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I have a Type V-A Group R-2 apartment building whose code summary indicates as having four stories atop two levels of basement, all of the same construction and occupancy, and requiring a 13R system type.
I’m no expert in the building code, but it's my understanding that in order to have a building taller than four stories and still use 13R, a 3-hour horizontal assembly would be required having Type I construction below such assembly and up to four stories above; this building looks to be Type V throughout six levels with no horizontal assembly. The large building is vertically separated into four individual buildings by 2-hour fire walls but I see no horizontal separation. Is there a way this proposed 13R sprinkler system can be code compliant (IBC 2015)? Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
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In the base IBC/NFPA 101 are there any requirements for "interview rooms" in buildings that aren't I occupancies or detention centers?
I'm reviewing a building design that has a small police suite with 3 "interview" rooms; the designer said the intent is that each room is capable of holding one detainee who will be chained to the table at and in the company of at least one officer at all times. This doesn't qualify as a Group I occupancy per IBC and NPFA 101 Ch 22 doesn't apply to non-sleeping areas. I feel like there is something I'm overlooking but I'm having trouble finding information. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Do solar panels on a roof level of a parking garage require sprinkler protection?
The parking garage is six-level open air garage, and the roof level (the sixth level) is used for parking. Solar panels would cover 30% of the roof level and may potentially in future cover the entire roof. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe If NFPA 75 isn't an explicitly adopted code by the AHJ or not referenced by any of the other applicable codes is smoke detection required in a raised floor area?
NFPA 72 provides location guidance but other than that I can't find in NFPA 101/IBC where smoke detection would be required in the raise floor space. Not every jurisdiction/client adopts NFPA 75, I'm unsure what other code or standard would require below floor smoke detection. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Can anyone point me in the right direction for codes pertaining to the construction of a draft curtain?
My client will be installing them as part of an attic design, where draft curtains are required per the sprinkler listing. The sprinkler data sheet covers the depth requirement of the draft curtain. From browsing some websites I can gather they can be constructed of fire-resistant fiberglass woven textiles, glass (smoke baffles), or even panels of sheet metal. Does NFPA or the IBC define how they are to be constructed? My client will most likely use sheet metal. I'm curious if there is a gauge requirement for the metal. I may be overthinking it, but I like to see the code defining the curtain requirement, to avoid the contractor putting the wrong materials in place. I appreciate any help that anyone can provide. Thank you. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe What are you all seeing or specifying for firestop identification labels?
Masterspec calls for metal or plastic labels. I found an FCIA (Firestop Contractors International Association) article that speaks to stamped metal tags or ceramic fiber tags (Google is failing on what that actually would look like). It seems the firestop manufacturers all have stickers. I have always specified the metal or plastic labels using the Masterspec language. If I get anything at all installed, it is the manufacturer stickers. I have concerns about the longevity of the stickers. I’m curious what others are calling for, what your AHJs or clients ask for, and what is actually getting installed. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe How is it determined whether a steel structure will have spray-applied fire resistant materials?
I'm creating performance specification for a bid-set on a project, so I don't yet have input from a structural engineer. The project is a warehouse with large fire loads and exposed steel. Recently, a project out for bid is a low-rise office building, 100% sprinklered with a wet-pipe system that is concealed by a suspended ceiling. On that project, all of the structural steel has spray-applied fire resistant materials. What drives the issue of spray-applied fire resistive materials? Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have an existing business that is approximately 4,000 sqft. It's a single-story building being renovated into an infusion center with (14) IV patient rooms.
I would consider this type of occupancy to be an Ambulatory Care occupancy because of (4) or more care recipients to be incapable of self preservation at any time. Under Ambulatory Care, this building would need to be sprinkler protected under the International Fire Code. Are these type of centers considered to fall under Ambulatory Care, or just a doctor's out patient Business occupancy? Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe When would a parking garage require an occupant notification system?
NFPA 101 has some fairly clear guidelines but isn't applicable in my project, the 2015 ICC codes are. I can't find anything in Section 907 for S occupancies and Section 406 doesn't really give much direction either. Open, enclosed, above or below grade, and above or below other occupancies; It doesn't seem super straight-forward. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a project where we are discussing what code year of NFPA 13 will be applicable for the project.
