required before release.

Previously there had been some commentary from the wider market that the CoP was creating issues for designers to achieve their desired outcome. This was to be expected because NZ was designing & building to lazy non-compliant habits that didn’t align with the remainder of the world.

I’ll attempt here to provide some tips & tricks for users so that compliance with the CoP is achieved and it isn’t a difficult task:

Common complaints received were:

Who is supposed to take the lead on all of the Intumescent design?
Why can’t we install timber over Intumescent paint & difficulty achieving clearances
around paint?
Sequencing & Construction phase weather protection

Responsibility for design:

The CoP suggests that this should be a collaborative effort between all design consultants to ensure all aspects are considered. This way of thinking is no different to any other collaborative effort in designing a building whereby multiple consultants need to talk & collaborate on a solution.

The Fire Engineer will have a role in stipulating the fire rating requirement.

The Structural Engineer will have a role in stipulating which members need protection and limiting temperatures etc and likely give opinion on paint specifications as this overlaps with their corrosion considerations.

The Architect will have a role in that they can decide if the best solution is Intumescent Paint, or other form of protection such as Board encasement, Cementitious. Or it may even be possible that the Structural Engineer is able to achieve inherent protection with no fire rating system at all. The architect & Structural Engineer may consider having structural members off partition lines so that there aren’t as many clashes.

All of these considerations have fire, structural, aesthetic, buildability & cost considerations. There are also Design & Build Contractors, Early contractor engagement, Manufacturers & Engineering firms that will take a lead role on coordinating or advising on all of the above. This is occurring more & more on large scale projects where complexities and costs challenging.
Whatever the make up of your design team and project is it is recommended that at least start in the preliminary design stage with discussions regarding Post Fire Structural Steel protection – this will save a lot of problems later on.

Rev 2.0 elaborates in more detail on designer roles/ responsibilities and has added in a role of “Structural Fire Engineer” & “Design and Build contractor” which represents what is happening in the market.

Timber blocking & Clearances:

One of the debates on this version of the CoP was whether or not to remove the statement regarding blocking & obstructions over Intumescent paint as there is available proof of concept testing and literature in the market that claims this is not an issue. However, Rev 1.0 of the CoP stated to avoid timber blocking over Intumescent paint unless manufacturer has specific testing. Therefore, there has been a work around since Rev 1.0.

The first release of the CoP has encouraged many manufacturers/ distributors within NZ to go and commission their own small-scale testing to show how their paint performs when obstructed by timber or other member. These tests have been varied in their make up & what test methodology they follow.

The reality of these tests are:

They have not been completed in accordance with BS476 or AS1530.4 – therefore they are not tests that fully satisfy NZBC. They are however good proof of concept evidence.
The build methodology varies between how these have been compiled. Some have timber fixed to the steel, some have timber fixed around the steel, some have plasterboard. They are good evidence showing the performance indicatively though
It is not possible to test every steel member with every type of construction obstruction
that could occur.

On two of the more robust small scale tests I have seen it is demonstrated that 30 minute & 60 minute timber obstructions & other obstructions do not impact on the intumescent performance of the paint in protecting the limiting temperature of the steel. However, over 60 minutes there is evidence that the obstructions do inhibit the properties of the ICS
protecting the steel. Hence why the rest of the world builds and designs their buildings to avoid such obstructions.

I believe at this point that every manufacturer/ distributor of Intumescent Paint in NZ market has available some form of small-scale testing proving some obstruction is ok. Therefore, open dialogue with these manufacturers/ distributors and get their literature so you Engineers can assess & consider what is appropriate for your project.

These tests are not full satisfaction of NZBC therefore they should be included as part of your Building Consent submission as an Alternative Solution. The Alternative Solution application to the BCA should provide the evidence and limitations & support from the Manufacturer and Engineers for the project.

Clearances – unfortunately, many people have interpreted that 50mm clearance is required around all Intumescent Paint. In actual fact it is 50 x the DFT. Therefore, in NZ where we often have particularly low Fire ratings for structure the DFT is often much lower than 1mm.

We would suggest where clearances are particularly tight do some quick calculations against the loading schedule & you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised that required clearances are as low as 10 – 25mm – 37mm.

Sequencing & Construction Phase protection:

The single biggest mindset change that I can suggest is that you need to consider Intumescent Paint as a Structural phase trade , not a fit-out trade. If you are planning on applying Intumescent paint well into the fitout phase you are likely to encounter challenges with obstructions, access, QA inspection and the like,

Unfortunately looking at the Intumescent early often means you are having to apply in an environment that is volatile. Hence why less durable Intumescent paints such as water based are often not suitable in a NZ build environment. Solvents, Epoxies and sealers are your best insurance policy to ensure the Intumescent Paint can be applied without risk of failure during
the build.

The reality is that most of NZ is close to the coast & particularly our cities where most large projects are the building site is likely to be exposed to the elements for many months before being fully enclosed. Therefore, although the finished product is going to be in an airtight C1 environment it is more often than not that the building & steel will be exposed to salt air, rain & the like for many months.

Alternatively, the design team and build team could sacrifice programme and allow for Intumescent to be applied in a more optimum condition.

There are great technologies coming available where Intumescent are able to be applied in factory. This provides massive benefits to the project, but needs careful design, methodology and procurement planning to ensure this can be executed well.

Primer concerns:

Sadly, the biggest issue that is happening in the field at present is that blast & primer application is seeing far too many projects that are not up to specification. This then creates massive delays and remedial works on site. There are several stories of entire building lots of steel having to be 100% re-sand blaster & months of delays on primer remedials on site.

The design team and build team need to ensure the specification requirements for blast/ primer are fully understood at the start of the project and remove the risk of shoddy corrosion protection steel arriving on site.

This is a role that Main Contractors need to step up and ensure consideration is given in the procurement phase to ensure a) quality blast/ prime operators are being engaged b) that Intumescent requirements are communicated to all parties c) quality Intumescent applicators are engaged and d) that methodology & programme are given suitable thought & allowance.

Justin McEntyre
Passive Fire Protection SIG Chair 2021/2022

Passive Fire Protection Checklist

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 01:04:20 GMT

Assessments – ask the extra questions. As most Passive Fire Protection contractors are aware AS1530.4 & AS4072.1 assessments satisfy compliance with NZBC and Acceptable solutions. However, when utilising an AS4072.1 assessment I would urge a little extra caution.

Assessments are great & they fill a needed gap in the market whereby not every single scenario can be tested or it may not be commercially viable to do so.

Too many times I’ve been given an Assessment that has a better rating or easier installation than a tested solution – This makes life very easy when specifying, installing or signing off to rely on something. However, it is possible that the assessment has made an assumption that a test wasn’t able to assume or proved a wrong assumption. Or with all respect the lab assessor may have overlooked a particular element.

This is because tested is a higher threshold than assessments.

There are entire product lines available that are more or less based on AS4072.1 assessments. This is perfectly fine under our building code – however is it actually, right?

When reading through AS4072.1 it is clear that an AS4072.1 assessment is written hand in hand with AS1530.4 tests only – however there are proposed AS4072.1 assessments written based on tests other than AS1530.4. There are even assessments based on other
assessments.

AS4072.1 is very specific on what can be assessed & what can’t – for instance you can’t assess anything larger than what has been tested, nor can you assess different separations (other than superior substrates). Yet we find assessments in the market that have assessed entire new sizes of products.

I have witnessed multiple specifications this year from consultants that appear to have taken an easy path with assessments when in fact there are better tested solutions available.

Here is a few check lists items:

Recommend tested takes precedence over assessed when both are an option – many
consultants state this in their specs
Check if it is actually an official AS4072.1 assessment – the wording in the report will state
if it is or isn’t – other closely worded reports such as opinions do occur
Is the report valid – AS4072.1 assessments must have a validity period less than 10 years
Has the assessment report been superseded – all assessment reports have a caveat that if any additional information becomes known, or future tests finds this assessment wrong then the assessment is not valid
Is the assessment report silent on any critical information? For instance a test report it is very easy to see exact installation, fixings, mastics and the like – However, an assessment report may not actually state the exact fixing method or the like. Most lab technicians will confirm that often the fixing method is the critical failure point, yet there are assessment reports available that don’t state how a certain device is fixed, what embedment, what flanges, where mastic seals etc are or aren’t.
6Does it pass the smell test? Ask yourself this – if an assessment report is later proven to be wrong, or a test proves it
wrong or needed additional installation or product have you done a thorough effort in due diligence in checking?

Justin McEntyre
Passive Fire Protection SIG Chair 2021/2022

Media Release - Contego North Island Expansion

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 21:20:09 GMT

South Island passive fire protection contractor Contego today announced that it will continue its business expansion by opening a new base in the North Island in December 2021

Located in New Plymouth, the branch is expected to employ 10 persons over the next 24 months. The business currently employs 35 personnel between its bases across the South Island.

Speaking about the expansion, managing director Justin McEntyre said, “We’re excited to expand our business. While we are already working on projects in the North Island, establishing a base there will enable us to have ‘boots on the ground’ so to speak and improve our capacity and response times for our clients. We’re delighted to announce that experienced fire protection professional Sam Roiall will be joining as our Regional Manager.

Most recently Sam worked as National Sales Manager for Ryanfire Produc ts NZ. Our first major contract has been secured working with Leighs Construction on Taranaki Base Hospital including Renal building and Energy Centre. The client approached us from the other end of the country in order to ensure they would receive the Quality they required. So we had a look and thought this was an opportune time to fully establish and employ & train local staff”.

“Contego have rapidly established themselves as ‘game changers’ within the passive fire protection industry leading to better outcomes for developers and ultimately improved protection for building end users. It’s exciting to be leading their expansion in the North Island”, said Sam Roiall, Regional Manager.

Established in 2016, Contego is a leading supplier of Passive Fire Protection services in New Zealand. Contego are on a mission to raise the standard of passive fire protection. In recent years the company worked with Competenz and other key stakeholders to establish the first formal qualification within the industry, the New Zealand Certificate in Passive Fire Protection Systems. The company has enjoyed rapid growth to date winning contracts with clients including Dunedin City Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council, the University of Otago, Mercy Hospital, Otago Polytechnic, the Southern District Health Board and the Ministry of Education. In 2018 the company won the ‘Emerging Business Award’ at the Westpac Otago Business Awards. In 2020, managing director Justin McEntyre won the Future Leader Award at the same event.

Pictured, Sam Roiall, Contego

Contego's top five tips for managing your building compliance

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 06:35:31 GMT

Our managing director, Justin McEntyre outlines our top 5 tips for managing your building compliance with regards to passive fire protection.

Intumescent Coatings Project update

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 05:03:32 GMT

It has been a busy summer for the Intumescent coatings division with projects right across the lower South Island.

Key projects have included:

Langlands Hotel, Invercargill – 7 x storey Hotel (FX2003 & Nulifire SC902)
Wakatipu High School Extension, Queenstown (Interchar)
Southern Cross Hospital, Queenstown (FX2003)

The fruits of Contego’s detailed early planning and full Design & Build package for Intumescent coatings is paying off on these projects.

Feedback from Architects is that they are extremely pleased with the high quality finish achieved in critical areas. Likewise feedback from Fire Engineers on these projects is that Contego are providing a level of Quality Assurance documentation not matched in the industry.

Competency & Trust

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 04:15:33 GMT

Sadly we are hearing more or more frictions within the industry between Passive Fire Contractors, consultants and Council inspectors.

These frictions often seem to be coming from like-minded operators but the boiling point appears to be that Specialist Contractors aren’t feeling their expertise are valued or they are constantly being challenged with no respect first offered. Almost a guilty until proven innocent attitude.

