Fire walls

[John Allingham]

Also be sure to checkyour local code. They vary from place to place. Here's one

9.10.11.2. Firewalls Not Required
(1)

In a building of residential occupancy in which there is no dwelling unit above another dwelling unit, a party wall on a
property line between dwelling units need not be constructed as a firewall provided it is constructed as a fire separation

having not less than a 1 h

fire-resistance rating.

(2)

The wall described in Sentence (1) shall provide continuous protection from the top of the footings to the underside of
the roof deck.

(3)

Any space between the top of the wall described in Sentence (1) and the roof deck shall be tightly filled with mineral

wool or noncombustible material.

[Bob Elliott]

We had a little thing called the Chicago Fire , so the city takes fire walls seriously.

[rmaday]

Originally Posted by jpope

The age of the building may dictate whether or not a fire-wall was required at the time of construction, however, you should not hesitate to mention its abscence if that is the case.

Here's how I address it when it was not required initially. . .

Required by IL law

from IL SOP

Unsafe: A condition in a system or component that is a significant risk of personal injury or property damage during normal, day-to-day use. The risk may be due to damage, deterioration, improper installation or a change in accepted residential construction standards.

FYI

[Marcel R. Cyr]

http://www.usg.com/navigate.do?resource=/USG_Marketing_Content/usg.com/web_files/resources/case_studies/Firewall_Stands_Up-CSD.htm

Firewall Stands Up

Building Type(s): Multi Family Construction Construction Solution(s): Fire Construction
The fire demonstrated the effectiveness of space-saving USG® Area Separation Wall Systems. Two types of USG Area Separation Walls, cavity-type in sidewalls and solid-type in back walls, were used in each unit. “This was only the third project in which we had used the gypsum fire wall system,” said Jay O’Brien, project architect for Roy, O’Brien and Creaser, of Gaithersburg, Md., designer of the project (which was constructed in 1981). “Formerly, we specified masonry construction for fire walls, but now, most of our clients prefer the gypsum system. You rely on the design and test data of the system, but you don’t actually know if it works until an accident occurs,” he continued.
Firewall protection prevented this fire from damaging other units.
Although the unit where the fire originated was completely destroyed, further tragedy was averted. Damage to the adjacent units was limited to a charred deck on one unit and some minor damage to the adjoining rooftops. While the unit destroyed will have to be rebuilt, further repair costs will be minimal. The key to the success of the USG Area Separation Wall performance is a special aluminum clip that allows the damaged structure on the fire-exposed side of the occupancy-separation walls to fall away without pulling down the fire wall.
Firewall protection stopped the fire in this unit from spreading.
“The way this particular complex is built made it a difficult fire to fight,” explained Chief James Magruder of the local Gaithesburg-Washington Grove Fire Department. “There are four units opening on a common courtyard. The fire was in a rear unit which faces a lake and has only a narrow grassy area behind it, limiting our working space.”

Good examples of why a fire wall separtion is needed.

Marcel

[Bob Elliott]

Nice

[Jack L. Gilleland]

Great pics Marcel.