"Harry K" wrote

If they call the horizontal blocking in the middle of the wall a "fire
stop" they are wrong - fire stops they aren't. Someone elsepointed
out that fire stops are at the top and bottom of walls (balloon
framing) and also pointed out why horizontal blocking in ther middle
of a wall does no good as a fire stop.

Harry K

Our local building inspector call them fire stops. YOU tell him to use
another term.