It is important that Passive Fire Contractors, Fire Engineers, Third Party inspectors are on the same page as often these will be the only parties involved in a project that care about passive fire or have the level of knowledge required on-site regarding passive fire.

There seems to be a growing mentality from inspectors that all passive fire installs are wrong.

Inspectors are then hunting down any microscopic detail they can fail or grandstand upon.

Likewise, at the front end of a project, specifications are being prepared which the Contractor must follow. However, specifications are seldom perfect & there needs to be a mechanism for change or adaption. At present, the complaints I’m hearing are that Contractors are the meat in the sandwich on such issues & taking all of the flack. None of which provides a best for

project or best for client outcome.

Due diligence, inspection and challenging installations is an important part of Passive Fire protection. However, the starting point should be to first check the competency and credibility of the contractor executing the work. Often these Contractors have more experience with Passive Fire than anyone else involved in the job & have been doing it at the coal face for several years, whereas inspectors may have only recently been given an introduction.

There has been a surge of contractors taking up Passive Fire protection in recent years which is positive but comes with risk. The risk being that there are inexperienced and less credible contractors in operation. Therefore again Councils, Main Contractors, Fire Engineers and Third Party inspectors should be checking the experience, credibility and competency of the company and individual staff before the works commence or before even tendered. This is the best chance to stop poor and non-compliant installations. If thorough due diligence is done during procurement then there is every chance of a strong relationship that provides the best for project and client outcomes. SFPE is soon to release a CM guide which includes Passive Fire protection. I encourage everyone to digest this and take into practice.

Also, I encourage the following questions be asked by Inspectors, Engineers and Councils before making a broad assumption of all contractors:

Previous Track record? a. Similar size/ scope projects
Who is the Site Supervisor overseeing & what is their experience?
Training (NZQA Level 3)
Accreditation with Manufacturers
QA Processes
Insurances (PI & PL)
Interview - meet with them & gauge for yourself their credibility if you’ve not dealt with them previously.

Lead Time Materials

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 22:13:36 GMT

I’m sure I’m not the only one that is experiencing weekly headaches with freight delays and lead time materials.

What was once available down the road, can now be a lengthy delay to get a hold of it. The feedback I am getting from suppliers and contractors is that the worst is not over, and we should be planning to deal with this for the remainder of this year.

For the benefit of suppliers it is always great if contractors/clients are able to advise of product requirements early on, and limit last-minute requirements. This allows suppliers time to procure and deal with international freight delays. It is always appreciated by them if their pipeline is accurate.

Similarly for contractors, it is hugely appreciated if suppliers are able to hold more stock in New Zealand and distributed throughout the country. Ordering from overseas once an order is placed by a contractor will simply not support the industry over a long period.

Specification changes to adapt to material delays are likely to be more common and contractors/specifiers should be considering confirming availability of materials before specifying a particular product. Otherwise hang in there, it will get better.

Tested V Assessed Passive Fire Products

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 23:23:24 GMT

With the current codes of practice and Passive products annual renewal being worked through the issue of Tested vs Assessed is constantly brought up in conversation.

NZBC accepts the use of AS4072.1 Assessments as a way of showing compliance as an equal with a tested solution in accordance with AS1530.4.

However there are fundamental differences between a Tested detail and an Assessed detail. In its simplest form an AS4072.1 Assessment is a calculated guess at best.

In a recent conversation with my P.I insurer the conversation regarding selection of Assessed products was raised as to where liability starts and stops with such scenarios. Their advice to me was if I have even an inclining of doubt then stay away, that is my professional duty to protect myself and my clients and their building occupants. This was a statement that doesn’t sit comfortably with me as a business operator.

As Contractors, Installers, Specifiers, Engineers, Distributors, Manufacturers, IQP, Third party inspectors we should have a sufficient level of knowledge to be able to identify any gaps. But we also need to have a level of trust in the standards and the authorities certifying these assessments. The intent of AS4072.1 is to provide the minimum requirements for application of fire resistant products and provide tolerances for assessment of products and scenarios with the obvious outcome being that it allows for reducing costs for commissioning fire tests whilst also providing a level of confidence.

There is detailed content on what can and can’t be assessed and what the assessment should consider. Details must be included such as; validity period, full scale test evidence assessment is based upon. There are details of maximum tolerances for assessment scope for example:
varying cable sheathings can be assessed (4.5)

- differing plastic pipes can be assessed provided the max previously tested comparison is not greater than 120mm or smaller than 40mm (4.6.4)

- and for multiple penetration systems the unit can not be assessed any larger than the device that has been tested in a 3m x 3m furnace (4.9.1).

Even as detailed as AS4072.1 has been written it is still not a perfect document. As stated by Niall Rowan the CEO of ASFP in his presentation at FireNZ 2018

“you can drive a bus through the middle of Assessment standards”.

The attraction for Manufacturers and industry to useAssessments is obvious – it is commercially more palatable to do so. However, this comes with a great risk. This risk has been highlighted in the most tragic and devastating circumstances when we look at cladding and the Grenfell Fire. Implications from this locally have had many ACP claddings that were previously assessed removed from distribution and the entire Codemark system called into question.

A critical recommendation from the Dame Judith Hackitt report into Building regulations in the UK following Grenfell was “More effective product
testing & regulation”. AS4072.1 was last reviewed in 2016 and reconfirmed.

Even in the short 4 years since this was reviewed a lot has changed in our industry (not least of which was Grenfell tragedy in the UK and the determination for the Lacrosse Fire in Australia).

Whilst I understand the need for AS4072.1 assessments within our building regulation framework I can’t help but think it is time we had a discussion as to whether we need to curb the proliferation of Assessments in lieu of Testing.

Contego Finalist in Two Categories for Westpac Otago Business Awards.

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 00:29:02 GMT

We are excited to announce that Contego have been selected as finalists within two categories at the 2020 Westpac Otago Business Awards.

This year we have been selected as a finalist for the Excellence in Service Award and also the Future Business Leader Award.

In 2018 Contego won the Emerging Business Award at the Westpac Otago Chamber of Commerce event after competing against 136 entrants. This was a huge achievement for our team and winning this award gave our young company added confidence and marked a significant milestone in our business journey. One comment which the judges made in 2018 was that Contego had a strong plan for the future of the business.

On Wednesday the Contego team headed to the Finalists event at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin to celebrate with the sponsors and other finalists.

A great event hosted by Otago Chamber of Commerce and a great chance for the team to catch up and network with other successful Otago Businesses.

The Westpac Otago Business Awards will be held on 13th November where all winners will be announced and if its anything like previous events it promises to be a great night!

This year the Awards also includes a Peoples Choice award which is being voted on through the ODT website link (as if you didn’t already have enough things to consider your vote on at present).

For more information about the Awards and finalists announcement you can read about it here at odt.co.nz .

Southern District Health Board (SDHB) IQP Contract – Passive fire Systems

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 04:54:05 GMT

Contego is proud to announce that we have been awarded a 3 year contract to provide IQP services to Southern District Heath Board

Contego is proud to announce that we have been awarded a 3 year contract to provide IQP services to SDHB for all Passive Fire Systems including SS15.2, SS15.3, SS15.4, and SS15.5.

This contract has been awarded to Contego after a strenuous weighted attribute procurement run via public advertisement through Gets. This reinforces our position as the premium IQP provider for Passive Fire Protection systems (SS15.2, SSS15.3, SS15.4 and SS15.5) in the South Island.

This contract involves the oversight and inspection of 46 buildings including Dunedin Public Hospital, Southland Hospital, Dunstan Hospital, Wakari Hospital, and Queenstown Lakes Hospital and continues Contego’s working relationship and track record with SDHB as preferred provider of Passive Fire Protection.

New Plant and Equipment – Intumescent Paint and Cementitious Spray

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 04:42:22 GMT

Contego team have celebrated the arrival of its significant investment in specialist plant and machinery for Intumescent Paint application and Cementitious spray.

In 2020 Contego has invested significantly in additional specialist plant and machinery which is already busy being put to use across the lower South Island.

Investment in plant includes new Graco Intumescent Spray pumps, Graco Cementitious Spray pumps, Specialist freight trailer for carting plant and material, Elcometer Micrometer and recording software, access equipment and specialist accessories.

In addition to plant Contego has also been investing in specialist training including Hazardous Substances, Plant training, and Specialist applicator training.

Additional purchases and investments are in the pipeline including Revit for BIM modeling to further our in house Design and Specification skills and enhance our involvements in project design phase.

Our full circle service ability of Design – Construction – Compliance – Maintenance fits well with our ability to provide full in house Steel protection systems including Intumescent Paint, Cementitious spray, Board encasement and Insulated board encasement.

Matters of Passive Fire matter...

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 03:03:15 GMT

With the hive of activity over the past >3 years the FPANZ Passive SIG has firmly filled the vacuum within the industry as a reliable and impartial authority on Passive Fire Protection related matters.

This is an extremely positive place for the Passive SIG to be and is a testament to the leaders, members and contributors that put time and energy into the work for the Passive SIG. Highlighted by this is the engagement with all areas of the construction industry that are now engaging with FPANZ Passive SIG. Including; Insurance Council, BCA’s, MBIE, BOINZ, NZIA, BRANZ, SFPE, IFE, to name a few.

Membership enquiry and new membership requests have been consistently strong which is a sign that we are delivering what the members want. Our ability within the SIG to collaborate positively has been a huge benefit to the group to getting information prepared and market ready.

In addition to this is also the level of integrity and quality review that is done behind the scenes to ensure anything published is to the highest standard and beyond reproach. Being a part of a positive and well-rounded group is something I am really enjoying being part of and am excited to keep forging ahead with supporting the wider industry across the country Updates for this month include:

❱ NZQA Level 3 Passive Installers qualification

now fully funded by the Government Apprentice scheme after some strong lobbying by FPANZ and Competenz.

❱ Fire & Smoke Stopping Code of Practice

first meeting held and draft chapter titles being drafted up ahead of the next meeting on 7th August.

❱ Intumescent Coatings Code of Practice

great progress in the past 3 weeks concluding some of the last topics and expect this document to be getting final reviews in coming weeks.

❱ Position Statements 1 – 4

final proofs being completed and expect imminent release of these documents.

Passive Fire and NZBC

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 01:23:51 GMT

CLAUSE B2 DURABILITY

We always talk about tested systems, but seldom do we acknowledge ‘durability’ with regard to selection and installation of Passive Fire systems. As contractors, manufacturers, distributors, fire engineers, specifiers, councils and third party agents we all have a responsibility under NZBC to ensure Clause B2 is satisfied.

Considerations with regard to Passive Fire protection should include:

Environment of the finished building – i.e a swimming pool or heavy corrosive environment
Exterior – i.e exposed to sunlight, frost, rain
Coastal – i.e exposed to sea air, stainless fixings
Thermal – i.e central North Island
Compatibility between metals – i.e Galv & stainless steel, copper pipe reaction
Dust - Suitability against substrate – i.e will the fire stop still adhere over time
Shrinkage – i.e mastic, concrete, and other materials shrink over time
Seismic – movement of substrate, service and passive systems
Future access – can it be accessed for inspection or maintenance?
Future services – is there any risk of damage to the device during future installations?

Just because a particular detail has the appropriate testing for AS1530.4 or Assessment AS4072.1 does not mean that it is the correct selection as it may not satisfy NZBC B2.

