Fire protection equipment

The Fire Protection Agency (APCI) was created pursuant to Resolution No. 5 of August 2003 of the Minister of the Interior with exclusive responsibility to conduct the certification and homologation, in accordance with the relevant technical requirements, of fire protection equipment manufactured in, imported into and/or marketed in Cuba. The APCI is responsible for organizing and implementing, as appropriate, all activities relating to the evaluation of equipment of this type intended for distribution for use in Cuba. The agency's services activity is rooted in its corporate purpose, as updated in Resolution No. 244 of March 2014 of the Ministry of the Economy and Planning.

This procedure seeks to ascertain that fire protection equipment complies with the technical requirements set forth in the national and international rules in force. To our knowledge, no other country has an import licensing system with this objective, with all the flexibility that such a process requires.

The homologation of fire safety products encompasses all of the theoretical and practical evaluation activities that enable compliance with the fire protection requirements laid down in national and international technical standards to be determined and/or the recognition, on the basis of an evaluation of documentation and/or practical testing, of the certification and/or test report issued by a recognized body.
Products are categorized by specialized function.

Categories:

A. Electrical equipment.
B. Ventilation equipment, heating equipment, flammable liquids and combustible gases.
C. Fire alarm systems and similar products.
D. Fire protection equipment.
E. Fire barriers.
F. Construction materials.
G. Fire resistance.

An applicant who presents a product that corresponds to one that has already been homologated by the APCI (same producer, brand and characteristics, but a different supplier if the applicant is not the manufacturer) must still demonstrate, by means of documentation, samples, etc., that it is indeed the exact same product. An official certificate will then be issued and the new product recognized and included in the list of homologated and approved products. The period of validity will correspond to that of a new product.

Where the product presented has the same trademark as a product that has already been homologated but was produced in another country, it will be subject to the homologation and approval process in accordance with the corresponding specific characteristics.

List of products subject to homologation and approval and requiring assessment in accordance with their category classification:

Fire resistance

- Floor-ceiling designs - Concrete with cellular steel floor units (S-Deck).
- Floor-ceiling designs - Concrete with steel floor units.
- Floor-ceiling designs - Concrete and steel joists.
- Floor-ceiling designs - Reinforced concrete.
- Floor-ceiling designs - Wood joist assemblies.
- Beam designs for floor-ceiling assemblies.
- Roof-ceiling designs.
- Beam designs for roof-ceiling assemblies.
- Wall and partition designs.
- Column designs.
- Interior wall system designs.
- Exterior wall system designs.

Construction materials

- Air-conditioning systems and components thereof: ducts, filters, connectors, dampers, acoustic material, sealants, adhesives.
- Construction materials: Mineral wool and insulation blankets, laminated wall panels, composite wall panels, floor boards, wall coatings and finishes, floor coatings and finishes, fire-retardant coatings, spray-applied mineral wool, insulation, pipes, cladding materials, doors and gates, fittings and hardware for escape route doors, fire doors and emergency exit doors, fittings and hardware for fire-resistant lift doors, fire-resistant windows, glass blocks. Decorative fabrics for other purposes, decorative false ceilings, etc.

Fire barrier systems and components thereof

- Intumescent paint (primer, undercoat and topcoat) for metal.
- Fire-retardant paints and varnishes (primary stain, varnish finish coat) for wood.
- Fire-resistant mortar.
- Fire-resistant filler.
- Spray-applied mineral wool.
- Ceramic tiles.
- Fire-resistant silicone.
- Fire-resistant clamps.
- Fire-resistant grilles.
- Fire dampers.
- Fire doors.
- Fire-resistant windows.
- Fire-resistant drywall panels.
- Mineral wool panels.

Fire protection equipment

- Portable fire extinguishers: Water, water with additives, foam, gas, powder, etc.
- Manually transportable fire extinguishers: Water, water with additives, foam, gas, powder, etc.
- Automatic fire extinguishers: Water with additives, foam, gas, powder, etc.
- Fire extinguishers: Spare charges, fire extinguisher cabinets, boxes and covers.
- Fire-extinguishing systems with dry extinguishing agents: Powder, etc.
- Fire-extinguishing systems with wet extinguishing agents: Water with additives, potassium acetate and potassium chloride, etc.
- Gaseous fire-extinguishing systems: CO2, argon, nitrogen, FM-200, FE-13, NOVEC 1230, etc.
- Water-mist and water-spray extinguishing systems.
- Low-, medium- and high-expansion foam extinguishing systems.
- Compressed air foam extinguishing systems.
- Fittings, components and spare charges for the above systems. Nozzles and diffusers. Support brackets and fasteners.
- Fire-fighting pumps and pump units.
- Pipes for supply networks and water-based fire protection systems.
- Control instruments and accessories for fire protection systems.
- Hydrants, equipment cabinets, fire hose reels (FHRs), hoses, nozzles, foam generators, proportioners, mixers, monitors.
- Sprinklers, fittings and components for sprinkler systems. Nozzles and diffusers. Support assemblies and fasteners, etc.
- Valves: Check valves for sprinkler systems, non-return, with actuator, etc.
- Personal protective equipment: Jackets, helmets, boots, vests, blankets
- Extinguishing agents.

Fire alarm systems and similar products

- Intruder detection and alarm systems with fire-detection capability.
- Fire detection and alarm system: Conventional, addressable, analogue, extinguishing, gas, etc.
- Remote supervision and monitoring devices.
- Notification and alarm devices: Audible alarms, visual alarms, visual and audible alarms, loudspeakers, other accessories.
- Initiating devices and accessories therefor: Flame, heat, smoke and combined detectors, detector bases, manual pull stations/call points.
- Flame detectors, heat detectors, manual pull stations/call points and other devices for classified zones. Anti-explosion equipment (explosion-proof, intrinsic safety, increased safety, oil-immersion).
- Gas detectors.
- Monitoring devices: Pressure switches, flow switches, position sensors, level sensors, flow sensors, etc.
- Control and activation devices: Relay bases, relay outputs, etc.
- Remote modules: Monitor modules, control modules, isolator modules, etc.
System integration computer programmes.
- Computer programmes for in-system device programming.
- Electrical cables for detection systems.

Electrical equipment

- Electric conductors: Cables, wires, braided wires, strip, etc.
- Conduits and fittings Tubing, cable trays, inspection chambers, covers, seals, etc.
- Emergency lighting and signage: Independent light sources with or without signage, safety decals, pictograms, etc., whether or not photoluminescent.
- Overcurrent protection: Thermal, magnetic, fuses, combined, etc.
- Surge protection: Data surge protectors, AC surge protectors.
- Arc striking devices.
- Passive protection system devices: Franklin lightning rods, Faraday cages, down conductors, electrodes, fasteners, lightning-strike counters, etc.

Licensing is not intended to restrict the quantity of imports; its purpose is to prevent the entry of security technologies of dubious quality which do not meet the requirements for their use and which are incompatible with the systems used in the country, and of materials and substances that pose a fire safety risk.

Not applicable.

The system applies to both domestically produced and imported goods. Imported goods come from any country where they are produced and marketed by suppliers with which Cuba has trade relations.