Is the edition of NFPA 13 determined by the AHJ, the I-code year of adoption, or the state? Some of our cities spell it out, but others do not specify NFPA years of adoption, on the I-Code series. Curious to your thoughts, since this could impact exterior projection interpretation for the project. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have an S-1 occupancy. It is a privately owned storage unit (no public access) used for the storage of exotic cars, maybe 3 vehicles in total. The space is about 1,400 square feet, and is fire sprinkler protected. There is a wood-framed mezzanine at the back of the unit as is about 300 square feet.
The question that has come up is if the underside of the open wood stairs to the mezzanine needs to be protected with fire-retardant gypsum board? There is no sprinkler coverage under the stairs. The mezzanine may be built out by the owner to have a few chairs, a couch, a television, etc. Digging into the code talks a lot about accessibility but not so much about the fire resistance requirements for the stairs. I have the found following in the 2015 IBC (code we are under): 1104.4 Multistory buildings and facilities. At least one accessible route shall connect each accessible story and mezzanine in multilevel buildings and facilities. Exceptions 1. An accessible route is NOT required to stories and mezzanines that have an aggregate area of not more than 3,000 square feet (278.7 m2) and are located above and below accessible levels. This exception shall not apply to: ...and... 4. Where a two-story building or facility has one story or mezzanine with an occupant load of five or fewer persons that does not contain public use space, that story or mezzanine shall not be required to be connected by an accessible route to the story above or below. So...the accessibility issue is covered but nothing about the rating of the stairs that I can find. Any help would be appreciated. Maybe I am not looking in the correct code section. Thank you! Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I wanted to pose the question on hazardous material storage lockers. We wish to protect the locker in accordance with Chapter 14 of NFPA 30 and have rated it for 4-hours to eliminate the need for fire separation distance to the immediately-adjacent main building as allowed.
The locker will not be structurally attached and will only have flashing connecting the two to keep out the elements, garbage, and animals. The locker will only have people in as necessary to get the liquids out. The main building has a door on the "exterior wall" that opens and "reveals" the 3-hour rated hazardous material locker door, which you have to open to get inside the locker. NFPA 30 2015 handbook Section 14.4.3 denotes that lockers over 1500 sqft should be protected permanent building such as attached buildings or warehouses. Our locker is under the 1500 sqft requirements so therefore I would say we are not a building but a "locker". Therefore, the exterior wall openings allowances of IBC (2015) Table 705.8 would be to the lot line (over 10ft) and not the locker itself (0ft), allowing our client to access the locker from the inside of the main building and not having to go outside to access it from the exterior. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience or if we should just call it part of the main building and protect it as such and lose the allowances of Chapter 14. Thanks in advance! Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have an existing office building and we are renovating one floor. The building has an existing sprinkler system.
In the middle of the office floor, there is an outdoor patio (I believe all non-combustible) and it is open to the air above. It is 6' x 6' and surrounded by glass on all 4 sides. There are currently no sprinklers protecting this courtyard and we are being told that there needs to be. I am not sure which part of NFPA 13 I would even look at since Section 8.15 only discusses exterior projections and the like. Nothing about an open-air courtyard. I would appreciate any help. There is room to install dry sidewalls above the glass even though the sprinklers would be watering the outside. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a customer that has a paint storage facility. All the liquids are Class III-B and stored at a maximum height of 6-ft with a minimum 8-ft aisle.
Does anyone have helpful information/guidance information for designing spill containment and coordinating ventilation requirements for a space like this? I know containment is touched on in NFPA 30 - but I'm looking for some more in-depth guidance to get started. Thanks in advance. Can a commercial pool be used as the required secondary water supply to a high-rise sprinkler system?
The 2019 IBC/CBC Section 403.3.3 requires an automatic secondary water supply in certain seismic design categories. This is typically met by installing a dedicated tank that meets the minimum demand for 30 minutes. I have a developer asking if they can run a feed line to their 100k +/- gallon commercial pool so it can serve this purpose. Outside of the engineering challenges and value engineering their team must address, I'm wondering if this arrangement is even allowed. I cannot find anything in IBC/CBC, NFPA 24, NFPA 13, etc. that wouldn't allow this. Any help is appreciated. I'm working on a 4-story multifamily structure.
