Blog

The influx of COVID-19 during the past months has changed our society in unprecedented ways. Numerous shelter-in-place orders, whether it is mandated or simply recommended, has affected how we’ve conducted every day activities both in our personal and professional lives. The building and construction industry is not immune from the negative impact of COVID-19, as...

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE As the year ended, we hope you had the chance to view the video we shared showing the upgrades and improvements done to our “TITAN METAL PRODUCTS” factory (a division of SAFTI FIRST), the manufacturer our GPX Builders Series Doors, a move that continues our desire to be a fully vertically...

Innovative products with low-iron glass trend Fire Rated Glass Embraces Low-Iron Glass Trend with Innovative New Products There is an increasing demand for low-iron glass as designers are being drawn by the color—or to put it more accurately—the lack of. When you look through a piece of standard glass, it is typical to notice a...

In commercial construction, we refer to the International Building Code (IBC) as a base code standard for protecting public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the construction of buildings. Published by the International Code Council (ICC), the IBC has been adopted throughout the United States and in some countries in the Middle...

A couple of weeks ago, we saw an article published by TYCO, a sprinkler manufacturer, pushing for their alternate 1-2 hour wall assembly using their special purpose deluge sprinkler and tempered glass. In the article, they make the case that tempered glass and deluge sprinklers are cheaper compared to 1-2 hour fire resistive glazing assemblies....

Since 2004, SAFTI FIRST has been writing articles aimed to educate building officials, designers, glazing contractors and the public on the two types of fire rated glazing products based on performance: fire protective, which meant it blocked smoke and flames only and met NFPA 252/257, or fire resistive, which meant it blocked smoke, flames and...

The end of every year is usually a time to reflect on the year that was, and think of hopes and wishes for the coming year. Looking back, it is hard to ignore the natural disasters that we have endured as a nation: Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Hurricane Irma in Florida, Hurricane Maria in Puerto...

It’s undeniable that Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has built a reputation as a premiere agency that tests and lists fire rated glazing products. In addition to doing a tremendous job at testing and listing products, UL is also an accredited standards developer in the US: For fire protective (or fire-protection-rated) glazing, UL has developed UL 9,...

London fire shines spotlight on fire prevention, protection and education It has been a month since news of the tragic Grenfell Tower Fire in London shook the entire world.  While the investigation is still underway, many experts have been weighing in on how a tragedy of this magnitude could have happened, and how it can...

The ASTM E-119 test is the most stringent and most difficult test to pass for all fire rated glazing assemblies. Glazing that meets the ASTM E-119 standard are classified as “fire resistive” or “fire-resistance-rated” in Chapter 7 of the IBC. Marked with a “W”, it can be used as fire barriers in exit enclosures, exit...