b"oundOff! How About Those Fire Scientists? By Jay Crisp Backlast century,rlyings, the F T industry had toa'test;'that is repeatabin theas ea ireestrealonele. as 1 the MRCA Technical andadmit thatsomefurther researchConsequently,wereacheda 991, Research committee began aneededtobedoneongoodoldgenuine stalemate.had been seem There in y harmless quest for informa ASTME108. In fact, A sub progress in the industry, along with gl STM maintena ceommittee tionrelated to then ofc EOS.14, which overseesa tempest, as long asAssociation roofing systems and their firethe standard,formedseveraltasktimeandtreasurewerebeing resistivity.groups to pu just that work.expended. Now that the enrsuegineers AssomewillrememberthatThen it was discovered that fix andts infire test indusscientis the gambit took a surprising twist, mor ingE108would requirea largetry have thell inirthere ba the court, phing from adedication of time, money, labora is no activity.time and treasure maintenance concernThe beAnd (especiallyregardingModifiedtory work and fire tech resources.required wouldtheirs now. Bitumen systems) to an investiga unlessanduntithecodebo es Idites require meaningful, testing nothing We contractorstion intoting fire response aberrations(especially in single pliesnew,precise, will be d . nothingonethought that the fireover Polyisocyanurate). T What is theultall that work hat even res of tuallyto methodology a com th We are nearlywhere ratings were rock lednden?backwe pliance concerns w the founda started in90's. Except we now iththe solid; they are not.tional roofing fire test atandknow that one of our design inputs ASTM within the building code: Standardist. We contractors thought suspecE108. Periodically aqu comesthat thee r in were r id; re estfir at gsock-solinto the MRCA office for ana they are not. We cannot know with upd te on the issue.assurance how skewed they migh oututhereWith trying to dredge up toobe; b the in nt science defic, many bad memories, let it be saiddemandsthatwetake thatinto that after yearsinvestigation andaccount in our business. of firetesting, andwith thehelpofIn 2006 the M A T and RC echnical witheringcriticism fromour part Re rch (T&R) committee recomseaners (themanufacturers), M 'smended that we be RCA conservative in urasresutechnicalconsultantDr.Reneo roof designalt of these DupuisASTM'sstudies,lly foundbedrock fireespecia with single plies test tobesuffering fromlackofFurthermore, we intractingoverPolyiso,andissued the folthe conrepeatability.Inlayterms,weindustry were not willing to pay forlowing suggestions: e o ered adeficit.'it. Worse luck,our partn in theWhenspecifyinga lownc unt 'scienceers Repeatability is theexpectationmanufacturing end of theinesss/ope membrane rootstem, bus sythat testing protocolsdesignedwere not w to payreither.designers should ensure the areillingfo it, ma ere,those such that notter wh when, orClearlyof us in the roofingroof system design and speby whom they are performed,theindustry consider Fire T proto cificcomponentsspecified est same result can be replicated everycols aof the Fire Test Industrycomplywithanappropriate tool time. Or in o what hap and as such an overheaditemofexterior fire resistance rating ther words, pens inlaboratory shouhap that industry. We contractors con determinedbyacodeoneId pen in any laboratory. If asuf sider thatalready p indire lyapproved testing agency (e.g. testweayctfersfromlackof repeatability,itfor the tests every timebuy theUL, FM). we ceases toa 'test' and becomes anproducts,andourpartnerstheWhenusinga low-slope be exercise in 'op on.'manu urespaydirectly forthemembrane system,include a ini factT w kness was at first deniedtests so that the materials they selsuitablecover board that is hisea I by the Fire Testing Industry; how us meet the building code. T Fireappropriatea testedand hend everwiththe publicationinlateIndustry testers furnish and admin listedina codeapproved 2005oftheH Associatesister the tests andcharge accord manner. ughes Reporton theMRCNNRCA find- ingly. We think they need to furnishContinued on page 14 12"