When issuing Producer Statements we are stating that the works have been completed in accordance with NZBC. Generally for Passive Fire protection this is specific to C1 – C6 or parts of. It should also be acknowledged & referenced that the works comply with B2. Where BCA’s have an Approved Author system or are reviewing a Producer Statement Author they should consider the authors knowledge, understanding and demonstration of B2 with regard to Passive Fire protection.

Specific to each aspect of Passive Fire Protection:

Fire rated Doorsets follow a design and QA process that ensures for instance Exterior Grade doors are installed in the correction locations.
Intumescent Coatings will under the draft Intumescent Coatings Code of Practice have a section dedicated to corrosion and durability including cross reference with NZS3404.
HVAC ducts and dampers are to be cross referenced with AS1668 which includes considerations for B2.
Fire Stopping has largely been left out of the microscope with regard to B2

Naked Floor Batt at Ryanfire

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 01:55:40 GMT

During the Extension to Dunedin International Airport, it was discovered that an entire section of an Egress safe path on the upper-level first floor was not fire rated from beneath with a fire-rated ceiling from a historical build.

Installing the ceiling from below was deemed not feasible as it would have involved re-diverting significant services mains through the airport as well as closing the international arrivals hall which would have taken Dunedin Airport out of operation for a considerable period. (obviously pre Covid this was of major concern to the operator).

Ryanfire Naked Floor system was installed from above by removing the existing carpet & floor boards. The installation occurred on a Saturday & the International arrivals security check area beneath were non the wiser that the fire rating works was happening above their head.

Contego’s ability to provide Design Solution for Passive Fire Protection

Key aspects to the success of this outcome were:

1. Contego’s ability to communicate the compliant solution with the Fire Engineer.

2. Contego’s experienced staff that are both Skilled Carpenters, as well as Passive Fire Protection trained.

3. Contego’s successful H&S management systems.

4. Contego’s approach to being part of the solution with regard to Passive Fire protection.

Potentially major upgrade – made simple.

This case study highlights the benefit of engaging Contego’s expertise to deal with your Passive Fire Protection on your project.

Fire Stopping: 5 key things to consider in your project

colm@mthuttdigital.co.nz (Colm McGrath) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 00:48:00 GMT

Fire Stopping is a complex field that, when done poorly can have a major and negative impact on your project.

Likewise when done properly it should fly under the radar & barely raise its head in site meeting discussions as a problem.

Below we list our the top 5 key considerations to ensure Fire Stopping is a good experience on your project:

1. Consider Fire Stopping early in your design

The earlier you consider Fire Stopping in your design the more control you have over the systems and costs
If considered early you can co-ordinate with services routes, services materials, wall and floor systems and ensure compliance and best for client decisions are made
Ignoring Fire Stopping in the early phase will result in poor quality, loss of quality control, loss of cost control and likely end in frustration
A full solution register should be populated for every project individually. There is no such thing as a generic solution spec that will cater for all projects. Each project varies and therefore needs to be considered and designed each time.
Table your solutions with Council so that they have been involved in the approval process – this will eliminate late RFI’s from council during consent stage which will risk hold ups to your project
Table to Fire Engineer so that they have been involved in the approval process

2. Engage a Specialist Fire Stopping/ Passive Fire Contractor

Specialist Fire Stopping Contractors such as Contego will have the answer to your specific problem. If they don’t then there is a good chance they aren’t a specialist

Using a specialist means:

you will have quick access to solutions and the best way around potential issues
you will have a smoother ride through compliance phase of the build and that there is less chance of come back issues
Not using a specialist puts your project compliance in jeopardy & likely to fail Council, Fire Engineer or BWOF inspections down the line
One complete package is the only way to ensure it is given the level of attention it requires.

A specialist should have the following:

i. FPANZ Membership

ii. Professional indemnity Insurance – specific to Passive Fire

iii. PS3 Approved Author status with council

iv. Trained staff (like NZQA Level 3 Passive Installer)

v. Quality Assurance systems

vi. Extensive Track record

vii. Manufacturer accreditation

viii. Recommended or vetted by your Fire Engineer and Council

3. Discuss setout of services and Fire Stopping systems before 1st fix

To have the best control of Fire Stopping systems being installed with ease and low cost the setout should be coordinated with builder and services trades prior to 1st fix & Gib linings. This gives the best chance of accurate installations.
Critical to ensure the correct Core hole sizes are installed
Critical to ensure Gib, solid blocking & the like are installed
If Fire Stopping systems are not coordinated ahead of this then it will result in reactive Fire stopping which is not cost effective and risks compliance.

4. Try to limit the systems used for a particular project

Although not always possible to stick with one brand or one product – it is advised to limit the number of products and suppliers so that inspection and risk of installation errors are managed
If multiple brands are used for Fire stopping it becomes very hard to inspect and verify the compliance
Likewise if multiple brands are used for Fire stopping it becomes very easy for the installer to make a mistake and apply the wrong brand or product to a detail
This risk is usually controlled by
One contractor/ designated trade
Limit the brands on site so that there is no confusion or error

5. Keep detailed and accurate records of all completed Fire Stopping

It is imperative that every penetration treated is recorded including sticker label, location, photo, and fire stopping system used. This is a compliance record that will be relied upon for code of compliance and BWOF evidence
Records should show sufficient detail to allow an independent person to verify compliance is achieved
A producer statement PS3 should be provided by an Approved Author who has been pre-approved by the Council to issue PS3’s for Fire stopping including NZBC C1 – C6, & B2
Your specialist should provide sufficient information to be carried forward with your Compliance Schedule and Specified Systems so that the IQP can inspect the building accurately

Intumescent Coatings – explained

colm@mthuttdigital.co.nz (Colm McGrath) — Sat, 06 Jun 2020 01:01:04 GMT

Intumescent Coatings including Paint and other specialist coating systems provide protection from fire to structural steel.

Often confused as ‘fire rated paint’. The Intumescent coating acts very differently to other fire rated systems in such that it isn’t designed to stop the spread of fire. In fact Intumescent Coatings are designed to limit the heat impact upon the structural steel. Therefore Intumescent coatings are more of a ‘Structural’ building element than they are ‘spread of fire’.

Therefore the design considerations are very different to other passive fire elements and considerations are a lot different.

There is a lack of experience in design in NZ with regard to Intumescent Coatings and Contego are proud to state that we have extensive knowledge of Intumescent Coatings and Steel protection systems including which manufacturers products apply best in different design scenarios.

FPANZ is soon to release an Intumescent Coatings Code of Practice which we hope will rectify a lot of the non-compliances currently in practice in New Zealand buildings.

A couple of key early pointers to consider with regard to Intumescent coatings:

Intumescent Coatings are designed to limit the heat upon the steel members – therefore a piece of steel may get hot & heat up but not allow the spread of flame through. The heat upon the steel will soften the steel & reduce its structural capacity. Therefore we are wanting to limit the heat upon the steel to ensure the structural integrity of the steel member stays within design parameters from a Structural aspect.
Intumescent coatings work by expanding under heat & insulating the steel from the heat – therefore if the coating can’t expand it won’t be able to insulate the steel member, meaning timber blocking & linings can’t be applied hard over intumescent paint. Think of it like a life jacket on a plane – if the life jacket can’t inflate it is no good to you.
Application climatic conditions will impact on the compliance of the intumescent paint – very strict application criteria should be followed and QA records kept
Quality Assurance at all stages of Intumescent Coatings is critical. Including design, application, completion. No records means there is risk that the design or application is wrong and compliance could be jeopardized.
Design phase – if Intumescent coatings aren’t considered in the design phase then it is too late to get it right. Decisions will already have been made that will jeopardize your projects compliance and result in non-compliances and cost headaches.

Timber Penetrations through Fire walls – the jury is out

colm@mthuttdigital.co.nz (Colm McGrath) — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 01:03:47 GMT

The jury is out & Yes these need to be fire stopped with a compliant solution just the same as services through fire walls.

There has been some discussion or confusion regarding how to deal with Timber members where they penetrate Fire rated walls. Often Fire Engineers or builders have maintained that they aren’t a penetration and therefore don’t need treated. Whereas by definition under the NZBC any penetration through a fire wall needs to be treated with a compliant system.

This has recently been clarified by Gib who have clarified the position and it resonates with the NZBC Definition. Timber members penetrating fire walls should be treated with a compliant solution.

This will vary from wall type and timber member size. But the same applies to any other service penetration. It must have an AS1530.4 tested solution or AS4072.2 assessed solution.

Contego have available several solutions for varying applications with regard to timber members penetrating fire walls. We are happy to discuss any current or upcoming projects to ensure timber penetrations are not missed and become a legacy compliance issue for building owners, designers or builders.

Quality is Key for Passive Fire Standards

Tue, 26 May 2020 22:35:32 GMT

QUALITY MUST REMAIN OUR PRIORITY

Throughout May we have worked with FPANZ to kickstart the Fire & Smoke Stopping Code of Practice working group. This i s a really a positive initiative that the Passive SIG will develop and deliver for industry. Contego Systems have collaborated within the SIG as well as MBIE, Councils, NZIA, Insurance Council, SFPE, FENZ, IFE, GIB and BRANZ.

This level of collaboration from the wider industry hasn’t occurred previously and is a sign of the central role FPANZ plays for the industry in New Zealand and how much of an essential aspect of building compliance the wider industry sees for Passive Fire.

As we enter uncertain times in the construction industry, I do have a concern that all of the good that has been delivered in the Passive Fire industry over the past 4 years could be at risk of being undone by poor control of quality through cost cutting.

Tough times in construction tend to promote cost cutting, cowboys and DIY. This will hurt our industry and all of the good that has been achieved.

Therefore, it is imperative that we maintain our position and keep the focus on Quality and Compliance.

There will be a greater dependence on Fire Engineers, Third Party Inspectors and Councils to ensure the level of Quality and Compliance is maintained to the highest standard. These are the Gate keepers to ensure standards don’t slip and that poor quality and non-compliance isn’t allowed to prosper.

We will continue to work toward a position where Passive Fire is a recognised Specialist Trade with restricted activity. As we work toward this goal, the operators that chose to invest in training, testing, quality and doing things right will be rewarded in the end and the cowboys will be found out!

Presenting Passive Fire at BOINZ

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 02:51:42 GMT

Pre lock down Justin was invited to present to the Southern Chapter of BOINZ (Building Officials Institute NZ) with regard to current industry initiatives & best practices with regard to Passive Fire Protection.

BOINZ is an association that’s members include Council building inspectors and public and private sector building professionals.

The Southern Chapter met in Dunedin in early March & Justin presented on where the industry is currently at, new initiatives coming up and some of the common problems in the industry. The presentation culminated in a site visit through one of Contego’s recent projects to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

This was a great opportunity for Justin to meet direct with BOINZ members & hear the issues they experience & what their thoughts are on the initiatives coming from within the industry.

Through his role as Chairperson of the FPANZ Passive SIG Justin will be engaging a lot more with various Building Consent Authorities (BCA’s) & the likes of BOINZ in coming months. Including rolling out online webinars for CPD points for industry professionals.

If you or your organisation is interested in a webinar on Passive Fire protection then contact us & we can arrange a bespoke webinar for your organisation or arrange for you to be put on the list for FPANZ Get it Right Webinars that will be coming up later this year.

What's coming up for Contego.

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 02:42:12 GMT

In recent months and through the lock down Contego have been working on several projects with regard to Design & Specification.

This is a great task for us to be doing through the lockdown as it puts our specialist skills and knowledge to good use.

