Could Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer materials be considered non-combustible? For this project it's intended to be used as an interior building material.

NFPA 130 & NFPA 101 definition of non-combustible material:

4.7  Non-combustible material
A material that complies with any of the following shall be considered a noncombustible material [101:4.6.13.1].

1. A material that, in the form in which it is used and under the conditions anticipated, will not ignite, burn, support combustion, or release flammable vapors, when subjected to fire or heat. [101:4.6.13.1(1)]
2. A material that is reported as passing ASTM E136. [101:4.6.13.1)2)]
3. A material that is reported as complying with the pass/fail criteria of ASTM E136 when tested in accordance with the test method and procedure in ASTM E2652.  [101:4.6.13.1(3)]

Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials can meet the following minimum standards for flammability:

• ASTM E84:  Standard Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials:  Flame spread 25
• ASTM D635:   Standard Test Method for Rate of Burning and/or Extent and Time of Burning of Plastics in a Horizontal Position:  Self-extinguish
• UL 94 Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances:  V-0

Can this material be considered an equivalent to non-combustible material?

​While Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials have an excellent fire resistance rating under ASTM and UL tests, it is not specifically classified as non-combustible under ASTM E136.

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Would a mechanical penthouse be considered a “story” in terms of the 30-ft. standpipe threshold?

If the mechanical penthouse is not occupied, does it still apply for the 30-ft limit? Although that would be logical, I can’t the word “occupied” used anywhere except related to high-rise.  I suppose a mechanical penthouse could be considered a mezzanine, I see some commentary that a mezzanine should be no more than 1/3 of the related floor.

The project has three floors where the top classroom floor is 28 feet above fire department access.  But, there’s a mechanical level above that is much higher. It’s accessible, is it a “story” in terms of standpipe?  It would seem logical that this penthouse doesn’t count.  But I’m not 100% sure code backs me up on this.

Of course the thing that bites us, is whether or not the standpipe is manual or automatic – we have fond this to be totally up to the discretion (sometimes whim), of the AHJ.  Sometimes based on good reasoning, sometimes it has causes the unnecessary (IMHO) requirement for a fire pump.

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I had thought the presence of the elevator itself does not necessarily require a sprinkler system if the building does not require a sprinkler system.

For example, if a two-story, type II-B, Business (B) Occupancy building is under 23,000 sqft, the IBC does not require a sprinkler system to be installed. Therefore, the hoistway or the EMR would not require sprinklers.

I’ve had elevator designers argue that the presence of hydraulic fluid requires sprinklers.

I disagree, however; hydraulic fluid is typically a Class III-B flammable liquid. In the example above a two stop elevator would have less than 1000 lb (~150 gal) of hydraulic fluid which does not trigger any Hazardous Occupancy as the control area volume limit for closed-use systems is 13,200 gallons.

Is this the correct approach to take? Does the presence of the hydraulic fluid or any other component of an elevator trigger sprinkler requirements for the rest of the building?

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Have a 4-story townhouse, sprinklered in accordance with 13R.

Is a sprinkler at the top of an elevator shaft an acceptable trade off for a 1-hour rating of the shaft (in lieu of a 2-hour rating)?

NFPA 13R, 2013 Section 6.6.6 says sprinklers are not required in non-combustible elevator shafts in accordance with ANSI 17.1. The state is says they will not certify the elevator/does not require a certificate in a residential elevator, so there is no confirmation that the elevator code is upheld.

If the sprinkler is an acceptable trade off (or if the sprinkler is elected to be installed in excess of the code requirements) is then a shunt trip and flow switch/heat detector required to shut off power in the event of a sprinkler activation?

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Have a kitchen exhaust "ecological unit" which filters oil, grease, dust particles, and smoke odor from a kitchen hood exhaust system.

Are there requirements for how to be protect the unit? 

I'm not sure whether sprinklers would be required within the unit as I'm unfamiliar with these. Any guidance or tips from those who've worked with these before would be appreciated.

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This project has a canopy. It canopy is not attached to the building. The building is required to have a sprinkler system installed in accordance with IBC 903.3.1.1 (an NFPA 13 system) in order to increase the allowable building area. 

The canopy is providing weather protection for transit passengers. It's Type II-B, non-combustible, and made of steel, concrete, and metal panels. The canopy is also very large, and on its own exceeds the allowable area for a non-sprinklered Group A-3 occupancy.