The structure has one common entrance, but is comprised of four separate buildings on four separate lots, all on the same city block. There is a fire separation between each building. I've been trying to find code language indicating that each building is required by code to have a separate fire alarm system, but have not found anything remotely definitive. Would appreciate code reference/help here. Most likely going to request a variance to use one system across all four buildings, but for my personal edification would really appreciate an appropriate IBC or NFPA 72 code reference. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a high-piled storage project that falls under both the International Fire Code and FM Global. We are using FM Storage Sprinklers.
Are smoke and heat vents required? Under the International Fire Code Chapter 32, I am directed to Section 910 for smoke and heat vents. Section 910 states that if ESFR sprinklers are used then smoke and heat vents are not required. I have read several definitions for ESFR, and they appear to be essentially the same as FM Storage Sprinklers. My problem is that per the interpretation, if I follow FM Global Data Sheet 8-0 and use Storage Sprinklers, then per IFC Section 910.3 I must have the architect add smoke and heat vents for every 50,000 sqft of the buliding. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Section 903.3.5.2 (IBC 2012)/Section 403.3.3 (IBC 2015) requires and automatic secondary water supply. I am an FPE and I work in a jurisdiction (Hawaii) that has never required this secondary water supply due to local code amendments to IBC. Recent code revisions now require this secondary supply, and I now have my first project subject to this requirement. I'm planning to meet this requirement as as follows;
Am I on the right track here? Is this primary/secondary supply arrangement viable? Does anyone foresee any code or other issues that may be a problem with this arrangement? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have a fire barrier, with a fire-resistance rating of 1-hour, that has conduit passing through.
The conduit is not continuous from device to device, only used as a sleeve for the penetration. How long (continuous) does the conduit need to be past the edge of the fire barrier to maintain a 1-hour rating? My concern (however minor) is that the inside of the conduit is not firestopped, only the outside penetration. Smoke could pass through the inside of the conduit and effectively circumvent the fire barrier. Thanks in advance, big fan of the forum. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have a project for an NFPA 11 foam system. The foam system is used to protect oil storage tanks at different terminal facilities.
Under Chapter 12 of NFPA 11 (2021 Edition), who is the party that inspects and signs off on these systems as the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction)? Is it the local jurisdiction's fire marshal, the facility's insurance company, or the facility itself? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a mixed-occupancy, 100-year old 1-story house within a metro area. There is existing office space up in the front of the building, and a one-bedroom apartment in the back.
We are adding a camelback addition to the building. The existing office space will remain as is and we will have two 3-bedroom apartments in the back. The camelback will be set back 20-feet from the front of the house. The height of the building will be 30-feet. Can I use 13R or 13D in the residential units? Do I need any sprinkler in the commercial office space upfront? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe For Fire Pump rooms located in a basement, that is accessed through a common corridor, is it acceptable to have other rooms (like plantrooms, storage, etc) off the same corridor coming from the staircase to the Fire Pump Room door?
We would provide the required fire resistance rating for the stair, the corridor, and the fire pump room. I'm assuming no storage would be allowed within the corridor itself. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe A firestop question from someone who doesn't venture much into that space - if we are using a firestop sealant around through-wall pipe and duct penetrations, and there is exposed structure in the room where everything is being painted black, can the sealant also be painted black?
The concern would be possibly compromising the sealant itself, or making future inspections more difficult. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I'm laying out the fire sprinklers for a building where the architect has used the IBC exception in Section 403.2.1.2 that requires sprinklers to be installed at the top and alternating floor levels of a vertical shaft. This reduces the required shaft enclosure to be 1-hour for highrises up to 420 feet.
NFPA 13 doesn't seem to address this specific arrangement. I've looked and I'm not finding any installation requirements. I have concerns with just putting sprinklers in the shaft. What's the best type of sprinkler for this? Should they have water shields? Should I have concerns for obstructions? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have two structures that each are sprinkler-protected and require sprinklers. The first is a parking garage, and the second is a combination parking garage and office building.
There is a pedestrian bridge between the two built as an open structure. Are sprinklers required on the pedestrian bridge? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe |
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