National Standard Master Mechanical (F29) Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Smoke dampers are designed to help control the movement of smoke within a building's ventilation system during a fire. These devices are crucial in preventing smoke from traveling through the ductwork and invading other areas of the building. However, in buildings equipped with an approved smoke control system, the functionality of that system can inherently manage smoke movement without the need for additional smoke dampers in corridor penetrations.

An approved smoke control system is specifically engineered to effectively manage smoke through various methods, such as exhausting, pressurization, and creating barriers to smoke spread. This system can often achieve the necessary safety measures to protect occupants and maintain safe egress routes during a fire emergency. Therefore, it eliminates the requirement for smoke dampers in specified areas because the smoke control system is deemed sufficient for smoke management in those situations.

The other options, such as a standard fire suppression system or basic ventilation system, do not offer the same level of smoke management capability and therefore still require smoke dampers in corridor penetrations to ensure safety during a fire. Similarly, while a passive fire protection system provides a level of containment, it does not actively control smoke movement, making smoke dampers necessary in those scenarios.