Current & recent projects where we have been providing Design & specification services for Passive Fire Protection include:

Dunedin City Council

Building Asset Passive Fire Guides

Contego have been engaged to prepare individual Passive Fire Guides for each of the DCC’s buildings within its asset portfolio. These guides are specific to each building and collect often decades of historical fire safety design into one easy to digest manual.

The content is aimed at advising tenants, managers, incumbent contractors and future construction professionals on the intricacies of each building and how to maintain compliance of Passive Fire systems within the building
This backs up our commitment to working with Building owners for the life of the building – not just today

Langlands Hotel Invercargill

Structural Steel Fire Protection

Contego have been engaged to work with the Main Contractor & Design team on this 7 storey hotel in the centre of Invercargill. This hotel is a generational development for the city of Invercargill & will be a flagship building. Contego’s role is to develop the design of the Steel protection systems including Intumescent paint, Board protection and interfaces with other design elements.

Contego are involved in fortnightly design meetings with Architect Warren and Mahoney, Fire Engineer GHD, Structural Engineer Beca, Project Manager TBIG, and Main Contractor Leighs Construction to deliver a complete Passive Fire design package for this complex design.
Deliverables for our design include: Intumescent coatings loading schedule, Calcium silicate board design & loading schedule, Marked up drawings, Specification, QA control guide, and review & co-ordination of Architectural details
Contego will be on site post lock down working with Leighs on this exciting project

Wakatipu High School

Extension ECI

Contego have been engaged to provide ECI (early contractor involvement) with Southbase Construction for this significant extension to the High School building. Contego have been providing ECI advice with regard to all Passive Fire design and Acoustic design requirements.

Southbase as the Main Contractor will be taking early design risk & therefore it is our role as ECI contractor to mitigate that design risk for them & the client (Ministry of Education)
Deliverables for this project include: Preliminary Risk Register, Passive Fire penetration design, Intumescent Coatings Design & specification, Acoustic design, design co-ordination
Contego have worked with Southbase on preliminary design and developed design details and will see this project through to construction

University of Otago

Student Accommodation building (Te Rangi Hiroa) ECI

Contego are also working with Southbase on the ECI works for this exciting >$80M build for the University of Otago to provide over 400 beds for Student accommodation. Southbase as the Main Contractor will be taking early design risk & therefore it is our role as ECI contractor to mitigate that design risk for them & the client (University of Otago)

Deliverables for this project include: Preliminary Risk Register, Passive Fire penetration design, Intumescent Coatings Design & specification, Acoustic design, design co-ordination
Contego have worked with Southbase on preliminary design and developed design details and will see this project through to construction

Dunedin Public Hospital

(SDHB) Existing building audit

Contego have been engaged by SDHB to provide an audit of existing building stock with regard to Passive Fire compliance
These audits involve a significant amount of desktop due diligence to go through decades of archives
The site audits are obviously on hold during lockdown. However, we are still preparing documents & reviewing all historical fire safety information for these complex buildings

Auditing an existing building such as a hospital or a civic building is a task that Contego have great experience in. We understand the historical nature of the buildings, sensitive operating environments.
Sometimes these audits are prepared solely for long term budget advice for reporting and big picture maintenance budgets so that Passive Fire protection upgrades can be considered long term.
Contego has developed a good working relationship with SDHB whereby our expertise with regard to Passive Fire protection and Hospitals is valued

Peer Review

Contego has been engaged to provide a peer review service for other contractors around the countryside.
This peer review service is provided as an independent service whereby the client can have confidence in the documentation, systems and installations provided by other contractors are compliant.

This is one way that full compliance evidence can be provided to clients and Building Consent Authorities at code of compliance phase
Contego complete the peer review as a completely unbiased review with no ultimatum as works are being completed in areas outside of our operating territories.

Contego enters Covid 19 lock down.

colm@mthuttdigital.co.nz (Colm McGrath) — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 21:25:39 GMT

Like the rest of the country & a significant portion of the world Contego. are now in lock down.

We had started putting in place contingency plans over the previous 3 weeks for this type of event. So we are prepared. Office staff including Project Managers, QS, IQP’s, Payroll & Accounts are all fully operational from our individual living rooms.

Through the lock down we will be operational in the following capacity:

Essential Service

We are ready to mobilise for any of our clients that do provide an essential service including; DCC, SDHB, Hotels, Airport, Medical centres. For any clients that do fall into Essential services category please contact justin@contego.co.nz or 027 522 4446
We are registered with Civil defence for any carpentry or passive fire requirements.
Otherwise we will not be operational in a site capacity or products.

Design & Specification

We are working on several design & specification projects for upcoming projects after the lock down.

IQP

We are working on any outstanding IQP reports and the like.
For all IQP clients we have notified the relevant Building Consent Authority on your behalf & stated the obvious that there will be a delay to current compliance information.

Estimating & Quantity Surveying

Positively we have a full tender board at present & we will be working through these tenders over coming weeks

Project Managers

Project Managers are using the time to ensure all paper work is in order including H&S, Quality Assurance.
Any ongoing project queries or issues throughout the lock down we are on hand to deal with.

Site Staff

Our site staff will have the cleanest vans in NZ.
As well as all being busy working through their NZQA Level 3 Passive Fire installers qualification on line.

For our team we are keeping in touch & keeping morale high. We are also ensuring we maintain some level of normality by keeping our head in the game with the likes of training, design projects and tidying up files. So that we are ready to hit the ground running after the lock down.

For now we wish everyone well and remember the words of our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

"New Zealand, be calm, be kind, stay at home."We can break the chain."

How did this fire burn out of control for 60 hours?

colm@mthuttdigital.co.nz (Colm McGrath) — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 21:14:18 GMT

In June 2017, a fire broke out in the UK which burned for 60 hours....

In June 2017, a fire broke out in the 24 storey Grenfel Tower block of flats in West London, UK. 220 people were able to escape the building however the fire caused 72 deaths and more than 70 others were injured. This was reported to be the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since 1988 and the worst residential fire the UK has experienced since the Second World War.

The investigation into the cause of the fire found that during a major renovation in 2015-16 the tower had new new aluminium composite rain screen cladding installed on the outside the building. The purpose of the cladding was to improve heating and energy efficiency within the building and enhance the external appearance of Grenfel Tower.

Two types of cladding were used in the renovation: Arconic's Reynobond PE which consist of two coil-coated aluminium sheets that are fusion bonded to a polyethylene core; and Reynolux aluminum sheets. Beneath these and fixed to the exterior walls of the flats was Celotex thermal insulation. The combination of this cladding, insulation and the air gap between covered the building in a solid petrol that fed the flames in a stack effect, and the fire burned for around 60 hours before fire fighters were able to extinguish it.

What does this have to do with New Zealand

It is now 3 years on from this devastating fire and now fire tests of cladding on multi storey buildings are being run in New Zealand for the first time . A purpose-built rig near Porirua will be used to set alight wall assemblies to see how they burn. Fire engineer Kevin Frank explains that we need to change the way we look at buildings. "We need to look at the outside of buildings at systems rather than only focusing on the individual components."

The rig which is set up at the Building Research Association NZ (BRANZ) near Porirua is on a concrete slab and is around 9 meters high. A fire is set at the base of the rig and if the flames reach 600 degrees, 5meters or higher up the wall then the cladding system has failed.

What we do and why we do it!

Sun, 09 Feb 2020 03:20:55 GMT

The role of the passive fire protection installer

A well designed passive fire protection (PFP) strategy and specification is not the only thing to think about when planning your building fire protection. Of equal importance is the workmanship and standards of the passive fire installers and team that will maintain the building in the long run.

Passive fire protection is built into every part of your building in the form of walls, floors, ceilings, beams, columns down to the seals, fire-stops, doors and shutters. It performs two essential functions in the event of a fire:

It keeps your building or asset structurally stable for longer to give people the time to get out safely and can also be great benefit to fire fighters.

Fire protection helps to prevent the spread of fire and smoke within the building or between subdivisions within a single asset, again helping to protect people as well as valuable contents in a building.

Passive Fire design and specification strategies are made up of many elements that together make a critical system. It is important to understand that Installing any single one of these elements without a proper understanding of the overall critical system, can lead to integration errors even when that element is correctly installed. Although the risk of fire cannot be entirely eliminated, the impact that it can have to a building, its contents and those that my be in it, is so damaging that it is important to take every effort to minimise this at every stage of a build.

Fires and smoke are dangerous but they usually become catastrophic when they spread from the room of origin. The point of fire protection is to prevent this spread or, at the very least, delay it. All too often, however, fires do spread, often because of faults with the installation.

Certain elements of PFP construction such as masonry walls or timber or steel structures are likely to remain untouched throughout the life of the structure. They need no maintenance and therefore, the main risks arise if they are not installed correctly to begin with.

Other elements of construction suffer from regular wear & tear are a higher risk factor.

For other areas of construction that are subjected to daily use such as doors, partition walls and shutters, it it necessary to have regular maintenance and to be checked for quality and fire safety standards. Equally, elements that are likely to be altered to allow building services to pass through will suffer damage and require repair. Any new additions to the structure of the building or the internal fixtures must be properly installed and need to have effective fire stopping too.

As most passive fire protection components are hidden in within the building once construction is finished, it is very difficult to check, maintain and repair should there be a problem. It takes skill, experience and competence to accurately identify the fire rating of an element, this is especially necessary in the absence of information and documentation.

Of course sometimes fixing or installing fire stopping measures in older buildings it is necessary and unavoidable especially if the use of the building changes or there are new laws or regulations introduced that change fore safety standards. This can often be carried out by less well qualified facilities management staff than during an initial build, where highly qualified fire installers with a fresh understanding of the fire strategy may be on hand.

Success lies in the hands of the installer!

Part of the solution to good installation is to get the specification right in the first instance. A comprehensive specification, clearly defined and accompanied by accurate, comparable drawings, goes a long way to mitigating the risk of misunderstanding. Even after handing over comprehensive specification information and clearly communicating the strategy, success still lies in the hands of the installer!

It is not enough to rely solely on the installer’s authorisation. Instead, you should always check that that they have relevant recent experience, and that they can back up their claims with certificates of competence. The things to look for are not just the existence of a certificate, but a relevant, up-to-date accreditation from a recognised organisation. Given the fire risks associated with passive fire protection installation, careful scrutiny of any documentation is critical.

Insisting on certificates of this kind will demonstrate due diligence in the unfortunate event of a fire and gives the highest possible level of confidence that the work will be carried out correctly. Dealing with the damaging effects of fire is bad enough without the additional burden of being the subject of a legal claim.

Small 'simple' repairs can have catastrophic effects on the fire rating

While the fixed structural elements of PFP are of course critically important, they are rarely subject to change during the life of a building. We have established that partition walls and doors are much more prone to be altered or suffer damage through wear and tear than fixed structural elements of PFP, so it is especially important that the people who install or maintain them understand what they are doing. The fundamental objective is to preserve the element’s confirmed fire rating. Small repairs to the beading around the glazing in a fire door can have catastrophic effects on the fire rating, for example, and so it is critical that the installer must appreciate what can and cannot be done.

There is no question that employing third-party certified installers are worth the extra cost for the fire risks they mitigate. Furthermore, installing and maintaining passive fire protection correctly extends their service life. More to the point, retrospective fixes for poorly installed designs are difficult and expensive to fix, adding extra motivation to get it right first time round.

Fire Tests – What goes on at the lab

Sat, 21 Dec 2019 06:02:02 GMT

Fire Safety Engineering starts with the study the fire behavior of various materials.

Passive Fire products must undergo stringent testing to ensure they provide the performance required by the design. Not only is the product required to be tested but every single scenario this product is used in including the many variations possible such as pipe diameter. So where, who, & how are these tests completed.

