I wonder what the number would be if we counted each piece of paper our hands come in contact with each day. Chances are, it would be so many that we’d lose track. We are swamped with papers everywhere, and if you’re a business owner, you can multiply that by infinity. However, having paper records of important documents is critically important. One document that is essential for your business to be up and running is the Affidavit for Flame Retardant Treatment. You can’t have a valid Certificate of Occupancy without this piece of paper (among many others). Today we’ll discuss what’s involved for this particular affidavit.
The FDNY recognizes this piece of paper as proof that you’re compliant with flameproofing regulations. In essence, by having this affidavit, you’ve met the requirements that all obligated objects and materials have been treated with flameproofing chemicals (if they aren’t already inherently non-combustible). If you’re uncertain about what would fall into this category, it would be items or materials that:
- Have failed a prior field flame test
- Have been treated with flame repellents in the past and need to be treated again
- Have reached that expiration date for flameproofing protection (or it’s been more than 3 years)
- Have been washed, dry-cleaned, or handled in a similar manner and therefore must be treated again
A valid affidavit for flame retardant treatment must be issued by a C-15 Certificate of Fitness holder, in order for the FDNY to deem it as valid. Once the business owner is in possession of this document, he or she has 10 days to file it with the Bureau of Fire Prevention. Additionally, the business owner also needs to keep a copy of this certificate on site. And if that’s not enough paper to keep track of, any time the treated items are washed or dry-cleaned, there needs to be a paper trail for that as well.
So how can you know if the affidavit you received is legitimate? Well, a valid affidavit will have all of these items on it:
- The date the flameproofing treatments occurred
- The person/company who performed the treatments
- Their C-15 Certificate of Fitness holder number
- The expiration date of the C-15 Certificate of Fitness
- Comprehensive details of items and treatment
- The name of the chemicals, the manufacturers and the corresponding Certificate of Approval numbers
- Effective dates for the chemicals
- A statement that FDNY mandates were followed and that items passed the field flame test for flame resistance
While no one wants to add to the paper mountains around the office, it is crucial to have this important affidavit (and stored in a safe location!). Thankfully, having your business treated with fire retardants is a quick and simple process, so it’s not a major inconvenience to secure this valuable document.
Bronx Flameproofing is here to help you with all of your flameproofing needs. We have been serving the Metro NYC area and beyond with our flameproofing expertise, and as a valid C-15 Certificate of Fitness holder, we can issue you the Affidavit for Flame Retardant Treatment after we perform our work. If you have questions or would like to set up a free, no-obligation estimate, please call us today. We would be happy to serve you: 1-800-594-0117.