Fire barrier system including preassembled, one-piece, multi-directional fire barriers ready for inside-mounting in multi-directional architectural expansion joints, custom barrier specific installation tools, and cover plate and/or spreader devices

A fire barrier, comprising:

• a fire barrier assembled as a unitary whole shaped for installation into an accepting expansion joint space or spaces,
• each of said joint spaces defined by adjacent spaced facing surfaces of a first and a second building unit,
• said fire barrier comprising:
• a fire-resistant protective sheet fabricated from materials selected from the group consisting of silica filament yarns, polymeric material, fiber reinforced polymeric materials, high-temperature resistant woven textiles, or a metalized fiberglass or ceramic cloth, overlain by a gas and smoke impermeable metal or metalized sheet, and a high-temperature resistant fibrous insulation sheet,
• said plurality of sheets layered and formed into a U-shape barrier to be disposed within said joint space providing for one arm of said U-shaped barrier to be directly vertically fastenable to the facing surface of the first building unit and a second arm to be directly vertically fastenable to the facing surface of the second building unit and an intermediate portion having a width to be located generally within the joint space, and
• attachment devices for insertion first through a retainer strap and then through said layered sheets of one arm of the U-shaped barrier and into one of said surfaces, and
• attachment devices for insertion first through a retainer strap and then through said layered sheets of the other arm of the U-shaped barrier and into the other of said surfaces,
• so that when said attachment devices fasten said fire-barrier vertically and directly to opposing sides of the joint space an inside-mounted fire barrier is achieved.