AS1530 testing can be completed by any recognised lab with appropriate lab authorisation such as ILAC or NATA. There is an increasing number of these labs in Australasia which is proving very beneficial for the industry as we are now seeing more & more testing being completed by Manufacturers.

AS1530 is the series of test standards that stipulate exactly how a test must be completed for every type of scenario including temperatures, orientations, fixings, supports, reading locations & the like.

Tests are completed on ‘full scale’ test rigs with the substrate constructed & services run through & the proposed Passive Fire system installed. Then the exciting part starts with the burning of the test.

The furnace will undergo a controlled burn according to the test standard temp/ time curve chart.

Readings will be recorded throughout the test including thermocouple readings at set points across the specimen & visual recordings such as flame.

Recordings & data are then assessed by the Lab team & eventually a report issued with the labs verified fire rating achieved i.e -/60/60.

All different elements of passive fire have slightly different test protocol according to the relevant sub category including doors, dampers, penetrations, primary separations & cladding.

There is also Group rating & smoke flame index testing which is a different test arrangement.

Claddings are currently an area that is grey around the world. Various test standards are being applied in different parts of the world & NZ is yet to firm up which direction & test standard will be applicable moving forward for claddings.

Testing of Passive Fire products has traditionally been very expensive & time consuming & hence very little testing was done by manufacturers for a long time. However, now there is more & more test labs in Australasia & test bookings are more & more available. In 2019 Contego through a Manufacturer were able to facilitate a bespoke test detail within a 2 week window.

This level of testing moving forward means that the days are gone of people wetting their finger & guessing how Passive fire products will perform in scenarios. We are now in the world where hard evidence is known through extensive & thorough testing.

Intumescent Coating & Steel Protection

Sat, 21 Dec 2019 06:00:54 GMT

Intumescent coatings & Fire protection to structural steel is a vital & often under considered aspect of ‘Passive Fire Protection’ within a building. The focus over recent years has been on increasing the standard of performance for Fire stopping of penetrations. However, Fire protection to Structural Steel is an area that is in need of increased scrutiny & we are now seeing major issues on construction projects due to poor design, control & application of these systems.

There has been a large lack of understanding of the physical properties of Intumescent coatings & fire ratings traditionally which has created some legacy issues & mindsets.

Fire rating Steel Protection (Post Fire Structural Steel Protection) requires limiting the temperature to the steel members. As steel heats up it loses its structural capacity (or yield). Therefore this is different to fire spread. i.e You may be able to stop a flame, however the heat is still passing through.

Intumescent coatings expand under heat. The expansion of the Intumescent product is then insulating the steel member. Therefore if the Intumescent can’t fully expand then the insulation to the steel member isn’t doing its job. Think of this like a life jacket on a plane – the life jacket is no good until it has inflated. Therefore where Intumescent coatings are applied we need to be careful to ensure clearance space is provided around the paint application to allow for this expansion to occur.

Now that the wider industry starting to put the microscope on the these requirements major defects have reared their head. Issues that we have observed over the past 12 months include:

Wrong specification of Intumescent coating for the design application
No clearance to Intumescent coatings around timber work
Poor contractor selection with no track record or QA processes in place
Lack of trained staff
Lack of budget & forcing poor quality
Lack of QA throughout
Primer compatibility
Steel prep with wire brush & not sand blasted
Lack of top coat & Intumescent paint failing due to weather exposure during construction
Complete lack of QA records – involving destructive work to complete micrometre testing & the like

Fire rating protection to Structural Steel isn’t limited to only Intumescent Coatings. Other systems include:

Cementicious
Plasterboard
Calcium silicate board
Rockfibre board

Contego have knowledge of all of these systems & understand which product is the best application for which projects & different elements within the building itself. Often Hybrid systems throughout a building are the best outcome for cost/ aesthetics & design performance.

Through all of our projects we put heavy emphasis on the QA control including pre-start QA Technical submission, during construction QA controls & recording & handover QA.

We are finding more that good designers, Architects & Engineers are wanting to engage with Contego early in the design phase for Steel protection to ensure the right systems for budget & performance are considered from the start.

Contego have regular contact with the Manufacturers Technical teams & can bring their specialist knowledge into the design phase also. Having an understanding of all of their systems benefits & limitations means that we have readily available information to assist with decision making during design right from the early stages.

FPANZ is soon to release a Code of Practice for Intumescent Coatings which will be applicable to NZ standards & industry. This best practice guide is highly anticipated within the industry & will be a great resource tool for projects.

What a year!

Sun, 08 Dec 2019 00:26:21 GMT

A Contego Christmas Message

2019 has been a positive year for Contego & we would like to take the opportunity to thank our clients, colleagues, consultants, suppliers, staff & everyone that allows our business to function & perform at a high level.

We are looking forward to 2020 with a strong forward workload already secured across the South Island

We are making significant investments for 2020 & beyond to ensure we are ready for our committed work load & can continue to service our clients to the highest level. Such as;

New Head office in Dunedin with increased office, workshop, technical centre & bulk storage
Upgrading facilities in Queenstown & Southern Lakes
Increasing Labour resource on the ground in Southern Lakes
New permanent Office Manager who will working alongside Justin & Toni Cocker our Financial Officer
Recruiting new apprentices in both Dunedin & Queenstown/ Southern Lakes
Strategies in place to operate in centres outside of Dunedin & Queenstown.
Supporting the development of our industry locally & nationally through training & Justin taking up the Chairman position for FPANZ Passive SIG.

Through out the coming year will will also be investing in training for all staff including:

10 x Level 3 Passive Fire Qualification
2 x Level 4 Passive Fire Qualification
2 x Diploma in Fire Engineering
2 x BCITO Carpentry apprentices
Diploma Quantity Surveying
Diploma Health & Safety

Merry Christmas & Happy New year from the entire team at Contego
& looking forward to working with everyone in 2020.

Training & Development

Sun, 08 Dec 2019 00:25:35 GMT

Contego has always been committed to staff training & development. 2019 saw increased activity in training.

In 2020 we will see our staff go through more training a development courses. This investment in staff development & training highlights our commitment to upskill our team. We firmly believe that doing this early & constantly is the only way to ensure we are prepared & ready when growth & large scale opportunities present themselves.

Training in 2019 & 2020 has included:

Business leadership – Icehouse/ Chamber of Commerce Otago/ Employers Association
Level 3 Passive Fire Protection – Competenz
Level 4 Passive Fire Protection – Competenz
Diploma Fire Engineering – Open Polytechnic
Diploma in Quantity Surveying – Otago Polytechnic
Health & Safety Leadership – Site safe/ SafetynAction/ University of Otago
Carpentry Apprenticeships – BCITO

New Year, New Yard

Sun, 08 Dec 2019 00:19:59 GMT

Contego have acquired a new premises located at 11 Lorne St, Dunedin which will be the new Head Office, yard & distribution centre for Contego branches.

This new premises allows us to have a more functional office, technical centre, workshop & bulk storage.

The increased space accommodates for the growth we have experienced in recent years as well as providing flexibility for future growth opportunities.

In addition to the new premises we have also committed to a new full time Office Manager in Anna Cartwright who will be joining us from the start of 2020 at the new Head Office.

We are also making investments for our facilities in Queenstown & Southern Lakes with increased storage & workshop area & long term commitment to premises & resources in the region, so watch this space!

There's a new Chairman in town!

Sun, 08 Dec 2019 00:15:05 GMT

In November our Director Justin McEntyre was announced as the incoming Chairman for Passive Fire SIG group within FPANZ. This is a position that also involves a seat on the FPANZ council

Justin is honoured to be taking up the position within the industry. The Passive SIG has achieved a lot over the past 3 years under Paul Ryan’s leadership & Justin intends on continuing the great positive initiatives & deliverables that have come out of the association.

This role will see Justin working alongside all industry participants including other FPANZ SIG groups, Passive Fire industry, Local councils, MBIE, FENZ & other aspects of the Fire Safety industry.

It is an exciting time for FPANZ Passive SIG with the newly established Level 3 Passive Fire Qualification, & soon to be developed & released Codes of Practices for various aspects of Passive Fire including Intumescent coatings, Fire stopping, Doors & Dampers.

Justin is wanting to bring a strong focus on developing the maturity of our industry from a contractor level. Ultimately this will deliver better compliant results for building owners & building participants.

Taking on this busy role is a show of Contego’s commitment to supporting our industry & making sure we are prepared to Work On the industry, not just in the industry.

NZ Southern Excellence 2019 award winners!

colm@mthuttdigital.co.nz (Colm McGrath) — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 23:43:34 GMT

The fifth annual Property Council Southern Excellence Awards were held on 18 October at the Airforce Museum of New Zealand in Christchurch.

Property Council's South Island Branch was pleased to present their fifth annual Southern Excellence Awards. The Awards are open to both members and non-members of Property Council New Zealand who are based in the South Island.

The Awards celebrate the people in property; recognising excellence in leadership and innovation in the South Island property industry and celebrating outstanding contributions to our industry and the local economy.

Contego is proud to have been a part of the Hayward College Refurbishment Team Lead By Logic Group who won the Best Team Award this year. Contego were engaged by the Construction Manager Logic to undertake the role of Passive Fire Specialist.

Our core role involved treating existing & new services penetrations throughout the building which had previously been a maternity hospital & more recently a Student Hostel.

However, our role was far more involved than simply penetration treatment. Due to the tight nature of this project Logic & their consultant design team relied heavily on Contego for compliant Design solutions on the fly – there was simply no time for stopping the bus for design solutions. Contego were able to identify issues, scope out & have a compliant solution available for the project team immediately.

We also undertook a detailed construction monitoring role by completing QA inspections on all Fire separations, risers & the like for other trades work. This was a vital element to building trust with the local council & the project Fire Engineer who weren’t able to keep up with inspections throughout the fast past project over the Christmas break.

A secret to the smooth installation & treatment of services throughout the >200 bedrooms was Contego’s service in providing coordinated BIM drawings that showed set out locations for each service & our Fire stopping system. This meant that everything was installed in a tidy, uniform & best for project way that allowed for quick execution of the project works.

A highlight of the project lead by Logic was that every trade was working for the benefit of the project & thinking about the other trades – there were truly no individuals on this project which was a key to the success.

Passive & Active fire protection, whats the difference?

colm@mthuttdigital.co.nz (Colm McGrath) — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 20:58:20 GMT

There are two types of fire protection systems, Active Fire Protection (AFP) and Passive Fire Protection (PFP). When it comes to fire safety it’s important that both systems are properly working in the event of a fire.

Active and passive fire protection systems are meant to work together during a fire, not one in place of the other. But, there still may be some confusion about the differences between active and passive fire protection.

Active Fire Protection

Active Fire Protection is a group of systems that require some amount of action in order to work efficiently in the event of a fire.

Some of these actions may be manually operated, like a fire extinguisher. When a fire is detected, the individuals in the building work actively to extinguish or slow the spread of the fire and once firefighters arrive, they use fire extinguishers and fire hoses to put out the fire altogether. Some systems are automatic, like a sprinklers which are activated by heat or smoke and help to slow the growth and spread of fire.

The active fire protection in a building will assist in putting out the fire, but may not always work properly. Especially during winter, sprinklers often fail due to frozen pipes, roads could become icy, and hydrants could freeze, which all delays a firefighter’s job and let's the fire grow.