Do the provisions of NFPA 13-2016 Section 8.15.7.2 (copied below) allow for an omission of sprinklers from an exterior canopy as described here?

8.15.7.2* Sprinklers shall be permitted to be omitted where the exterior canopies, roofs, porte-cocheres, balconies, decks, and similar projections are constructed with materials that are noncombustible, limited-combustible, or fire retardant–treated wood as defined in NFPA 703, or where the projections are constructed utilizing a noncombustible frame, limited combustibles, or fire retardant–treated wood with an inherently flame-resistant fabric overlay as demonstrated by Test Method 2 in accordance with NFPA 701.

A.8.15.7.2 Vehicles that are temporarily parked are not considered storage. Areas located at drive-in bank windows or
porte-cocheres at hotels and motels normally do not require sprinklers where there is no occupancy above, where the area is entirely constructed of noncombustible or limited combustible materials or fire retardant–treated lumber, and
where the area is not the only means of egress. However, areas under exterior ceilings where the building is sprinklered
should be protected due to the occupancy above.

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Does anyone have any code references for the use of traffic spikes?

Does anyone allow it (with a manual override)?

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I'm working on an exercise studio with one big open room and dealing with a plan examiner who insists travel distance is measured along walls leading to an exit, rather than diagonally across the space. To me this is absurd. Thoughts?

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Working on a fire house that is fully-sprinklered, non-separated construction type V-B, wood construction, R-2, S-1 & S-2 classifications, with R-2 being the most restrictive. We have 83 total occupants. IBC 2015.

We have a full- sprinklered attic with a nitrogen generator. We have gas-fired mechanical equipment in the attic.

My question is that the contractor is suggesting to VE the attic sprinkler by installing fire treated roof sheathing. IBC 903.2.8.3.2 "Attics not used for living purposes, storage or fuel-fired equipment." tells me that we are required to have them. Am I incorrect?

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Does anyone have any literature on the installation of face sprinklers (the sprinkler along the first row of a rack on the "face" of the rack)?

I have an AHJ who is saying that the height of the pipes serving the face sprinklers must not meet the definition of "hindrance" or "obstruction" in the building code. 

The face sprinklers in my situation are placed on first row of a rack system with the face sprinklers of the upright type. (2015 NFPA-30 16.5.1.10 (6)).  The sprinkler line is located parallel with the face of the rack. The bottom of the pipe is 4"-6" below the bottom of the rack. 

I have checked for the definition of what he mentioned and I can't find anything in the building codes. Building code is 2015 IBC/IFC.  Also checked the NFPA-13 handbooks but the installation requirements are concerned with sprinkler deflector versus the piping itself.  Thanks in advance!

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Will you please clarify why a Building Area Increase is NOT permitted for an NFPA 13R design?

We are working on a project and the architect has stated that the calculations following IBC T506.2 allow for an area increase up to 135,000 sf. We are working in IBC 2015. The Owner would like confirmation that the 4 story R-2 Type V-A building can be protected under NFPA 13R when it is over 12,000 sf.

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Are there any scenario where the means of egress can be routed from a corridor, through a room, to the exterior? Must all egress corridors discharge to the exterior?

I would assume panic hardware would have to be provided and the room couldn't have a means of being locked, but if a room is relatively low-hazard (like a classroom) could it be used for egress between a corridor and the exterior?

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What occupancy type would you consider a building being used for powder coating of metal chassis?

The IBC lists F-2 (Low-Hazard Factory Industrial) as the occupancy for metal fabrication and assembly and basically the fabrication or manufacturing of non-combustible materials in which the processes do not involve a significant fire hazard.

Anything not listed as F-2 would be considered F-1 (Moderate-Hazard Factory Industrial).

In this building they bring in the metal chassis, send them through an oven to warm them up, then send them through another booth to standblast them. Then the chassis are powder-coated before going through a final oven to be cured.

In my opinion and past exeprience with powder coating it can be a pretty hazardous activity with explosive hazard and with finely divided particles. I do know the booth is pretty large for powder coating will need to have fire suppression. The big question is would be consider this building F-1 or F-2 requiring fire suppression throughout, as the building is well over 12,000 sqft in area. 