Passive Fire Protection

Passive Fire Protection is a group of systems that compartmentalize a building through the use of fire-resistance rated walls and floors, keeping the fire from spreading quickly and providing time to escape for people in the building. Dampers are used in a facilities ducts to prevent the spread of fire/smoke throughout the building’s ductwork system. Fire doors help compartmentalize a building, while giving its occupants means of escape. Fire walls and floors help separate the building into compartments to stop the spread of fire/smoke from room to room.

Passive Fire Protection compartmentalizes a building into smaller sections to prevent the spread of fire and smoke throughout the building, while also providing occupants more time for evacuation. However, it doesn’t put out the fire altogether, it just helps contain it to one location.

Why both is better than just one!

Active and passive fire protection systems, although different, are important to a building's overall fire safety.

The active fire protection uses systems that take action in putting out the fire, while Passive Fire Protection uses systems that help prevent the spread of fire and smoke. Just because one is working doesn’t mean you should ignore the other, or that one is more important than the other. Therefore, to ensure that a building has total fire protection, both AFP and PFP should be working together in unison. These systems play a vital, and increasingly significant, role in safeguarding people, as well as limiting damage to buildings and their contents from fire and smoke.

The Gold Standard in Fire Protection

Sat, 21 Sep 2019 02:35:58 GMT

We understand that fire safety isn't something you would gamble with and we take our role in the fire protection industry seriously.

Contego are invested in the entire life-cycle of a building. We engage at each stage including concept, construction and the ongoing maintenance of a building. We are an approved installer of a wide variety of products and systems for Passive Fire Protection. We have access to a greater range of products and systems than any other contractor in the South Island.

If you need advice, servicing, installation, or fire protection products, the best way to ensure you are dealing with professionals with the relevant training, knowledge, ethics and responsibility critical to the safety of lives and the protection of property is to choose a member of the Fire Protection Association of New Zealand (FPANZ).

FPANZ is a not-for-profit Incorporated Society governed by a constitution and Board of Directors and is is the voice of the fire safety industry.

As members of the Fire Protection Association NZ we:

• Help to set and maintain the standards for the Fire Safety Industry in New Zealand

• We operate to professional Codes of Practice and Ethical Conduct

• We strive to achieve continuous professional development in the of our staff.

• FPANZ has established high-level formal relationships with the New Zealand Fire Service, Government agencies, International Fire Associations and the wider community

• The association is active in the ongoing development and review of Fire Codes and Standards in the Fire Safety industry.

Passive Fire Protection = Contego

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 02:34:05 GMT

Passive Fire Protection is a vital part of any fire design

Passive Fire Protection involves constructing fire cells within buildings to prevent fire & smoke spreading.

It is a vital part of any fire design – safeguarding human life and reducing the risk to property in the event of fire.

Passive fire protection has two key components:

Fire resistance – focused on using a fire-separating element (a wall, floor or ceiling) to limit the spread of fire through the element, or to prevent structural collapse of load-bearing elements

Reaction to fire – restricting flammability (surface burning behaviour of an element or material and how it promotes rapid flame spread, hot gases or smoke production).

Passive fire protection is designed into the structure of a building providing fire separations in the form of fire rated floors and walls.

The fire separation are used to form fire compartments – which restrict the spread of fire and smoke within the building allowing occupants to escape and offering protection to fire fighters.

Fire rated walls and floors are tested to ensure they maintain adequate structural stability and integrity for a specific design period.

Many fire separations will have openings formed within, either for the passage of building services such as cables, pipes, ducting or for the installation of fire rated glazing, doors, inspection hatches or service risers.

Passive fire protection encompasses many different building elements

Fire Separations, in many instances, will require seismic movement joints
which require fire stopping using a suitably tested product.

Some construction elements will require additional passive fire protection measures such as structural steel, kitchen extractor ducting, large open ceiling voids and specialist surface coatings.

Passive fire protection is both complex and detailed and adequate time should be spent researching the correct product before specifying, sourcing or installation to ensure the chosen system is building code compliant.

Controlling passive fire Protection costs

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 02:00:48 GMT

Is it time for tighter control of contracts drawn up for passive fire protection?

Better contracts will spread the risk, ensure accurate pricing and improve project standards and compliance. Along with increased activity in the field of passive fire protection, there has been a lack of cost accuracy and poor contractor commitment to fixed pricing in recent years. This has left a high percentage or all of the risk associated with works, with the client and limited control on contractor performance and responsibilities.

Poor cost controls

Typically, contracts have commenced with only a provisional sum in place for the passive fire protection, and this provisional sum is seldom accurate or estimated with any calculation. There is also a suggestion that contractors may have been benefiting financially from such a loose approach to cost control for fire stopping.

The nature of passive fire means that there can be a high level of unknown and therefore risk. Factors that have been attributed to the lack of cost control and commitment are:

lack of knowledge by industry and contractors
lack of incentive for contractors to fix prices or rates, such as lack of competition and provisional sums
lack of control of services, with trades making penetrations
retrofit works
difficult access
lack of design making pricing difficult or impossible
lack of care of services installation
lack of available tested systems.

Many negative outcomes

The negative outcome of having no cost control structures in place includes:

contractors using this as lucrative charge-up work
variation costs and budget blowout
inaccurate initial budgets
uneven tender pricing situations
fear of passive fire trade
no incentive for contractors to take a controlled approach to passive fire.

Early engagement is a good start

The industry is now mature enough for more accurate pricing and fairer engagement to be implemented. This is best achieved through early engagement with a competent design team and contractors for passive fire protection requirements.

When sound contractual process and cost control is implemented for passive fire protection, it enhances the standard of work and compliance being delivered. Good contractual implementation will motivate the design team to consider passive fire from the outset and place responsibilities on the contractor to execute it to the correct standards.

Choosing the right form of contract

There are many types of engagement forms for passive fire protection, and each type of work has varying levels of risk. An engagement protocol, therefore, should be adopted that is appropriate for the scope and arrangement.

There are also many forms of contractual reimbursement that can be applied to passive fire protection. The recommended models are:

fixed price lump sum
design and build
measure and value
cost plus (time and materials)
provisional sum.

Both parties must be agreeable to the form of the contract and have a fair portion of risk associated to them (see Table 1).

The contractor should fully assess the scope and risks for each contract type and price for these accordingly. Relevant tags, clarifications, contingencies and the like should be included where appropriate.

Figure 1 has a guide for selecting an appropriate contract reimbursement format for a passive fire project.

Regardless of which format is agreed, an accurate estimate of costs should always be calculated first to provide an initial cost expectation

Download the PDF

Passive Fire Protection & Controlling passive fire costs

Passive Fire Design & Specification

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 22:40:31 GMT

Design & Specifications for Passive Fire Protection

Contego have been completing a significant number of Design & Specifications for Passive Fire Protection for clients.

We are finding that smart clients & lead design consultants are realising that Early involvement with a Passive Fire Specialist pays huge dividends later in the project & completely de-risks the Quality & Budget with regard to Passive Fire Protection.

A selection of Clients & consultants that we have worked with recently include: Southern District Health Board (SDHB), Housing NZ, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin City Council (DCC), Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC), Waitaki District Council (WDC), ANZ, Beca, Warren & Mahoney, Logic, RCP, Feldspar, St John, AW Architects, Cook Brothers, Leighs Construction, Naylor Love Construction, Breen Construction, Fire Design Solutions.

The feedback on services is that Contego have raised the Benchmark in this design & specification field. Service provided is above & beyond project requirements. On a recent Government department project Contego provided full detailed Passive Fire design services from concept on a high risk project – after open tender market the Passive Fire protection trade was below Contego preliminary stage budget by 2%.

A bi-product of engaging Contego with Passive Fire Design from the early phase is that we provide a microscopical level of design co-ordination with regard to services & Structural protection. This level of detail & design co-ordination would not normally be considered until well through a build which is when delays & cost are beyond control.

Services provided in Design & Specification include:

Auditing
Design
Specification
Construction quality drawing mark ups
Detailed drawings
Co-ordination
BIM
Tested solution research & presentation
Tender documents & specification
Consent documents & specification
Construction Monitoring
Budget

Queenstown Lakes District Hospital Re-development

justin@contego.co.nz (Justin McEntyre) — Wed, 21 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Stage 2 of the Queenstown Lakes District Hospital Re-development is nearing completion.

Contego have been the Specialist Passive Fire Protection contractor for Leighs Construction on this onerous redevelopment in the operating Hospital.

The new works involved the construction of an new CT Scanner, ED ward & Ambulance bay as well as back of house service areas. All of this work had to be staged & completed around the Operating Hospital.

In addition to the new works Contego have also had the onerous task of working inside the Hospital & in the Basement area completing remedial Passive Fire protection works on the entire hospital.

New works are scheduled for Handover & Contego will carry on for a short while extra upgrading the Fire safety of the entire hospital.

Otago Museum's Fire protection upgrade

justin@contego.co.nz (Justin McEntyre) — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Working alongside a Moa skeleton, various extinct species, ancient relics including Waka isn’t your typical work environment.

Contego have been involved with the Otago Museum since 2017 when we undertook the Passive Fire protection on the highly popular Tuhura fitout. Contego have since been engaged to audit the entire building throughout & undertake the stage by stage upgrade & remedial works to Passive Fire Protection.

Passive Fire protection in this building is vitally important for both life safety for the significant occupancy of public but also protection of the irreplaceable exhibits on display & in storage.

In order to install our Passive Fire systems we have first had to arrange for the Museum Curators team to undertake testing on our products to ensure the chemicals are not creating any impact on the preservation of exhibits.

Feedback from Museum staff is that Contego staff have been doing an exceptional job of being respectful of their processes & unique requirements.

The Museums Fire protection upgrade regime featured here in the Otago Daily Times

Environmental & Ethics Position Statement:

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 00:14:55 GMT

At Contego we are conscious of playing our part to be ‘Good’ contractor & make sure our impact on the Environment & Community is positive. At the beginning of 2019 we sat down & evaluated our business operations & looked at how we can best change or enhance our operations with Environment & Community in consideration.

Out of this we reviewed our current Policies & developed these further & created a guiding document for us as an organisation to follow. This document is called the “Contego Environmental & Ethics Position Statement 2019”.

The aim of the document is to set us steps & company policies to see us through the next 12 months. We will look at this again in 12 months’ time & review again & see if we can raise our own personal benchmark again.

Through this review we were conscious of the ‘token or generic’ efforts that so many companies around the world which is often copy/ paste. Therefore Contego set goals & policies that were specific to our work & operations & actually achievable & measurable.

Micro policies such as:

Utilising waste – internally & also collaborating with other local companies to minimise waste to landfill

Buy locally – with a priority ranking when purchases have to be made outside of our immediate region

Using technology in the field to reduce paper

You can find a full copy of Contego Environmental & Ethics Position Statement 2019 & see the steps & actions we are taking this year to play our part using the link below.

Training, Training, Training:

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 22:03:23 GMT

In 2019 the emphasis & effort by industry heads is being put into specialist training for Passive Fire Protection.

FPANZ in partnership with CompeteNZ are developing - Level 3 Passive Fire Trade qualification. This qualification will be the first trade based qualification in NZ aimed at making Passive Fire Protection a restricted trade supported by industry impartial training.

Our Operations Manager Kyle Osten has been asked to join the selected industry panel that is responsible for pulling together the trade qualification. Kyle travelled to Auckland in March for a day planning session looking at relevant NZQA credits & how the course will be delivered. Kyle will continue with the selected group of Industry leaders from across NZ to deliver this exciting training & provide a career path for current & future Passive Fire Installers.

Once the training qualification is live Contego will be the first company to have >14 staff signed up for the recognised training in the first year.

Other training we are currently undertaking includes:

ASFP – Passive Fire 101
Icehouse – Business Leadership
H&S Leadership
Fire Engineer Diploma – currently being developed through IFE & targeting taking first applicants mid-2019.

”Contego article in Branz BUILD magazine (April 2019)”

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 21:59:35 GMT

Branz BUILD Magazine April edition is a special feature bulletin specifically on Passive Fire Protection.

A hand selected group of industry experts provided material for this bulletin from across NZ including Branz Technical team, Fire Engineers, Manufacturers & industry heads. Contego Manager Justin McEntyre was one of the authors providing an article.

Justin’s article titled “Controlling Passive Fire Costs” addresses the issues related to cost & Passive fire protection & provides advice & roadmap for clients & industry participants to ensure Passive Fire Protection is completed to a compliant standard whilst ensuring costs are controlled in a fair way.

The right contractual approach to the right building scenario.

For the full article head to www.buildmagazine.org

ASFP Membership

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 21:11:13 GMT

Association for Specialist Fire Protection

Contego have been accepted as an International Member of Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP). We believe at this stage we may be one of only a very few NZ members.

ASFP is a Passive Fire Protection specific association based in the UK that provides industry leadership in all elements of Passive Fire Protection including; training, contractors, manufacturers, standards & test laboratories.

In 2017 & 2018 ASFP have been largely consulted by the UK Government & independent enquiries investigating the tragedy at Grenfell Tower. In particular the report & recommendations by Dame Judith Hackitt. It is expected that these enquiries will have a huge impact on the global scale with regard to Passive Fire Protection moving into the future to avoid repeat tragedies.

ASFP provides a wealth of technical literature, training & support for the Passive Fire Protection Industry & Contego are proud to be a member based in NZ feeding off this wealth of experience to be able to better our service & standard to our clients.

Icehouse Business Leadership Graduation

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 21:07:46 GMT

Operations Manager Kyle Osten graduates

In October our Operations Manager Kyle Osten graduated from the Icehouse Business Leadership course in Christchurch.

Kyle completed the 3 block courses held through 2018 & graduated with a fantastic presentation in front of 16 other course participants & Business owners.

Kyle’s course project focused on improving efficiencies in the field for our team & implementing systems to help us achieve that goal.

The investment Contego made in this training for Kyle has already proven its value with the motivation & Business leadership skills Kyle has developed.

Investment in training is about walking the walk for Contego.

Surf Life Saving Donation from Contego

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 21:05:29 GMT

Contego gives donations totally $7,500.

Summer is a time that all Kiwi families & tourists flock to the beaches & Surf Life Saving NZ is the quiet heroes that ensure when we are enjoying the beautiful NZ coastlines we are safe.

Surf Life Saving NZ receives no direct funding of Government. Meaning that sponsorship & donation is a vital part of them being able to provide their services to everyone.

It is our pleasure to say that Contego has given a donation to the 5 Surf life saving clubs in our region totally $7,500.

St Clair, St Kilda, Warrington, Brighton & Kaka Point are Surf Life Clubs that protect the beaches around Otago & we are pleased that we can support these clubs to keep doing what they do each summer.

Contego latin translation is; ‘To shield & to protect’ – we feel it is therefore fitting for us to support local Otago Surf Life clubs.

Contego wins the Emerging Business Award at Westpac awards

Thu, 06 Dec 2018 22:38:52 GMT

Westpac Otago Business Awards

On Friday 30th November Contego were announced as the Westpac Otago Chamber of Commerce – Emerging Business Category winner.

This is a huge achievement for the team at Contego & a very proud night for everyone.

There were over 136 entries into this years business awards from across Otago & for Contego to be recognised in this way is a massive achievement & vote of confidence in what we have been doing.

One comment that the judges made was that Contego has strong plan for the future of the business. We are conscious that standing still is not an option & we can’t rest on progress to date. Therefore in 2019 Contego are focusing on continuing to service our current markets & clients as best as we can as well as enhancing our range of services with a strong focus on:

Intumescent Coatings
Design & Specification
Regional support

We would also like thank our clients, consultants & suppliers that have supported our growth & success over the past 2 years & look forward to working with you all further in 2019.

Contego featured in Insurance Business NZ

Thu, 29 Nov 2018 22:32:53 GMT

Contego takes the lead on passive fire protection

Over the past few months, the insurance industry has warned about a prevalent disregard for passive fire protection systems in buildings across New Zealand. Now one company in Dunedin is looking to address this issue.

Founded in 2016, Contego offers fire protection advice, as well as system design, installation and auditing services. Contego founder Justin McEntyre started the company because of his experience as a surveyor and construction project manager, where he observed passive fire protection systems that did not meet proper safety standards.

“I quickly realised there was a bit of another leaky building issue in our industry which was passive fire protection,” McEntyre told Stuff .

Contego featured in NZ Business Magazine

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Poor passive fire protection: a ticking fire-bomb

Dunedin start-up Contego Systems is changing the way in which Passive Fire Protection systems are designed and installed in New Zealand’s buildings.

Founded in 2016, and led by Justin McEntyre (pictured), Contego has already established itself nationally as an expert within the Passive Fire Protection industry. The start-up has hit the ground running successfully winning contracts with clients including Mercy Hospital, Cook Brothers, University Of Otago, Otago Museum, Otago Polytechnic, Leighs Construction, Presbyterian Support Otago, Arrow International, Naylor Love, Warren and Mahoney, Beca Fire Engineer and SDHB and the CDHB.

Contego featured on Stuff

Wed, 14 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Contego featured on Stuff

Dunedin entrepreneur Justin McEntyre says dodgy passive fire protection systems are another leaky buildings type issue for New Zealand.

In his work as a main contractor on big construction projects McEntyre came across a lot of sloppy passive fire protection systems which did not meet fire safety standards.

He was a trained and qualified surveyor and construction industry project manager at the time.

"I quickly realised there was a bit of another leaky building issue in our industry which was passive fire protection".

No one was talking much about it but it shaped the idea for a business venture which saw him launch Contego Systems in 2016 offering a fire protection advice, design, installation and audit service.

Poor Passive Fire Protection in New Zealand

Wed, 14 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Poor passive fire protection – sorting out a ticking fire-bomb

Dunedin start-up Contego has set out to change how Passive Fire Protection measures are delivered in New Zealand. The company has just been announced as a finalist in the Westpac Otago Business Awards for the Emerging Business Award.

A Dunedin start up, Contego Systems Limited is changing the way in which Passive Fire Protection systems are designed and installed in New Zealand’s buildings.

Founded in 2016, and led by Justin McEntyre, Contego has already established itself nationally as an expert within the Passive Fire Protection industry. The start-up has hit the ground running successfully winning contracts with clients including Mercy Hospital, Cook Brothers, University Of Otago, Otago Museum, Otago Polytechnic, Leighs Construction, Presbyterian Support Otago, Arrow International, Naylor Love, Warren and Mahoney, Beca Fire Engineer and SDHB and the CDHB. It now has a permanent team in Queenstown/ Central Otago providing the same service.

“The significant legacy issues with Passive Fire protection in New Zealand buildings have been well publicised in recent years. Contego has set about solving & rectifying these issues. Rather than standing back talking about how bad the situation is we are focused on ensuring that buildings are brought up to a compliant & safe standard & that new construction projects moving forward are completed to a much higher standard”, said McEntyre.

McEntyre previously worked as a quantity surveyor & project manager responsible for project management of multiple landmark South Island construction projects. While working as a main contractor he identified a requirement for improved passive fire protection planning, expertise and implementation within the construction industry and developed the business concept for Contego.

The Insurance Council hosted a seminar to discuss passive Fire issues in August 2018. It has been reported that insurers are said to be considering increased policy premiums, the introduction of policy exclusions and even withdrawing cover for non-compliant buildings.

“Contego looks to work with building owners, councils, contractors, consultants & insurers to provide a high level of expertise & knowledge in our field & seeks to put NZ construction on the right track with regard to Passive Fire Protection. ” said McEntyre.

Contego has defined it’s mission to raise the standard of passive fire protection and become the industries benchmark contractor within New Zealand.

Fire Safety involves both ‘Active’ Fire protection & ‘Passive’ Fire protection in order to protect lives & property. Passive fire protection involves constructing fire cells within buildings to prevent fire & smoke spreading.

Contego's services include passive fire protection design, budgeting, audits, retrospective fitting, specification, product distribution, training, quality assurance, documentation development, maintenance, building WOF and acoustics.

The company was recently announced as a finalist in the Westpac Otago Business Awards for the Emerging business award. The winners of the Westpac Otago Business Awards will be announced at a gala dinner to be held on November 30 at the Dunedin Town Hall.

Contego scales in Queenstown

Wed, 19 Sep 2018 00:21:54 GMT

Office space is about to almost double at Queenstown’s fast-growing Frankton Flats.

Contego have recently been engaged on two significant office development projects in Queenstown. By year’s end there’ll be another 8000sqm of office space in Queenstown, split evenly between Five Mile’s Building 8 and the four-building first stage of Queenstown Central, on the other side of Grant Road.

Traditionally, Frankton office space has been taken up by education, medical and IT-type businesses, but the agents expect more professional services like Mitchell Mackersy Lawyers, which will occupy Building 8’s top floor and Craigs Investment Partners and Todd & Walker Law, which is at Terrace Junction.

Contego are excited to be moving their Queenstown Office into Building 8 once complete. Read More

Plasterboard Ceilings

Sun, 15 Jul 2018 21:12:19 GMT

Plasterboard fire rated ceilings can be very problematic in terms of fire stopping. In our experience contractors can often completely overlook what is involved to achieve a compliant fire rated ceiling and there is not a wide product choice available in the NZ market for AS1530.4 tested plasterboard ceilings.

We regularly encounter contractors on site who are installing products which have no tested systems for Gib ceilings.

Contego has researched the global market and we are now able to source a compliant AS1530.4/AS4072.1 system for plasterboard ceilings including:

Cable Bundles
PVC pipe
Lagged Metal pipes
Metal Pipes

If you are in doubt about a product's fire specifications we recommend you seek our advice.

Passive Fire Protection

Sun, 15 Jul 2018 21:02:46 GMT

Early Contractor Involvement & Design/ Specification

Contego is currently engaged on multiple projects at the early design phase.

Located throughout the South Island our current projects include:

Retrospective upgrades of existing buildings (including Aged Care)
New Build $25M Tertiary building
Government departments
Accommodation projects
Heritage
Cross Laminated Timber (CLT)
Multi-storey Developments
Education spaces
Laboratory buildings

When we're engaged at this early stage of design Contego are able to provide the most value to a project and introduce cost saving initiatives. Our typical role at this stage includes:

Attending Design Co-ordination meetings
BIM
Documentation review – Fire vs Architectural vs Structural vs Services vs Acoustic vs Seismic
Specification
Identify potential issues & problematic details & finding solutions
Accurate estimate of costs
Structural Steel Fire Protection

We believe early engagement in passive fire protection is de-risking compliance & costs for our client & typically delivers overall cost savings and creates efficiencies.

University of Otago

Sun, 15 Jul 2018 20:51:06 GMT

Refurbishment of the University of Otago St David 2 Building.

Contego were delighted to be appointed the Passive Fire Protection Co-ordinator & Contractor and to work with Cook Brothers on the recently completed $9M Refurbishment of the University of Otago St David 2 building.

This building was vacated in 2013 when it was discovered there were seismic issues. Cook Brothers completed this

re-strengthening work and a complete refurbishment which now house the university H.R team & other departments.