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Can we run a 6-inch standpipe for a highrise building (24-story) fully on an external wall? The main would come out of the pump room and take branches for each floor from the riser. This new building has a major space shortage and it's not possible to run the pipe within a shaft inside the building. There is no issue of freezing as the temperature does not drop to the freezing point.

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Why does a townhouse which is 4-story require an NFPA 13R system?

The IRC is specifically geared toward one-and two-family dwellings up to 3 stories, but the IBC allows 13D systems in R-3, R-4 condition 1 and townhouses (903.3.1.3).

Is there another prevailing code reference that overrules this allowance?

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We have a non-conforming fraternity building that wants to build a new two-story covered entrance canopy that ties into the existing roof. It is a heavy timber construction and has no concealed spaces. The fire area is already too large, so our interpretation is this would trigger a sprinkler system in the whole building.

A more lenient interpretation might be to only sprinkler the new portion, and potentially add some rated separation between the existing non-sprinklered building and the new sprinklered entry canopy, but I am not aware and I can't find anything about separation between sprinklered and unsprinklered portions of a building. Would this arrangement be permissible by code?

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High-rise office building, predominantly light hazard occupancy. Water supply is designed for a 30 minute duration (roof mounted gravity water storage tanks).

We need a 1-hour separation between two tenant spaces. The architect has specified a glass partition. As such closely spaced heads are being proposed to achieve an equivalent rating.

Does the water supply now need to be upgraded to provide a 1 hour supply of water?

Similarly, if sprinklers are being used to provide an equivalency rating on a required 2-hour rated partition, does the water supply need to be able to supply 2-hours of demand?

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We have a residential R-2 occupancy, four-story, combustible Type V-B, new construction building with an NFPA 13 system. The floor/ceiling assemblies are built with open-web wood trusses. 

All of the interstitial spaces around these trusses are to be filled with non-combustible insulation, which allows sprinklers to be omitted within them in accordance with NFPA 13-2013 8.15.1.2.7 "concealed spaces filled with noncombustible insulation shall not require sprinkler protection."

The IBC (2015) requires drafstopping in combustible construction to "subdivide floor ceiling assemblies" above an in-line with dwelling unit and sleeping unit separations (IBC 2015 718.3.2). However, an exception exists for buildings equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1 (an NFPA 13 system).

If these spaces omit sprinklers due to non-combustible insulation, is draftstopping still required per the IBC?

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Attached is a sketch of an interesting design issue we’ve been dealing with.

We have a convenience stair connecting multiple floors of an office building. With this, we need to treat the opening as an Atrium opening. So we have told the architect that we need a draft curtain with closely spaced heads.

The sketch attached shows some limitations that we’ve been given.

My question is, how would you suggest we accomplish the required protection given the constraints of this particular stair?

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Do all rated walls (fire partition, fire barrier, fire wall) need to run to the floor deck or roof to the next story above? 

Is there any scenario where we can put a rated lid and not continue the rated partition or fire barrier up to the deck above? 

This project is under IBC 2015, but I'm just looking for guidance on where I can get this answered in the future. Thanks in advance.

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Can someone explain the process for determining if a standpipe system needs to be designed for seismic considerations?

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We have 2x4 wood studs which are spaced 16-inches on center. There's a layer of 3/8" gypsum board on each side, plus on one side there's 1 layer of 3/8" plywood (douglas fir).

How do I determine the fire resistance rating of this partition assembly?

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I have a 2-hour fire rated barrier and need to choose code-compliant firestop. The firestop has different ratings (F, T, and L) - which is applicable?

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I am currently dealing with a fire station that was constructed in 1965, prior to any adopted building codes in Indiana.

The fire station suffered structural and roof damage during a storm from a tree fall. My question is an exterior exit staircase from the second floor was damaged. A structural engineer assessed the staircase and addressed the items needing repaired, which is quite extensive and will need to be removed for repair. The staircase is far from meeting current code.

The insurance company does not want to pay for a new exterior stairway that would meet code, they want to have it repaired.

Is there any code requirement in the 2012 IBC that would require this stairway to be brought up to the 2012 IBC on an existing building?

The stairway is the original. I cannot for the life of me find a code section that would require this stairway to be code compliant if removed and repaired. If we can cite a code requirement for this to be code compliant the insurance will pay for a brand new stairway, which is our goal.

Any recommendations or prior experience with this type of situation would be greatly appreciated! (You would think the insurance would want a code compliant exit component, but I know its all about the $$$)

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