Contego undertook responsibility for all Passive Fire Protection elements on this project which was signed off by fire engineers Beca.

Contego’s project processes including pre-start QA documentation, trade co-ordination meetings, fixed price lump sum, site installation, QA checks, communication and handover compliance documentation ensured there have been no passive fire defects or issues at the vital stage of practical completion.

This project continues a great relationship Contego have with the key stakeholders including University of Otago, Beca, Cook Brothers Construction & Aotea.

Our team of passive fire Specialists is growing

Sun, 15 Jul 2018 20:34:15 GMT

Our team has grown recently with some key new staff recruits across Otago.

Our Queenstown & Southern Lakes team welcomes Jonny to our installation team. Jonny joins Kyle & Clint to help manage our increased work load and to support Nathan on installations, particularly across retrospective upgrade projects.

Adam Wells has joined head office as our new compliance manager. Adam comes with extensive experience in the Fire Alarm industry as well as an experienced IQP. Adam will play a vital role for Contego, maintaining our quality standards across all projects & ensuring we never drop the standard and the ‘benchmark’ status we believe we have set within the Passive Fire Protection industry in the South Island.

Adam has been busy with QA on current projects as well as completing annual Building Warrant of Fitness inspections in his capacity as an IQP for Contego.

We're delighted to welcome these new staff members to the Contego team.

NZIQS 2018 Conference

colm@mthuttdigital.co.nz (Colm McGrath) — Thu, 24 May 2018 02:30:46 GMT

Contego presenting at the NZIQS 2018 Conference

Justin McEntyre of Contego will be presenting one of the breakout sessions on Passive Fire in the Fullwood Room, Dunedin Centre The conference will be held 13-15 June at the Dunedin Centre with accommodation and social options all within easy walking distance.

“ The committee has chosen the conference theme “Building a New Heritage”. We aim to explore the latest construction and services technologies which are helping to build a sustainable heritage for the future, whilst celebrating modern methods of re-purposing our existing historical buildings to allow them to stand as equals beside the new. The Otago Branch board are excited to host our NZIQS colleagues and take this opportunity to showcase all Dunedin has to offer. We are working hard to put together a not to be missed event ” – James Young, NZIQS 2018 Conference Committee Chair

BOINZ Conference May 2018

Thu, 25 May 2017 11:35:11 GMT

Contego. will be attending BOINZ (Building Officials Institute of NZ) in Dunedin between 14th – 16th May hosted at the Dunedin Town Hall.

This conference & Expo is a must attend event for anyone in the industry and will pull together all of New Zealand’s Council Building Officers & Inspectors and other Industry professionals.

Attendee’s will be taking away important news, information & learnings regarding regulatory control of the building industry.

Contego. Will be in attendance with Ryanfire NZ who are showcasing their latest tested Passive Fire Protection systems.

We will be focusing on showcasing best practice documentation for building projects including detailing:

Building Consent Documentation for Passive Fire Protection

Code of Compliance Documentation for Passive Fire Protection

University of Otago | Dental School Passive Fire Protection underway

Wed, 24 May 2017 10:35:33 GMT

Contego. has commenced work on the $100M University of Otago Dental School Redevelopment.

This project will involve > 18 months of Passive Fire Protection work on site & has already involved 12 months of pre planning & design co-ordination with the Leighs Cockram J.V team.

Contego. are pleased to be on site & starting this major project. Our work on site will include:

Stage 1 - CSB New Build 5 Storey Clinical Services building
Stage 2 – Walsh Building 5 storey Refurbishment
1km of Curtain Wall & Exterior Cladding Fire Stopping
>6000 penetrations treated
State of the art Dental facility building
Modern Fire Stopping tracking, documentation & reporting for all Passive Fire works

Contego. held a Training & Information session with the entire project Services trades, Main Contractors project team & Partitioning contractors detailing the Quality approach to Passive Fire Protection on this project and the systems we have promoted. Feedback from this session was that all contractors involved have never had such a proactive approach to Passive Fire Protection on a major project and has laid the foundation for a smooth Passive Fire project.

Contego. have had the opportunity to work on some amazing builds. Check out some of our most recent and upcoming projects.

Flush Box Fire Protection

Wed, 24 May 2017 10:28:56 GMT

Recently the spotlight has been put upon Fire stopping systems with regard to Flush Boxes. It has been highlighted that many Fire rated pads being used in flush boxes are not compliant to New Zealand requirements.

We have heard of entire Commercial buildings completed in 2017 now being told to replace all of the Fire rated pads used in Flush Boxes – all at the Electrical Contractors Expense.

There are only a few companies in New Zealand that have the required AS1530.4 testing/ AS4072.1 assessment for their Fire rated pads.

It is important to check the following before proceeding with a Fire rated pad:

Test report to AS1530.4
Tested details
- Single layer 13 Gib? (most are tested on double layer or minimum 16 Fire rated plasterboard)
- -/60/60 achieved with insulation rating (or did it only achieve -/60/-)
- Was it a single pad
- Does the pad you are being sold match the pad used in the test? (we are finding retailers/ manufacturers are selling different pads but marketing against other product test reports – the recent court rulings in the Reinforcing Steel industry highlight that this practice is “Gross Negligence”
- What else was included in the test – i.e Fire rated mastic & which brand
Do they also offer Acoustic rating?

Contego. has completed its due diligence and as an outcome we stock & supply two tested pads that suit NZ’s most common building & electrical scenarios

Ryanfire Electro pads – 1 layer of 13 Fyreline tested to -/60/60 & -/120/120 to AS1530.4
Ryanfire Acoustic Putty Pads – 1 layer of 13 Fyreline tested to -/90/90 to AS1530.4

Passive Fire Design & BIM

Wed, 24 May 2017 10:28:56 GMT

Contego. has entered the era of BIM (Building Information Modelling). BIM is the undisputed the future of Design, Construction & facilities management.

Contego. Systems is now working with industry leaders in the field of BIM to explore & optimise the full potential of BIM in relation to Passive Fire Protection.

In May Contego. has been engaged to complete Passive Fire design on a $30M Development for a complex building that is being fully modelled in BIM. Once completed Detailed design phase it is envisaged that there will be valuable information gained to carry forward onto future design projects with Passive Fire integrated with BIM.

Contego works with some amazing clients such as Tertiary Institutes, local Government, Corporates, Private Building owners, Medical, Industrial, Consultants, Main Contractors & Sub-Contractors. Check out some of our recent and upcoming projects.

contego

Passive Fire Protection Update

Intumescent Coating Code of Practice Rev 2.0. A revision 2.0 of the Intumescent Coatings Code of Practice is about to be released.

Passive Fire Protection Checklist

Assessments – ask the extra questions. As most Passive Fire Protection contractors are aware AS1530.4 & AS4072.1 assessments satisfy compliance with NZBC and Acceptable solutions. However, when utilising an AS4072.1 assessment I would urge a little extra caution.

Media Release - Contego North Island Expansion

South Island passive fire protection contractor Contego today announced that it will continue its business expansion by opening a new base in the North Island in December 2021

Contego's top five tips for managing your building compliance

Intumescent Coatings Project update

It has been a busy summer for the Intumescent coatings division with projects right across the lower South Island.

Competency & Trust

Sadly we are hearing more or more frictions within the industry between Passive Fire Contractors, consultants and Council inspectors.

Lead Time Materials

Tested V Assessed Passive Fire Products

Contego Finalist in Two Categories for Westpac Otago Business Awards.

We are excited to announce that Contego have been selected as finalists within two categories at the 2020 Westpac Otago Business Awards.

Southern District Health Board (SDHB) IQP Contract – Passive fire Systems

Contego is proud to announce that we have been awarded a 3 year contract to provide IQP services to Southern District Heath Board

New Plant and Equipment – Intumescent Paint and Cementitious Spray

Contego team have celebrated the arrival of its significant investment in specialist plant and machinery for Intumescent Paint application and Cementitious spray.

Matters of Passive Fire matter...

With the hive of activity over the past >3 years the FPANZ Passive SIG has firmly filled the vacuum within the industry as a reliable and impartial authority on Passive Fire Protection related matters.

❱ NZQA Level 3 Passive Installers qualification

❱ Fire & Smoke Stopping Code of Practice

﻿ ❱ Intumescent Coatings Code of Practice

❱ Position Statements 1 – 4

Passive Fire and NZBC

CLAUSE B2 DURABILITY

Considerations with regard to Passive Fire protection should include:

Naked Floor Batt at Ryanfire

During the Extension to Dunedin International Airport, it was discovered that an entire section of an Egress safe path on the upper-level first floor was not fire rated from beneath with a fire-rated ceiling from a historical build.

Key aspects to the success of this outcome were:

Fire Stopping: 5 key things to consider in your project

Fire Stopping is a complex field that, when done poorly can have a major and negative impact on your project.

1. Consider Fire Stopping early in your design

2. Engage a Specialist Fire Stopping/ Passive Fire Contractor

3. Discuss setout of services and Fire Stopping systems before 1st fix

4. Try to limit the systems used for a particular project

5. Keep detailed and accurate records of all completed Fire Stopping

Intumescent Coatings – explained

Intumescent Coatings including Paint and other specialist coating systems provide protection from fire to structural steel.

A couple of key early pointers to consider with regard to Intumescent coatings:

Timber Penetrations through Fire walls – the jury is out

The jury is out & Yes these need to be fire stopped with a compliant solution just the same as services through fire walls.

Quality is Key for Passive Fire Standards

QUALITY MUST REMAIN OUR PRIORITY

Presenting Passive Fire at BOINZ

Pre lock down Justin was invited to present to the Southern Chapter of BOINZ (Building Officials Institute NZ) with regard to current industry initiatives & best practices with regard to Passive Fire Protection.

What's coming up for Contego.

In recent months and through the lock down Contego have been working on several projects with regard to Design & Specification.

Dunedin City Council Building Asset Passive Fire Guides

Langlands Hotel Invercargill Structural Steel Fire Protection

Wakatipu High School Extension ECI

University of Otago Student Accommodation building (Te Rangi Hiroa) ECI

Dunedin Public Hospital (SDHB) Existing building audit

Peer Review

Contego enters Covid 19 lock down.

Like the rest of the country & a significant portion of the world Contego. are now in lock down.

Essential Service

Design & Specification

IQP

Estimating & Quantity Surveying

Project Managers

Site Staff

"New Zealand, be calm, be kind, stay at home."We can break the chain."

How did this fire burn out of control for 60 hours?

In June 2017, a fire broke out in the UK which burned for 60 hours....

What does this have to do with New Zealand

What we do and why we do it!

The role of the passive fire protection installer

Other elements of construction suffer from regular wear & tear are a higher risk factor.

Success lies in the hands of the installer!

Small 'simple' repairs can have catastrophic effects on the fire rating

Fire Tests – What goes on at the lab

Fire Safety Engineering starts with the study the fire behavior of various materials.

Intumescent Coating & Steel Protection

What a year!

A Contego Christmas Message

We are looking forward to 2020 with a strong forward workload already secured across the South Island

Merry Christmas & Happy New year from the entire team at Contego & looking forward to working with everyone in 2020.

❱ Intumescent Coatings Code of Practice

Dunedin City Council

Building Asset Passive Fire Guides

Langlands Hotel Invercargill

Structural Steel Fire Protection

Wakatipu High School

Extension ECI

University of Otago

Student Accommodation building (Te Rangi Hiroa) ECI

Dunedin Public Hospital

(SDHB) Existing building audit

Merry Christmas & Happy New year from the entire team at Contego
& looking forward to working with everyone in 2020.